Top Stories

My take on the Red Bulls tie vs. New England

Altidoreparkhurst_ap

Two points lost. That is how most will see the Red Bulls’ 1-1 tie vs. New England on Saturday. The Red Bulls were up a man and up a goal and came away with just a point.

As justifiably disappointed as many Red Bulls fans were after this game, seeing Saturday night as a failure is a slight overreaction. Even if it was just a tie, outplaying one of the best teams in MLS is never a bad thing, and holding one of the league’s best attacks to one good scoring chance all game is also something a team in transition like the Red Bulls can use to build on.

Here are some of my observations from Saturday night’s match:

Chris Leitch deserves criticism for his foul on Adam Cristman followed by his disappearing act on the wall during Jeff Larentowicz’s goal, but anyone criticizing his play in a right wing role just wasn’t paying attention. No, he wasn’t much of a threat going forward but his task in this match was simple, limit Khano Smith’s impact in the game. Now, did anybody even notice Smith except for when he took part in the Revs’ goal celebration? Me neither, which tells me Leitch handled his assignment pretty well.

Kevin Goldthwaite is emerging into a defensive force. I called the trade of Todd Dunivant for Kevin Goldthwaite and cash one of the worst of 2007. I’m hear to say that if Goldthwaite keeps this up, Bruce Arena will wind up being vindicated on that one.

Claudio Reyna was the Red Bulls’ most influential midfielder in the first half. His ability to gain and hold possession was invaluable early on and it is no coincidence that the Red Bulls lost control of the midfield once Reyna hurt his knee and eventually had to be replaced.

The hate for Reyna is getting a bit ridiculous, as evidenced by the attempts by some to blame him for the equalizer. Yes, he turned the ball over midway into the other team’s attacking half, but the Revs went on to string three passes together before Chris Leitch fouled Adam Cristman to set up the vital free kick.

I wonder if the same people blaming Reyna for the Revs goal are crediting him for the Red Bulls goal, since he had more to do with Altidore’s goal than Larentowicz’s. And while we are at it, I wonder how many Revs fans are spending time blaming Shalrie Joseph for Altidore’s goal since it was, in fact, a Joseph turnover that eventually led to Altidore’s goal. Probably not many, because they realize the absurdity of trying to make that connection.

No, Reyna is not Cesc Fabregas or Ronaldinho or Juan Riquelme, but he can be an effective attacking midfielder once the Red Bulls have effective and healthy players at forward and both wing spots. When Juan Pablo Angel and Jozy Altidore are healthy, as well as Dane Richards, that is when we will see how much Reyna can truly do from that attacking midfielder role. Even then, the Red Bulls need someone who can partner with Stammler in central midfield to win balls and get passes to Reyna. Unfortunately for the Red Bulls, the player they needed just went to Chicago.

Carlos Mendes made his first start of the season and while he avoided any monumental mistakes, he did show signs of the problems that concern the Red Bulls coaching staff. His lateral quickness, first touch and lack of sharp passing ability were not the best and it definitely looks like the transition to right back in a 3-5-2 is something he is struggling with. Mendes is still a servicable centerback in a four-man defense, but I still think Chris Leitch and eventually Hunter Freeman will be better options at right back.

Dave Van Den Bergh struggled all night to get his crosses on target and he just might start losing minutes to rookie Danleigh Borman, whose speed gives the Red Bulls a different element. If Borman can gets his crosses sharper, it might just be a matter of time before he sneaks into the starting lineup, though I’m still convinced that Dane Richards will eventually start on the left flank unless Van Den Bergh finds an extended run of good form like he found last year, or unless the Red Bulls find a way to sign Jorge Rojas this summer.

One stat to consider is the Revs’ total number of shots on goal: ONE. Yes, that’s right. Larentowicz’s free kick was New England’s only shot on goal. That isn’t bad at all by the Red Bulls defense against a Revs attack that had 31 shots on goal in its previous four games (That’s almost eight per game for those of the math wizards out there). Now you can point out the red card but the fact remains that the Red Bulls completely stifled the Revs attack in the first half. The Revs had control of the ball and put together some nice sequences in the first 15-20 minutes but never came close to scoring.

