Photo by ISIphotos.com
The forecast looked grim for the Red Bulls as they took the field against the Houston Dynamo. The Red Bulls were set to play without three key players, midfielder Jorge Rojas (visa issues), Jeff Parke (ankle injury) and Gabriel Cichero (red card suspension) and set to face a Dynamo team that hasn’t lost an MLS match in more than two months.
Instead of fold, the Red Bulls stepped up and delivered what was arguably their best performance of the season. Combining tenacious defending and a dynamic offense, the Red Bulls out-played and out-worked Houston for 90 minutes on their way to a 3-0 romp at Giants Stadium.
Yes, you can argue that the Dynamo were feeling the fatigue of having played a mid-week game (a 4-0 win against Chivas USA they led 4-0 at halftime), but fatigue alone wasn’t why they were run off the pitch. Tough and disciplined defending, sharp passing and clinical finishing delivered the Red Bulls a victory and moved them further ahead of the pack chasing the final playoff spot in MLS.
There were kudos galore to dole out. From the successful debut of Diego Jimenez, who played solid defense and even added an assist, to Juan Pietravallo, who is fast becoming a fan favorite with his combination of skill and toughness, everyone in the starting XI delivered a quality performance.
The emergence of Mike Magee as a goal-scoring machine as well as Dane Richards’ return to his dangerous form, has the once-toothless Red Bulls attack looking as potent as any in the league. Suddenly the team’s need for another forward isn’t nearly as important as it seemed just a month ago.
With three straight wins under their belt (all at home), the Red Bulls will face a true test on Saturday when they travel to RFK Stadium to face a D.C. United team they have struggled for years against at RFK. Can this revamped Red Bulls squad overcome the curse of RFK? We will find out soon enough.
Time for a poll. What or who impressed you the most in the Red Bulls’ 3-0 win today?
Share your thoughts on the Red Bulls victory, and their recent run of stellar form, in the comments section below.
I LOVED THIS GAME! This is the Bulls team I’ve been waiting for! IS Juanpie the reason that Magee is finally playing like a pro soccer player? Probably. NO DOUBT that Osorio’s new players have saved this team. Those 3 new latinos are just the stability and poise (and SKILL) we needed down the middle into the back. ANY Reyna-cryers left to be heard from?? Doubt it. We are finally ready to win this thing people!
BTW Ives, what’s the status on Jorge Rojas visa issue?
Van Der Fart needs to play longer. What a waste of money for such little minutes!
Pitravelo is a life-saver for RBNY. Just wait until Wilford arrives.
It’s nice to see a team where some first-teamers are out, but the team steps up and gets a win. The new guys seems to be a breath of fresh air for RBNY.
Has anyone stopped by the burn unit today, ’cause Eddie Robinson got torched repeatedly and it looked like it might have been serious.
ag nigrin- for now, but there was also a point where we thought JCO could do no wrong in chicago… then he started Wanchope up front against the Revs, when Barrett and Rolfe worked so well together against SS winners DCU…. not discrediting the guy, simply saying ill hold my judgement until later…
Hey Eugene,
I hear you. Unfortunately I have sit right in the middle of the barras section and I would not want my little girl to hear the language that goes on. If I was by myself, in a heartbeat, but that is too much for a 6 year old.
Cheers
“Mike Magee is one sneaky player”
Somewhere, somehow, Shep Messing is in heaven
Brookdalepark: I sympathize greatly… only in today’s Gov’t’s do we see this kind of stupidity… plus the woman was implying that your wife was over a 1000 years old (a la Mel Brooks!!!
brett: Oso’s failures are in the past but his successes are in the present and in the future…
True test for the Bulls are the next two games which will be away vs. EC foes… If they get 4 or 6 points out of those then the team has turned the corner and is real contender….. …watch out MLS!
When my wife heard about Mr. Rojas’s visa problem, she reminded me of an experience she had with the NJ Motor Vehicles folks. When she went to renew her driver’s license, she used her birth certificate as one of her ID’s. It was the same one she’d been using since she was playing little-girl softball, so it was a bit worn. The 9 in 1958, her birth year, was on a fold on the certificate and so was kind of obscured. So a Motor Vehicles bureaucrat decided she couldn’t be sure that was 1958; maybe it was 1058. She said that!! My wife had to go home, order a new birth certificate and wait for it to arrive. Mr. Rojas no doubt ran into a relative of this bureaucrat when he went to pick up his visa.
Great game for NYRB fans. 3 key players missing, opponent on a winning streak yet a spanking. JCO is the man. While its still too early for coronation this Coach seems to have pushed the right buttons. Certainly NYRBs future is brighter than its ever been before.
