A Stalemate In The ATL: RBNY and ATL Draw, 0-0
Pre-Game Thoughts
The games keep piling up: Red Bull New York will have their third game in eight days as they travel south to face off against rival Atlanta United. For some reason, games against Atlanta always bring out the more aggressive traits in this Red Bull team, which usually means plenty of big plays, late challenges, standout performances and crazy score lines. These Atlanta match-ups are the ones I most look forward to when the schedule is released – they are usually outright fun games. MLS has usually tried to play up rivalries based on regional locations and commercial pressures, but not this one: this organic rivalry was born of competition and pure dislike, which gives it a bit of an edge. This naturally-created rivalry is something I love to see as a RBNY fan. I believe RBNY have looked good this past week, even after the tough defeat against New England on Wednesday. I feel this could be a great opportunity for New York to end a busy part of the schedule with a result and go into a week-long break with their first away points of the season.
Starting Eleven
With injuries and international duty, stars like Aaron Long, Danny Royer, Florian Valot, Christian Casseres Jr, Caden Clark, Andrew Gutman and Youba Diarra would all be absent for this New York side. Head Coach Gerhard Struber went with a 5-3-2 formation again on Sunday, which was an interesting but smart move against a high power Atlanta side. Of course, in net was Carlos Coronel, who is slowly becoming one of my favorite players on this side. If Red Bull hope to get a result in the ATL, Coronel would need to be massive. The five-man back line consisting of John Tolkin, Andres Reyes, Sean Nealis, Tom Edwards, and Kyle Duncan. All of these defenders have really stepped up since the injuries of Aaron Long and Amro Tarek, so I was hoping their run of form would continue. In the Midfield, Sean Davis and Dru Yearwood would get the start alongside another RBNY academy player in Wikelman Carmona. Up front, Tom Barlow would replace Fabio, who would get the rest he needs after playing a big part of Wednesday’s game. Barlow will pair with Patryk Klimala up front and will hope to catch some magic on the day. This was not the most talented Red Bull lineup on paper but, with injuries and squad rotation to deal with, it was still a squad that could grab a result on the road.
Game Review
With the game ending in a scoreless draw, there aren’t many big plays to talk about. However, I do want to acknowledge some standout players and moments that I feel should be discussed. First, let’s go over some stand out players from RBNY. I want to start with RBNY captain Sean Davis, who has been a stand out player for Red Bull this year. Davis has gotten some criticism from Red Bull fans since being named captain, and I feel it is undeserved. Davis has been one of the most important and consistent Red Bull players in the club’s history, yet this is the first season he has gotten the credit he has deserved all along. In my opinion, Davis is the perfect leader for this team and this heated game with lots of fouls and interesting refereeing, he showed he has what it takes to be this teams biggest asset.
“Davis has been one of the most important and consistent Red Bull players in the club’s history, yet this is the first season he has gotten the credit he has deserved all along.“
Another player I want to give a shout out to is Carlos Coronel. Like Davis, I feel that Coronel has also gotten some unwarranted criticism, though he’s been a stand-out player in goal and is easily the best option Red Bull have had since Luis Robles. Coronel has been everything you could ask for in a goalkeeper and he made some incredible saves in Atlanta to keep the game scoreless. For some reason, even after grabbing his fourth clean sheet of the year, Coronel continues to be questioned as the number one option in goal. I personally think Cornel is the best goalkeeping option that New York have by a mile and I’m hoping other Red Bull supporters begin to see this as well.
“Coronel has been everything you could ask for in a goalkeeper and he made some incredible saves in Atlanta to keep the game scoreless.”
I also want to spotlight Dru Yearwood, John Tolkin, and Kyle Duncan, who have stood out in this match and all season long. Yearwood, Tolkin and Duncan have made themselves a house hold name, not only in the Eastern Conference, but throughout the league. In this match, all three players had a massive impact on this game, both on and off the ball - the future really is really bright. Overall, this game was interesting. There were plenty of fouls, yellow cards, aggressive challenges and everything that comes with an intense intra-conference rivalry. With that said, as the game wore on, neither team seemed determined to take this game head on and go for all three points. Don’t get me wrong, both teams had their opportunities and Atlanta nearly scored in the final minutes, but some brilliant goalkeeping and a shot that luckily bounced off the post kept this one level in the end. With stars missing from both teams, I feel this game really missed some of the highlights fans are used to seeing. Nonetheless, 0-0 is how it finished and I will gladly a point on the road and hope New York build on this performance in the coming weeks.
Final Thoughts
I really don't have much else to say about this game. I enjoyed every second of RBNY’s strategy and game plan - with all of the fast-paced pressing and counter-attacking play, what’s not to love? Unfortunately, when the game finishes on a nill-nill draw, everyone is left wondering about the what if’s. I’m still proud that this Red Bull team was finally able to grab a point on the road, and I am even happier they did it in a hostile environment like Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Defensively, we looked very sound, which is usually how championship teams are built. Offensively, RBNY need to learn to be more clinical with their final passes and much smarter with their timing. These are all things to look forward to, though - hopefully the Red Bull coaching staff can get these problems solved while it is still early in the season. With a nice week of rest before New York travels to Orlando, I hope this team can finally kick their feet up and enjoy a moments rest. Who knows how this game would have been if either team had a few more star players available and a few more nights of rest for their tired legs?
As always I am here for it all.