In other words, the Red Bulls defense played well. They set out to stifle Khano Smith and Mauricio Castro and did just that even before Castro’s red card. Even Sainey Nyassi couldn’t get going on the right flank despite a considerable speed advantage over Dave Van Den Bergh. I know it all sounds too much like a moral victory, but what it does mean is that the team defended well, and team defense is the club’s biggest concern, isn’t it? Attacking players such as Angel and Dane Richards are going to get healthy and the goals will come. The question is whether the defense will be good enough to do its part when that time comes. Saturday’s tie gave some reasons to believe the defense just might be good enough.

What did you think of Saturday night’s match? Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Adam Cristman and Mansally are NOT “one of the league’s best attacks.”

    Not only did NE have ten men for the second half, they had no Ralston or Twellman for the whole game.

    Stop spinning this as anything but another failure.

    Reply
  2. Ives,

    I am going to give you the benefit of the doubt that you have not had the time to rewatch the match. If you did you would realize that a majority of your assessments are just plain wrong.

    Leitch had a shocker, period. He would no doubt be the first to admit that. I have no doubts that if Angel and Reyna didn’t go down that Leitch would have been pulled in the 63rd. He did not have a positive touch the entire match. And that is not good for a midfielder. To imply that his role was simply to man mark Khano is not true either. He needs to also serve some crosses which did not happen.

    Mendes, abyssmal with the ball at his feet. Unreal, I was shocked how true the staffs fears were true. He is done, I guarantee he is gone in June for the next Centerback and #10 acquisitions come.

    Reyna, he is hurt and I hate to say it I think he is at the end of the road. Cheers to a great career but I think this is it, the body can’t do what it once could. And as far as the turnover, Celo is right it all starts with the giveaway at midfield. Some blame must be assigned to him, and I am sure he would agree as well. (ultimately Leitch made an obvious total mess of it)

    Still not sold that Goldy and Parke are going to the MLS AllStar game either. Lets not forget that this is a Revs side without Twellman and Ralston. And the Gambian (?) kids are 19 yrs old.

    On a positive Note, finally Jozy awakens.

    Stan

    Reply
  3. reyna is not really a bad player and he is not deserving of all the critisism, but he really is not that good either. there are many other options rb could use, like sinisa, magee, or they could easily sign out of contract kyle martino. i think it was a mistake to give reyna a multiple year contract because now they are stuck with him for a while. also, when has reyna ever shot the ball? i can never recall any situation in my six or seven years of watching the game of soccer involving reyna shooting the ball. a CAM needs to be able to at least test the keeper and reyna is not capable of doing that. i guess there is one fair way to asess him: see how he perfroms in an attacking role against an expansion teem next week.

    Reply
  4. “he can be an effective attacking midfielder once the Red Bulls have effective and healthy players at forward and both wing spots.”

    Yeah, this is probably true, but even so, NOT GOOD ENOUGH. Reyna is a DP, and DPs are supposed to change games, not rely on every other player on the field in order to have a good game.

    Reply
  5. Interested in Ives opening comments and reference to “a team in transition”. Not quite sure what that means exactly given the revolving door of managers and to some extent players. Sounds rather like we have a continual transition and is far from assuring. Lets be frank here, we could not win at home against a heavily weakened team playing with a man down and with a goal advantage.

    PS – cud someone explain to me the marketing logic of televising the home games live on FSC. Do they care about attendance and building a genuine fan base? Something is wrong here.

    Reply
  6. Ives, you have sowed the seeds of anonymous debate and reaped a whirlwind…

    The criticism of Reyna is simply wrong. Those useless back passes and square balls were constantly switching the point of attack. Often the recipient of those passes failed to do much, but that is not Reyna’s fault. He kept possession, setup the attacks, and looked dangerous behind the forwards at times. As to him losing possession on the goal, there was nobody around him moving into space. He had nowhere to go with the ball because of poor movement around him. Everybody gets dispossessed eventually.