Pico, sit closer to the barras, you and you’re daughter will have more fun and she’ll learn what football is really about. Passion is no reason to be embarrassed!
Impressive win for the Red Bulls, especially considering 3 key players were out.
I think Houston should be a bit worried though, because NY exposed some of their weaknesses — like the fact that Houston’s backline is slow, D-Ro can be neutralized if taken 1v1 — and I’m sure all of the other coaches in the league took note.
NY is riding high but not out of the fire yet, the next 2 games — against DC away and against Chicago away will be critical. Hopefully we’ll get some help this week in the form of reinforcements.
Richards was drawing 3, 4 and sometimes 5 defenders every time he touched the ball. That was huge for opening up our offense. This is going to be an exciting a few weeks to watch…
Ives,
This is something I noticed during last week’s game at Giants Stadium (I took my little girl to a RB Camp reunion). Except for the ‘barras’, the rest of the attendants were just so passive that it felt like a baseball game.
Having been raised in a football country, you live every play and twist and yell and oohs and aah and scream like crazy on a goal, even when it is on TV or radio. Well, I got the most amused looks from others around me to the point that my girl had to ask me to shut up! She was embarrassed!!!
We need more passion at the game. This isn’t baseball, this is football.
@kco
I was just thinking the same thing this morning. With the new playoff adjustment made this year (top three in each conference) and the east being far superior to the west, it is going to be sad for the bottom two clubs in the East (looks like TFC and KC). Someone will benefit from the west, Galaxy????
RBNY is the reason why TFC and KC don’t have a prayer of making the playoffs (that and KC sucks). Damn, your club looks good right now. Well KC, better start preparing for next season.
A great game. Interesting that after Richards’ goal, he went to celebrate with the trainer. I noticed it from the stands and just confirmed it on the highlights.
Great to have him back in full form.
and while im here….
another impressive game for the redbulls… starting to wonder if they’ve actually found their chemistry or if they’ve always had it and just been plagued with injuries…. either way, good show….
Paul- “I think Osorio will be the next great MLS coach”
while i agree his short stint in the MLS has been glamorous with borderline failure, i’ll hold my opinion until one of his teams actually wins something…
a few games success and people are riding the wagon already?? he was successful in chicago pulling us from one of our worst seasons, but with some coaching blunders (not to mention a terrible playoff record against NE), we saw a late exit in the playoffs…..
in NY we saw him fall out in the USOC to a 2nd division team…. not to mention waste an entire half of the season…. he used the summer transfer window to his fullest extent and he now has a team with some fire power… we’ll see how he does, and until then ill hold judgement on how “great” he’ll be (atm ill say he’s just above average)
and before anyone flames this post, it is not a negative post about JCO, simply saying that with his success he’s seen equal amounts of failure… it is not an insult, but rather stating the obvious…
He went to Venezuela for a friendly, went to the US embassy for a visa stamp, and some jerk at the embassy (probably a DC fan) decided they didn’t like the look of his passport.
Foolish question but Jorge Rojas played last week, didn’t he?
How can he be out with “Visa Issues” this week?
On last weeks broadcast, someone mentioned that one of the biggest changes he saw on this team was in their attitude. Before the new guys came in, no one cared about losing/winning. They were just happy to be on the team. When the new guys came in, the rest of the squad saw how passionate they were about winning and losing. They take these games personally and it shows, and it has certainly affected everyone else. Great point
Im still adamant about having Sinisa in the lineup. His touch on the ball is fantastic, I can’t imagine how much better the team would be if he were in there
I’ve enjoyed the winning streak since it’s rare that we’ve seen them in RB/Metro land. I hope they can continue to get results. And if that means attractive soccer as we had yesterday or a grind it out, ugly as hell win that’s ok as well. As Al Davis once said, just win baby…
You forgot one more factor contributing to NYRB’s dominance…
The artificial turf…
MIKE MAGEE SAID THAT THE RED BULLS NEEDED 9 POINTS AND HE TOOK THE RED BULLS ON HIS SHOULDERS. MAGEE FOR PRESIDENT
Kpugs? You feeling ok? I don’t recall every reading a happy post from you. Glad to see you’re enjoying your RBs. Cheers,
What has gotten into my boys? I don’t care. I don’t even feel the need to address some of the bitter and moronic posts above, I’m just effing happy.
No need for any of you to get drawn in to these childish arguments fellas. If a three game winning streak is enough to make these fools mouth off, imagine what pathetic bitterness a playoff berth will bring. Knock on wood.
Keep mouthing off, whiners.
Again say what you will about JCO, and btw he already IS one of the great coaches, I would have liked to have had him w/ Italy, we would have won Euro08…But please leave his wife out of it, thats disrespectful, and rather ungracious. p.s. They mentioned he is one of the more elegantly comported and dressed coaches on Spanish TV. Pietra is getting so good, we will all learn to spell his name soon! And Ives does a good job, leave him alone too please!!!
