With less than six hours to go before tonight's New York Red Bulls-Seattle Sounders match (9pm, ESPN2), it is time to take a closer look at the match-up itself as we see a brand new team take on a revamped squad.
The reality about the Red Bulls is that for all the moves the club has made, the makeover might not be as noticeable tonight. Not when several of the team's acquisitions won't be in action tonight. Khano Smith is suspended, Albert Celades and Alfredo Pacheco are awaiting paperwork and Carlos Johnson is a question mark for tonight's match despite having his paperwork come in because of an arm injury.
The Sounders have some injuries, to Peter Vagenas and Taylor Graham, but Seattle will have a mostly full-strength squad on display for its inaugural MLS match.
What we should have tonight are some very intriguing match-ups and a wide open game between two teams that won't mind throwing numbers into the attack.
Here is a closer look at the match-up:
Here is a lineup we could see tonight from the Red Bulls:
———————–Angel—————————-
Kandji—————Rojas——————Richards
————–Sassano——Ubiparipovic————-
Goldthwaite—-Petke—-Boyens—————-Hall
———————-Cepero—————————
So who is missing? Seth Stammler still isn't ready to start as he is still working his way back from knee surgery.
Of this projected lineup, the positions that are still in some doubt are in central defense, right back and left wing. Petke will definitely start, but Juan Carlos Osorio could go with either Andrew Boyens or Carlos Mendes in the middle of the defense. Luke Sassano saw time there in last week's exhibition victory vs. Crystal Palace and shouldn't be discounted. If Sassano is plugged in there, you could see Mendes in a defensive midfield role.
The right back spot should be Hall's, but you wonder if Osorio is ready to let a rookie start in a match like this. If not, Osorio might consider Mendes, though I would wonder how Mendes would hold up on the flank against Seattle's speedsters.
Left wing is up in the air with Khano Smith suspended, but look for Kandji to get the call. Osorio has used a variety of players at the position but look for Kandji to push up with Richards so that this formation plays as much like a 4-3-3 as a 4-2-3-1.
A Sassano-Ubiparipovic tandem behind Rojas makes the most sense, and while Ubiparipovic is more of an attacking midfielder than defensive-minded midfielder, he is a good enough two-way player to work well behind Rojas.
Something else that should be noted about the above lineup is that it features nine players who were on the Red Bulls last season (it would be ten if Mendes replaced Hall).
Here is how the Sounders should line up:
—————Jaqua——Montero——————
Nyassi—————Evans—————–LeToux
———————-Alonso————————-
Scott——–Marshall——-Hurtado———Riley
———————–Keller————————-
Plenty of variations could emerge from Seattle's lineup. The locks are pretty much right up the spine of the team, with the question marks being the flanks. Sanna Nyassi and Sebastien Le Toux should start, but could flip flop sides throughout the match. James Riley and Zach Scott are expected to start, though Nathan Sturgis could beat out Scott.
The central defense looks pretty set with Marshall and Hurtado, though you wonder how close Tyson Wahl might be to cracking the lineup.
——–
Here are some points to consider:
Whether it's Scott or Sturgis, Seattle's left back is in for a long night against Dane Richards. With his speed and shiftiness, Richards could have a field day with either one of these left backs, which makes you wonder if Sigi Schmid will considering switching Riley to the left back spot to match up against Richards.
Boyens and Petke could struggle to deal with Montero's mobility. Montero isn't super fast, but he's smart and always on the move and he could have a field day against the lateral-quickness challenged Boyens. Petke isn't super fast either, but he's a seasoned veteran who will have an easier time of dealing with Montero than Boyens will.
With Kandji and Richards working the flanks for New York, don't expect much aerial service for Angel, who will be looking to combine with playmaker Rojas as well as Ubiparipovic down the middle. If Kandji and Richards can stretch the defense, Angel could have plenty of room to take apart Seattle's defense.
The Jorge Rojas-Osvaldo Alonso match-up is a very important one. Rojas has enjoyed a strong pre-season and looks poised for a big year while Alonso will try to carry over his USL success to MLS. If Alonso can contain Rojas, then Angel will struggle for service, but if Rojas can shake loose, Angel could have a field day against the Tyrone Marshall-Jhon Kennedy Hurtado tandem.
Another interesting match-up to watch will be Nyassi vs. Hall. Hall has the athleticism to contain Nyassi, which is why I would wonder about matching up Carlos Mendes with Nyassi. Hall has shown good ability to get forward on the counterattack and would certainly test the Seattle flank more than Mendes would in that role. That said, Osorio might just play it safe with Mendes and Goldthwaite as stay-at-home fullbacks, which would allow Kandji and Richards to focus on attacking from higher positions.
The Le Toux-Goldthwaite match-up bears watching as well. Goldthwaite will have his hands full against the big and fast French winger. Goldthwaite has to avoid the silly mistakes that have plagued him in the past, or Le Toux has the ability to punish him for it.
That's all for now. Please feel free to share your thoughts and opinions on tonight's match in the comments section below and be sure to check back in tonight for my running commentary on the match.
I’m appalled at how incredibly vacuous a lot of you are (re: Ljungberg).
Ives you didn’t mention Freddy Ljungberg as injured, playing, or a sub. Do you know something that we don’t? Did you see him in street clothes? Are he and Montero on the way to Betis?
Yes, I would defintely say the Ljungberg injury is more noteworthy than the mentioned injuries to Graham and Vagenas!