    And I also think Reyna plays the CAM role very well. I know it was a long time ago, but during WC2002, the US played their best soccer with Reyna in that role. And against Poland, he played withheld.

    Keep supporting Reyna, because you are correct. The people who are hating on him were probably all calling for Eli Manning’s head in October. Which isn’t to fault them, but New Yorker’s are hard to win over, and Reyna does make a boatload of cash.

    Reply
  7. Here’s one out of left field. How about New York picking up Kyle Martino to help with the attacking midfield role.

    I believe that he was playing out of position on the left last year for LA. He should have been in the center with Beckham on the right. I still believe he would be doing an OK job there in place of the unproven rookie LA has starting in Brandon McDonald.

    Then Reyna can move back to Defensive/Holding role he’s used to.

    Reply
  8. Giving Leitch credit for shutting down Khano is giving credit for nothing. Leitch is a mediocre player at best; Khano is the worst player on the Revs. I have no idea what Nicol sees in him. He was the primary reason the Revs lost the playoff to Houston, simply because nothing productive happens when Khano Smith gets the ball. Exaggeration. Sure, but might close to the truth.

    Reply
  9. @Posted by: kpugs | April 21, 2008 at 05:09 PM

    I’m no Galaxy fan, but I thought it prudent to mention that your team has as many points as Landycakes ‘sucky’ team. 😉

    Reply
  10. Sinisa comes off as more of a CAM to me. Wish they’d give him as hot there and put Reyna in the holding roll next to Seth…

    And Khano Smith is terrible, which you somewhat acknowledged Ives…

    Reply
  11. Ives, I hope you getting some good revenue from the adds, cause your def getting a lot of abuse.

    wish I saw the game, thanks for the articles… next week could you compare the RB to ManU (and how united would be beaten), I would love to see the comment board light up

    Reply
  12. We’re missing the speed of Richards on the right attack. This allows others D to clog up the middle or favor the left side. Until Borman came in late in the game, how many lead passes did we see from the Red Bulls? They can’t allow the opponents D to “cheat” and exploit their weakness.

    Reply
  13. “Even if it was just a tie, outplaying one of the best teams in MLS is never a bad thing…”

    Outplaying one of the best teams when they’re at their strength is never a bad thing. Being held to a tie by that team when they’re missing many of their key players and down a man for a full half is a disaster. NY should have won, and to find any satisfaction with anything less is pathetic.

    Reply
  14. While I do think that Reyna did not do anything “creative” that added much to the RB offense last game, I have to say that he surprised me with how many successful tackles and balls won he had in the mid field.

    Reply
  15. Are you serious? What game did you watch. Reyna was influential and didnt deserve blame on the equalizer? Stammler stole the ball on Antidores goal fed it to Reyna who gave it to Altidore who MADE the play, not Reyna. And yes the turnover led to the NR goal, and anyone can neutralize Khano Smith, as he is awful, Leitch and Reyna were not effective. So Mr. Ives, when Reyna ends the season with 0 goals and 3 assists as the teams attacking midfielder, will you write a story about how he does the ‘little things’ and what may I ask are these ‘little things’.

    Reply
  16. As to Mathis, guilty…”We love Clint Mathis”.

    It looks like you will get your wish and see Reyna as CAM for a while, so while i hope i am wrong, i have a funny feeling we are gonna still have this debate then.

    And the guy who talked about the USMNT days and Reyna..do you recall how good he was in that role then and how bad the US was then? Do you also know the last time he played that role was like 2000 or 2001.

    Reply
  17. I was at the game as I am with 10 games per season and I can’t stand the fact the fans were booing Reyna. Yeah, he’s slowing down with age and the turf but he controls the ball with the hope of distributing it. He doesn’t always do a good job of it but he plays both sides of the ball and hussles. Watching assholes in Man U gear boo him who are supposedly fans of RBNY is even more ridiculous. So he played for Man City. He’s here now in New York. This is MLS, not EPL.

