Photo by ISIphotos.com
I won’t deny it. I thought the Red Bulls were finished.
Watching D.C. United shred the Red Bulls to the tune of a 4-1 rout two weeks ago, I couldn’t help but see the defeat as the first step in a total collapse. Jozy Altidore was off to Spain, Juan Pablo Angel was fighting injuries and Claudio Reyna was wrestling with the looming end of his career. The club’s three best players were either gone, on their way out or in danger of not being the same. All that was left was a collection of youngsters and a list of veterans that didn’t exactly have a ton of all-star appearances to their credit.
A losing streak seemed inevitable, but it didn’t happen. Instead, the Red Bulls rallied to tie a red-hot New England squad on the road, then they outworked and defeated an FC Dallas team that beat them handily earlier in the season. Then they took that star-less squad to Phoenix where it thoroughly outplayed Mexican side Chivas de Guadalajara in a 1-0 friendly win.
Who are these guys?
Who they are is a team that looks to be coming together, and while they still need a major talent infusion to have any real title hopes, and they’re still in jeopardy of missing the playoffs, these rejuvenated Red Bulls are certainly surviving without their big stars far better than anyone could have imagined.
So how are the Red Bulls playing so well? Head coach Juan Carlos Osorio has found a combination that is working extremely well and has made some position changes that have paid big dividends. Here is a closer look at the players stepping up to fill the void:
Seth Stammler: If there is a Red Bulls player worthy of an all-star nod, Stammler is that player. He has been a rock in midfield and helps set the tone for these recharged Red Bulls.
Sinisa Ubiparipovic: After struggling badly in appearances earlier in the season, Ubiparipovic has been given a more offensive role and he has responded by playing confidently and showing the attacking qualities expected when he was drafted last year.
Jon Conway: The Red Bulls history of goalkeepers is an impressive one and this year Conway has lived up to that tradition. He has made countless clutch saves and has grown into a steadying force in the back.
Carlos Mendes: There was a time when Mendes looked like he had no role on the team. That was before Juan Carlos Osorio used him in a defensive midfield role and Mendes has improved steadily there. He has given the team a sorely-needed dose of bite in the middle.
Dane Richards: With Altidore gone and Angel injured, the club was in dire need of forward help. Enter Dane Richards, who starred at Clemson as a forward and has enjoyed his move there in recent games. He hasn’t scored, but he creates problems for opposing defenses with his speed and he could be the ideal partner to run off Juan Pablo Angel when Angel returns.
Dave Van Den Bergh: A truly unsung player in this group. Along with Stammler, I think he’s as influential a player as there is on this current squad. He provides skill on the left flank but also provides some stability in the locker room.
Will the Red Bulls keep the run going against Chivas USA on Saturday? That will be a tough one against a team that outplayed them despite losing at Giants Stadum. As long as the Red Bulls play with the same intensity they have played with the past three matches (friendly win included) they will have a chance to leave Home Depot Center with at least a point and keep the club treading water in the tough Eastern Conference until Angel returns and some new signings arrive.
RED BULLS NOTES
Juan Pablo Angel is going through light training and is ready to rejoin first team training on Monday. His status for the team’s U.S. Open Cup match is unclear but he is a possibility for the July 4th game against Colorado. … Osorio stated that he gave Claudio Reyna permission to participate in the charity game with Steve Nash and that he wasn’t concerned about Reyna potentially getting hurt by playing in the game. …Osorio also stated that he will look to field as strong a lineup as possible for the Red Bulls’ U.S. Open Cup match against Crystal Palace Baltimore in Baltimore on Tuesday night.
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What do you think of the Red Bulls rebound in recent weeks? Why do you think the club has been able to keep things together and play so well? Share your thoughts below.
A bit of a fanboy post. This is the type of article you’d see on a high school newspaper’s sports page.
a friend of mine who moved to phoenix got free tickets with his friend and saw the game… he was impressed with rbny, he said the lower bowl was full of chivas fans and things even got pretty rowdy on occasion, but the match was good and rbny impressed him.
that’s a nice kudos to the team from a soccer fan who isn’t really a big mls fan.
We are the some waive length Richard! Go Red Bulls!
I honestly think we cna win the MLS Cup if we….
Get everyone healthy, get rid of Reyna, sign a player or two.
I like JCO, I have confidence in him.
D.C. United owner lays off 15 employees (none of whom are Rod Dyachenko)
Victor MacFarlane, owner of Major League Soccer club D.C. United, has laid of employees across the country. Three workers in D.C. were laid off, as well as twelve others, for a total of 15 terminations. …
http://www.eufootball.biz/Clubs/2606083-MLS-DC-United-Victor-MacFarlane-employees.html
I saw NY play here in LA. They are good. They effectively neutralized Beckham and Donovan. Our ony goal that game came from the left.