“Unless his wife decides she wants to move. Ask the FIRE…”
Posted by: CD | August 24, 2008 at 11:28 PM
Osorio used to coach a team on Staten Island and they have lived here before. They have family here. I think it’s safe to say if they want to live anywhere in the states, it’s here in NY.
IGNORE THE LAST POST
Follow this link instead:
http://www.redbullarena.us/
@ Marcos
http://www.redbullarena.com
Well, given that this is the ass crack of the U.S. sports calender (no regular season football, basketball, hockey and baseball in the lull before the playoff storm) and the Olympics were anti-climatically over today I watched the Red Bulls play for the first time this year outside of their outmatched scrimmage with Barca. Must say I was impressed with the Red Bulls aggressive play though those football lines at a mostly empty Giants Stadium are hard to ignore, especially when they’re darker than the faint yellow soccer lines. Seriously, are they getting on the stick about that new stadium? I’ve seen Major League Lacrosse games that look more big-time than that (no disrespect to lacrosse; I played that in high school).
It’s posts like this where you seem to be gloating that show you as nothing more than a Red Bull cheerleader.
“I think Osorio will be the next great MLS coach. I don’t think he will go anywhere unless a big Euro club calls him.”
Unless his wife decides she wants to move. Ask the FIRE…
Congrats to the Red Bull players and to JCO. Before this match if someone said that Cichero, Rojas and Parke would miss it and that the end result was 3-0, I would have thought that Houston would have more likely had 3 and not 0.
The Red Bulls need some good results on the road where they have only one game this year in ten attempts.
Pietravallo has continually done better and was a great force in the midfield today; on occassion needs to pass batter but he is playing much better.
Starting for the first time … Jimenez played well!
You can’t overstate the importance of Pietrovallo. His performance during this streak really underscores how ineffective Reyna was. You wanna talk about possession, you wanna talk about “little things?” NOW we have that.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I really like when we play a back 4 as opposed to a back 3. Everyone seems to know their role better and we’re more effective moving forward.
The best thing about today’s game is that we were entertaining, almost downright dominating, against the champs no less. Unlike the first 2 games of the streak, where you can argue we merely benefitted from DC and Toronto’s bonehead mistakes.
Interesting that today’s starting 11 included 8 players that were here since last year.
I think Osorio was the worst selection for a Coach. He obviously does not know what he is doing.
Red Bulls should fire him. He sucks! (just kidding of course)
I think Osorio will be the next great MLS coach. I don’t think he will go anywhere unless a big Euro club calls him.
That was a brutal game to watch on those football lines. Very embarrassing for the game of soccer in the US.
Has to be Pietravallo. I honestly don’t think it’s a coincidence that since his integration into the team, the other team’s best attacking players (Jaime Moreno, De Rosario, et al) have been completely neutralized, and in the case of Moreno and DeRo, forced from the game early. Pietravallo makes life MISERABLE for an attacking player. He must be an absolute terror to play against.
I did laugh heartily today when Shep Messing compared Pietravallo to Gennaro Gattuso, but let’s be honest, the styles are similar and the effect is the same.
Pietravallo is also a skilled passer to boot. I think he’s an absolutely brilliant addition to the team. Great pick by JCO.
Pietravallo is the real deal. Imagine if the Venezuelans were playing today. Does this mean we actually have, gasp, *depth*?
Funnily enough I sat next to a guy on the 351 bus back to PA and said, “good result, huh?” and he said, “they sucked, but Houston sucked worse.” I suppose those Premiership fans shouldn’t come with lofty expectations!
Bah, Houston probably just took it easy to avoid injury on that crappy Meadowlands surface.
Richards for me. He gave the Houston defenders fits all day long.
Jiminez was a hands-down standout. For never having played a game in MLS he was beyond impressive. I’ve always criticized JCO’s use of the 4 man backline, but today as a whole it was phenomenal. Leitch was a little shaky when trying to play the ball of out the back, but besides that, what a great game.
having a rock in the middle in peitrovallo really opens up things for VDB and Richards. Lets just hope the team stays healthy for the final push
I got to give props to Magee. At one point, he was considered a disappointment and many fans wanted to get rid of him. However, he worked hard to get back in to great fitness and 3 goals in 3 games is great. he works well with Angel in a second striker/ attacking mid role.i pray that he can keeps up the good work.
I had my doubts and I’m still pissed off at being forced to watch a bad team for half the season, but you can’t argue with the new additions and the results this team has been getting. I can’t wait for the DC match-up this sat.