    Reply
  18. “Not worth a dp”,”talent has faded” etc. all. While all are true, he has performed much better this year. Clearly not a dp, but what can you do? he is the best CAM New York has, and anybody who argues otherwise is off the deep end. Arguing that Reyna, who controlled the midfield and attack initiation for the USMNT for so many years can’t play as a CAM? that must be a joke.

    Reply
  19. Ives, Q&A comments are closed, but on Big Soccer, Peter Wilt just shed some possible light on why RBNY traded so much to the Fire if JCO had an escape clause in his contract:

    “The reason JCO didn’t exercise his out option was due to the Fire’s threat of making formal tampering charges and risk losing JCO. NY preferred to negotiate a settlement rather than fight the charges. The ‘payoff’ was the allocation and draft picks.”

    Would you please look into that? It seems like a tacit acknowledgement of tampering.

    Reply
  20. I have to disagree with a few points made.

    I am not a Reyna hater, but he really had a disappointing performance. Every pass was back to the defensive mids or defenders, and the balls he tried to play to the forwards (aka Jozy) never made it there. He did not look like he had the confidence to create scoring chances.

    I thought van den Bergh had a solid game. He controlled the ball very well and his passes were right on point. His crosses were great as well, nobody was pushing up and the positioning in the box was terrible.

    Should have been a win for RBNY. Hopefully their finishing will be better next week against the Quakes.

    Reply
  21. Ah, so now the truth is revealed. Sack, you miss Clint Mathis. I get it now. Okay.

    And your concerns about Reyna are all valid, but guess what? The Red Bulls don’t have that guy and one isn’t showing up off the street any time soon. Reyna is the best passer on the team and can be a servicable playmaker in the right setup. I’m not saying he’s going to be an assist machine, but he can do the job. As for the number of games he’s played in relation to his stats, last year’s system was completely different and Reyna played a deep-lying midfield role. He did have a disappointing season last year, position or not, but I say you grade him as an attacking midfielder based on what he does now, this year, rather than what he did last year, when that wasn’t his role.

    And I don’t see asking him to be a #10 devalues his role. If the team needs him to drop and help he can drop and help. If he has to get forward he can. As far as I can tell the only obvious detriment in him playing that position is that now it has given Reyna haters even more to complain about.

    Now, if Magee develops into a capable playmaker, then maybe Osorio makes a move there, but based on what is on the roster it will be Reyna until the summer and rather than the chorus of “Wah, he can’t play there” how about watching and letting things play out a bit? I get the whole phantom appeal of being able to say, “I told you so” if he does flop but a lot of the complaints sound a bit stale by now.

    And Haig (and anybody else), you are completely entitled to your opinion of Reyna. You can hate him until the cows come home. I’m simply offering a different take. I’m sure it would be much easier for me to just read the message boards and mimic the concerns of the fanbase (as some folks do) but I would rather observe things and come up with my own opinions and observations. You can agree, disagree, “question the judgment of” all you want. If I am at least making you think then I feel like I’ve done my job.

    Reply
  22. Ives,

    I agree with you about Reyna. I thought he played pretty decent. Easily the best midfielder on the team. Not worth a DP though. Half of these losers on here have become so filled with hatred they can’t be open minded about the situation and I’m one who criticized him often last year. This year he’s played much better so far.

    Reply
  23. I’m really starting to question Ives’s judgment after this piece. It seems that after every Red Bulls game Ives paints a rosy picture contingent on a variety of variables which change each time they are proven to be incorrect.

    Reply
  24. I dont see it, after 25 games of being the guy you would think a man that can create would have some assists or goals to his credit. Reyna has few of the former and none of the ladder.

    He has a good touc, makes good decisions under pressure, is good and finding the outlets and maintaining control of the ball…all excellent attributes for a holding midfielder. He even looks more comfortable in a deeper role.