After seeing them in person, I tend to agree with you. There is a good base to build around. There is a strong midfield shored by Vandenberg. Jozy did create one goal, but NY will now have some $$ to beef up the overall team. They could go deep in the playoffs. Also, in MLS it pays to be hot at the right time. See DCU 2007.
J
lol ag, we wrote the same thing basically… im just a slower writer i guess
Chris, u got everything wrong in ur statement besides goldy… he’s playin better because he’s at center defence with VDB out wide… Stam, ubi, and mendes are doing just fine… as of NOW, ubi>magee … in the beginning it was the opposite so we’ll see once the season rolls along…
and i think anything to get the crowd alive is ok by me…
Geez Chris… You are way off base on Stammy, Sinisa, Mendes et al… You need a blindman’s cane…as you obviously can see anything… Mendes and Stammy destroyed all play through the center of the pitch like good D-mids should in the last three games…occaisionally Stammy fails to connect but his play overall has greatly improved since his back injury. Sinisa is getting better…nobody said he was flawless. So why afe you being a dried fart?
OK, so what about the option of putting Gilkerson in at left back and moving VDB up to left mid?
Pros: Gets Gilkey on the field, gives VDB a chance to be in the attack more consistently
Cons: changes the chemistry, takes VDB out of the defense
who comes off?
thoughts? i’ve senn it advocated but let’s delve into it more
PS. Despite whatever happens, most importantly for me if our home team named after energy drinks galvanizes and displays more of this kind of heart in themselves for every game, I will be one baseline satisfied fan. I have plenty of issues with the organization, all the more reason to want crazy effort on the field. Like it’s the players in spite of the organization at this point. No advertising for the US Open Cup, don’t get me started. Poor.
Ives, agree with your take on the players, have always liked VDB. Sinisa needs to keep his head up/awareness when he’s making those tempting runs at defenders too.
I have questioned why people were so down on JCO so early in the season, and I continue to give him a shot. He’s made some add calls, for me, but clearly he has a plan to work with what he’s got, and who can blame him for tinkering a little while missing some key contributors. If he’s back next year then I will judge tougher from the beginning.
That said, I posted months ago that I wanted to give Conway a chance but didn’t think he had it in him. I was wrong. He has stepped up with some clutch saves and his confidence is palpable. Guess he just needed confidence from his coach, and a real chance.
Stammler is a quiet but clear team mvp so far…
i think the reason they are playing so well is that they have chemistry. Outside of Echeverrey, this team has been together for along time.
i think another unsung hero is John Wolynec, oldest guy on the team and he is one of the most productive players coming off the bench. Now he starts or gets more playing time and shows how good he is.
The Perfect Athlete
I can’t believe your all still loving Steth Sammler he just runs all over the field like an 8 yr old. Granted he does seem to win the ball, but only to smash it to no one or more often the other team. Why do think this good?
Secondly, Ubi was terrible against Dallas there were some great passing sequences and no sooner he touched the ball it was turned over.
Finally, Mendes is invisible. I didn’t see him on the field against Dallas at all, I guess he took Eddie Gaven’s old position.
Where is Bobcat on this list? Of all the players on the team he is by far the most improved. He’s playing at a whole different level from last year.
BTW let’s not do the wave anymore at giants stadium especially for 15 mins. It basically sucked all the energy out of the players, and the game absolutely died. Oh yea and Echeverry needs to follow Kevin Mesa’s lead, did Red bull sign both of them from the stands?
Tolstoy, I think Boyens has done well recently, but that’s just it. Every player has stepped up their play. That’s the only way you get this group of players to play so well, if everyone is bringing it. I just picked some who stood out for me.
Boyens has done better than most would have expected and I like his game, if not his glacier-like pace.
I am not getting excited about any of this just yet. I do think there are some legitimate excuses for the bulk of sub-par games this year for this team. Having said that, we haven’t even gotten to the latter part of the season yet, traditionally when they start sucking.
I’m happy with the recent results, but in no way am I expecing a crazy resurgence this season. Obviously I’ll be thrilled if there is one.
And Danny, before you start rubbing people’s faces in stuff, I don’t remember seeing anyone saying that Arena would have outcoached JCO this year. I think you are confusing those people with those of us who simply said Arena should have been given at least another season. And most of those same people were happy when the hire was eventually made. I think you’re making stuff up my main man.
Way to set the jinx, Ives. You just know RBNY is gonna get smoked tomorrow by Kljestan and co. now that you posted this. Thanks buddy!