    Asking him to be the #10 just devaluates his contributions and is the source of the dicontent here. Some of that blame goes to Osorio and Arena. But Reyna is never gonna be a Blanco, Gallardo, Gomez, or even a Beckerman. Its not his game and never has been.

    If only Metro had an offense first minded guy, that was a great passer, who could take shots from distance, had some flair, and a receading hairline and a wacked out club in his basement…:)

    Reply
  25. I too thought Reyna was solid this weekend (full disclosure – i only watched the first half)..winning balls and making crisp smart passes – the things you generally want a midfielder doing, and things that he hasn’t done enough of with rbny. Kaka or Gerard no, but if he continues with that level of effectiveness I think he can be a key piece of the puzzle, no more no less. Just not confident he won’t revert back to his usualy rbny form.

    Reply
  26. I hope Jozy wins goal of the week, did you guys see Donovan standing over Ianni and taunting him? Lando, it’s not his fault your team sucks.

    Anyone booing Reyna is a fool.

    Reply
  27. I think we’re all on the same page, to be honest, except for the holdouts who regard those of us who criticize Reyna to be unsophisticated halfwits.

    The point of contention is between those who bracket off the designated player/salary cap issue and look only at the player and what he does, and those who are frustrated with a lack of results, and look at Reyna in the context of MLS’s salary cap and roster restrictions.

    I want a trophy for my team. We’re not going to get one with Reyna, but swap Reyna out for one game-changing designated player (or two or three starters who are compatible with the rest of the team), and we would contend.

    Reply
  28. Ives, I don’t see that Reyna has the attacking instincts to hold off on the safer, possession pass (which he generally does well) in favor of the killer pass that leads to a goal.

    I believe this fact is borne out by his surprising lack of credited assists.

    His talents are not only fading (no way would Wolfsburg/Rangers era Reyna give the ball away as much as he does now), but they’re a luxury. We are going to lose the ball a lot, because our players aren’t good enough. So more direct play is a necessity, but Reyna has never shown himself to be attack-minded enough to make the pass that leads immediately to a scoring chance. And that is what DP money should be used for.

    He should be held accountable for the fact that he’s not only not improving the team, his paycheck wastes an opportunity for the team to sign a player who WOULD improve the team.

    Every boo is deserved.

    Reply
  29. And Onionsack, I do want to say that your argument against Reyna being an attacking midfielder isn’t completely without merit, and carries far more validity that some of the other arguments made about Reyna.

    Reply
  30. “But asking him to be an offensive minded player and set up the forwards and hit the precision passes into space…he just isnt good at that.”

    That’s just it sack, Reyna can do that well. He can pass into space well. The problem this year is that the team doesn’t have the defensive midfield horses to win enough balls to A) provide Reyna with sufficient service and B) keep Reyna from dropping deeper himself to help in the possession battle.

    This was clear on Saturday, when Reyna spent more time battling and trying to win balls than actually attacking.

    Now, if you allow Reyna to sit behind the forwards, with his main task being to feed the wings and forward, he can do that and do it well. He still has the passing touch to do that.

    Reply
  31. Truth Commission (I mean Onionsack), I didn’t say Leitch was good. I said he did the job he was assigned to do, which was contain Khano Smith on that flank, and while some of you may think Smith is crap, he has been dangerous in recent games. As for the three goals Leitch is responsible four, the two against FC Dallas came at center back. Funny how quickly people forget his solid game against Columbus in the opener, the only game he has played at his natural right back position by the way.

    As for Reyna, would he be better suited in a deeper midfield role? Sure, but with what is on the roster he is the best option at attacking midfielder and I believe he can be an effective one. Now, if he fails to produce there over an extended period of time I think it is safe to say that the Red Bulls will look for an attacking midfielder in the summer window, potentially Ernst Obster or Jorge Rojas, who can play left flank and attacking midfielder.

    Reply
  32. I am more mad that people want to force him to be a playmaker than i am on his general play. I think he would be a fine holding mid next to stammler in the 3-5-2. But asking him to be an offensive minded player and set up the forwards and hit the precision passes into space…he just isnt good at that.

    I dont hate Reyna at all, i think he’s a waste of a DP and i think he is being utilized incorectly.

    Reyan is just the new Tab Ramos, old, dissapointing, always hurt and overpaid. Can’t blame fans for being upset about that, especially when many called it before it happened.

    Reply
  33. Ives, looks like you’ve still got some cut/paste issues in Goldthwaite’s section. Also, maybe you meant Freeman on the left flank rather than Richards?

    I do agree with some of the commenters that Reyna should be held to a higher standard. Obviously not to that of world-class center mids, but to that of someone who can still be effective even when everything around him is not perfectly set. I’ll be looking to see how many incisive passes Reyna makes in upcoming games.

    Reply
  34. “The sooner some folks stop whining about that and focus on the actual team on the field rather than the what-ifs and the “we could have had some magical unnamed playmaker if not for Reyna” the sooner they might realize that Reyna still brings good qualities to the table.”

    Bravo.

    Reply
  35. btw – I love Mike Magee. Kid can play. He just needs some patience and opportunity. I still believe (as I did in preseason) that Magee will be able to fit in an CAM role at some point.

    But Reyna is fine – he is keeping the attack fluid. Sure, he isnt Amado Guevara (which one of my readers rightly said should have been targeted for CAM), but come now. He is much more than servicable.

    Reply
  36. Haig, I’ll try to make it simple for you. Would a top attacking midfielder be a nice addition? Of course it would, but the Red Bulls don’t have the resources to land one without sacrificing other needs that need to be filled.

    I just happen to think that Reyna does more than some folks want to give him credit for. It’s fine to say he’s not worth the $1.25 million he’s making, but to use his salary as an excuse to ignore anything positive that he brings to the table is ridiculous. I say that he can still play well enough and pass well enough to be an effective attacking midfielder.

    Yes, he does need some parts around him to maximize what he brings to the table, but you find me an attacking midfielde who is capable of dominating without pieces around him and I’ll show you someone that the Red Bulls (and half the teams in MLS) can’t afford.

    And yes, I know, you can insert the tired (WE could afford it if Reyna weren’t here) line, but guess what people? His contract is guaranteed and it’s not going anywhere. The sooner some folks stop whining about that and focus on the actual team on the field rather than the what-ifs and the “we could have had some magical unnamed playmaker if not for Reyna” the sooner they might realize that Reyna still brings good qualities to the table.

    Look, I understand the frustration at the fact that Reyna makes what he makes, but he really does play well and some folks just refuse to see that because they’re so dead set against him being around. Is he the player he used to be? No, he isn’t, but he still brings qualities that other players don’t and still makes the team better when he is on the field. I just think some people refuse to acknowledge when he actually does play well, which I think he did on Saturday.

    Reply
  37. Ives thank you – finally, someone that saw the game i saw.

    CL was doing his job till that terrible collapse in the wall.

    Goldie has been Golden

    Reyna had a terrific first half, and a subpar 2nd (due to some impact on his knee from that horrendous Giant Stadium Turf). Please give Reyna a shot. Maybe it isnt translating on TV, but up close, on the field, you see the extra effort when he is at his best (the first half) creating opportunities, hitting sneaky close range passes, reading the proper breakout plays – he is more of an asset than a dextriment to the team at this point.

    The haters really have to leave the hate with Bruce Arena and the 2007 Bulls. This team has some parts that will be dangerous when the entire operation begins to gel.

    Reply
  38. Leitch was an utter and complete disaster with the ball at his feet. The number of plays lost on the right side in the second half were too many to count. You are right about Kano’s game, but Ives, Kano is a crap player and you’re making him sound like some star.

    About Reyna… you just seems to stuck on these phantom “little things” he does. I don’t agree. Reyna is a waste. And I don’t mean that for someone making a million dollars. Every midfielder in this league making $150,000 or more is an improvment from Reyna. Yes, he has a nicer touch than most but that’s not nearly enough.