You did not mention Andrew Boyens and I UNDERSTAND WHY but I do anticipate that you will come to admire him and his play as much as I do as a supporter of his from Lobo Land.
His presence there has made me a NYRB fan.
Of positive note, to me at least, is a willingness by most NYRB fans to be supporters of the club on all the forums I visit looking for news and commentary.
Thanks for the site Ives. – T.
Agreed. I think there is alittle heart out there. When Gilkerson went down, everyone was around him making sure he was okay, when Stammler was pushed in the back and then throat, everyone made sure they had his back. It feels like a team.
Ulrich –
Rebel pirates?
-Mike
Info on the Bulls Open Cup game next week can be found on this thread with directions, pricing, etc:
http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=708953
Many Quasi-Bulls supporters thought the season was over after getting spanked by DC and Chicago. The Red Bulls demonstrated in the last few games that was wrong and that they can play with a grit and passion! To those that say the other teams were disinterested… I say fooey! The other teams were outplayed by a Red Bulls team that played with heart! As Osorio said after the win over Dallas, if the Bulls play with the same kind of motivation they can beat anyone in the league!
Can anyone tell me where in baltimore the US open game will be? how to get tickets, and when is the game? etc…
Ives, I saw the NE game that ended as a tie and I thought it had more to do with NE disinterest than the NYRB players. The way I saw it, the tying goal was a reflection of Ralston’s effort, like he stepped on the gas pedal and created the goal.
Anyway, I do agree with a number of posters who believe Osorio is doing a good job. I always liked Arena but Osorio seems to be doing more with the same players.
Keep up the effort boys! Show you got heart! Can we get healthy already?
Kick two Chivas’ asses in one week!
The biggest change has been playing Sinisa in his typical position from college (attacking midfield) whether on the left or the right. From day one, Arena played him as a holding midfielder & Osario did the same this year until recently. The creativity he has shown dribbling at defenders and dishing off passes is what the team was lacking with Magee in the role. He may not be the long-term answer, but he’s effective when used in his natural position.
Slightly off topic, but I thought Gilkerson did pretty well against Chivas Ives…
You here anything about him starting to make some substitute appearances in games like Sassano, ease him in?
They’re not that talented, you have to admit, but the Bulls play with a lot of heart. I was at that game in DC and it was crushing, a game that could have destroyed a lesser team’s psyche for the season. Nice job by JCO getting them to rebound.
Now if this Venezuelan is any good (and they actually sign him), and JPA comes back and plays the rest of the year…who knows?
No worries Josh, I definitely hear you. Call it a reach if you want but the fact is nobody would have had the Red Bulls playing as well as they have the past three games A) after watching them against D.C. and B) considering everything they were missing.
As for Mendes and Richards, I agree that Richards’ shot is suspect (I’ve chronicled my take on his shot several times) but he still does enough at the position to be worth using there. I’m not saying he’s the answer. The team still needs to sign a forward, and Echeverry just might start to pan out, but the point I’m making is that Richards isn’t lost at forward.
As for Mendes, I agree that Mendes looked shaky at D-Mid early on (I too thought he looked lost their vs. LA, and wrote as much) but I think he’s settling in, and again, is proving to be a servicable D-mid. That may not sound like much, but considering how poorly the d-mid fill-ins had done in previous weeks, and given the fact that Osorio needed someone to provide some bite at d-mid in a diamond midfield other than Stammler, Mendes’ ability to play the position has been very important. Nobody is saying he’s Javier Mascherano but he’s definitely done better there than I, or most, would have expected.
Nobody’s punching MLS Cup tickets for this little patch of good form, but it still deserves mentioning.
I have to admit, the new look Red Bulls scare me a little. They looked like they were playing in the Copa Libertadores the other night vs Guadalajara.
If Arena was still the coach, people would be screaming about how bad he is. Tied for fourth place, and just a game over .500.
With that said, JCO does have a group of ordinary guys playing well as a group. Certainly getting better results than what you would expect from their talent.
I’ll admit that I held out hope for far too long that Reyna would come around.
VDB certainly is proving me wrong. He is doing great.
I like coming to the site, so please don’t take this as an indictment for your work, but this article is a reach of the highest form. Are’nt we getting ahead of ourselves after beating a listless FC Dallas and a Chivas who clearly looked disinterested? The NE was a good performance, but the rest still leaves a lot to be desired. And you must be watching different players, because I think Mendes looks lost in the middle, and Richards shot is way too much of liability to play up top.
I know some people thought Arena would have done a better job this year than JCO.
Hope those people realize how wrong they are now.