    I have to agree that Goldthwaite, a guy I though was terrible last year. He is a much improved player this season.

    About the goal… why is the wall getting blamed? The ball went in on the keeper’s side of the goal. And it went in between the keeper and the far post. The wall had nothing to do with that goal. It was the keeper’s task. He failed.

    Reply
  39. Holy Kool-Aid batman.

    Leitch good?

    Reyna an effective CAM?

    Ives you have officialy gone off the plot. You cant polsih a turd, and Reyna at CAM is a turd polsih job if i ever saw one. Thats not to say he isn’t a good player, he is just playing a role he is ill suited for.

    Leicth has been responible for the last 3 goals given up by this team. He lost his mark on Alarez’s goal, was burt on the trap by Cooper, and fouled and lost focus in the wall against NE. He has sucked like a $20 whore.

    Reply
  40. Ah, the pre-season. Remember how Reyna was doing so well he was going to be the creative and or attacking midfielder? Then there was Mike Magee supposedly playing so well in pre-season, yet again. This time he didn’t start out strong and fade, and he didn’t get injured. The season just started and suddenly no one was talking about Magee anymore and he can’t even crack the lineup which was weak to start with, but even more so now due to injuries. Pre-season reports really are worthless.

    Reply
  41. Reyna wasn’t that bad. Completely shut down and injured in the second half. I think that in 3 games so far he has already played better than all last season.

    Reply
  42. I think that the team missed Hunter Freeman the most. Leitch just stunk it up offensively. His, along with all the other Red Bulls, defense was really solid.

    Reply
  43. “When Juan Pablo Angel and Jozy Altidore are healthy, as well as Dane Richards, that is when we will see how much Reyna can truly do from that attacking midfielder role.”

    With all respect, that’s ridiculous. That position needs to be filled by a player who not only can play acceptably when everything is perfect and everyone’s healthy (and it still remains to be seen if Reyna can do that), but who can improve the team when first choice players are not available.

    And it’s a rare circumstance when everyone is healthy and on form.

    It seems like the conditions by which Reyna can be evaluated have been restricted to occasional circumstances in the indefinite future.

    Like it or not, Ives, more is expected of a player who takes up a very valuable slot. It’s disingenuous to imply that he’s being held to the level of “Cesc Fabregas or Ronaldinho or Juan Riquelme.” There are several attacking midfielders in MLS who play better, for less money, than Reyna, with equally ineffective players and makeshift lineups.

    Reply
  44. Ives,

    Well written piece but I have to disagree with you on your comment that Leitch is a better option at Right Back then Carlos Mendes. Freeman is the best option at that position obviously but Mendes is better than Leitch. When we have a back line of Goldy, Parke, and Freeman, we will look good. I also liked JCO’s formation for this game but I couldn’t help but think Freeman would be ideal for where Leitch was playing. Hope Freeman and Richards get healthy soon.

    Reply
  45. I have to disagree with u about reyna because all i seen reyna do is just past the ball back all game whenever he tried to pass it to joze or angel or john or any1 up front it was ALWAYS gettin intercepted. Reyna is maybe the most over paid person in the mls he is the reason why our midfield sucks i thought him coming here was goin ot be a good thing but honestly he is past his years he needs to retire and give red bulls there money back and maybe we can pick up some really good who can pass the ball to jozy and angel. Turf – Toe Reyna just cant play anymore he was good but now he is like jus below average. We just have no one else to play his position.

    Reply
  46. I didn’t watch the game. Just wondering if NY went into a bunker mode the second half after beingup 1-0. If so watch out NY because that was a staple of him with chicago.

    Reply
  47. Leitch is a disaster. This team needs an attacking mid. Reyna is not the answer. He will now be out for 8 weeks with a broken fingernail. The revs had nothing on the field and were down to 10 men. that is a bad tie.

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Ives Cancel reply