A couple of thoughts… If NY starts with that first 11, I see them more lined up in a 4-3-3 vs. a 4-5-1, like this:
Kandji…….Angel……….Richards
…………..Rojas
……..Sassano…….Ubi
with the same back 4 and Celades coming on in the 2nd half.
On the other hand, SFC doesn’t have a big specific threat at attacking mid, so I wonder why start with two midfielders that are defending instead of one (Sassano being the d-mid and Ubi being a linking, bx-to-bx player). Alternatively, the Red Bulls can start Sassano behind Rojas and Oduro alongside Angel in a 4-4-2 diamond:
….,,.Oduro……Angel
…………Rojas
Kandji……………..Richards
………..Sassano
Same back 4. I think that line up could be even more problematic for SFC from a speed and stretched defense perspective.
Deuce, either you’re trying to be funny or you don’t get out much. Ljungberg is just now coming back from sugery and isn’t ready to start.
Tracy played well – he assisted the first goal with a flick-on header. City win in PKs but impressive stuff from Marcus.
i say metro spanks those starbucks pansies
2 – nil METRO!!!
Sorry to hi-jack the thread a bit, but some of you might be interested to know Marcus Tracy just came on for AAB against Man. City, and the teams are in extra time after being tied on aggregate at the end of regulation. The live commentary is on ESPN.com.
i say metro spanks those starbucks fruits…
2 nil METRO
I think SSFC isn’t built like an expansion team, i think kasey keller is gonna make stops that otherwise would be goals, SSFC 2-RBNY 1
I say the game is going to be given to Seattle 2-1 One Goal by Nyassi and the other by Le Toux
NY – 1
Seatle Poundcakes – 0
An inspired Sounders side wins it by a score of 2-1. A blunder by Cepro leads to a late Sounders’ victory.
With that lineup, I’m not nearly as confident as I was a week ago.
People seem to forget that Seattle will have Keller in net… KASEY KELLER folks.. we will not be putting 3-4 goals behind him. We’ll be lucky to get 1 in.
That said, here’s to a 1-0 NY win!
Thanks for the tips on the bar. I’ve been to NS a bunch of times with ESC supporters…I just may roll through. Lilly O’Brien’s tends to not be as packed, so I can focus a little better on the game…plus their food is really good. I may choose to come support w/ the ESC, though.
Nevada’s will be rocking like it’s 2008.
UP THE METRO.
Ljungberg from the bench late for a victory lap and a home bow. Hes ahead of schedule and has been practicing with the team but the staff dont want to push it. Should ease a few sounders fans just to see him in rave green and walking though.
Marcus Tracy just got a run-out in the UEFA Cup against Manchester City. That’s a pretty fast introduction to World Soccer. Robinho and Shaun Wright-Phillips is a little more impressive than if he sat on an MLS bench. I have to imagine he would start in MLS if he had wanted to be drafted.
If I was a betting man I’d go 1-1.
Where the Hell is Fredrik Ljungberg?
DP Slot and all…
Injuries to Peter Vagenas and Taylor Graham might be a good thing, right?
ives, any reason why mac has the edge over oduro?
Sounders 3
Red Cards 1
Sounders 3
MetroSexuals 1
“The Sounders have some injuries, to Peter Vagenas and Taylor Graham, but Seattle will have a mostly full-strength squad on display for its inaugural MLS match.”
Yeah, what about some guy named… Ljungberg? You’d think he’d at least rate a *mention* in the post!
1-1 tie might just do it!
cheers…and back goes freddy into the lineup…
Sounders win
NEvada Smith’s is on 3rd avenue between 11th and 12th. It’s around the corner from Webster Hall.
wait they were talking about last week vs. the rapids, disregard that last statement.
My bad. Got beat to the Nevada Smith’s bit and didn’t even notice.
On a side note: Ives, what’s up with Oduro?
Apparently the only phrase to describe offensive success is “having a field day.” Are you dealing with jet lag, Ives? Have a cup of coffee…you’re in Seattle after all.
Otherwise, enjoyable preview.
@Sean and John
According to this he was back last friday:
http://blogs.thenewstribune.com/soccer/2009/03/13/montero_under_contract_and_back_in_town
@Chosun
Party at Nevada Smiths!!
I know that what I read to,so I took him off my fantasy team and put taylor twellman up top
mlsnet says montero is south america dealing with paperwork issues. don’t they have someone in the front office to sort all this out before the first game?
ljunberg is listed as questionable
I heard montero might not be there?
Chosun- ESC (all are welcome) watch party at Nevada Smiths
***
I predict disappointed NY fans
Posted by: KajaGooGoo | March 19, 2009 at 04:08 PM
***
You can predict that every season, even if we’re winning.
Red Bull wins, 2-0 🙂
Goals by Angel & Rojas. Richards with a hand in both.
will Lundberg get any minutes tonight?
has anyone else heard that celades is out for this game? i’ve got him in my lineup for tonight.
Neither team looks that impressive defensively and I can see both sides giving up some silly chances to the other side…poor clearances, defenders panicking under pressure–stuff like that. But ultimately, unless Montero gets an early score (forcing RBNY to commit to attack), I expect RBNY to look to absorb pressure and then counter. And I just don’t see Seattle dealing with Angel effectively–unless they can swarm midfield and shutoff any service he gets. So for me, again, unless Seattle scores early (and then often), I think it’s RBNY 2-0 with Angel getting the first goal and the second coming on an opportunistic finish by someone else (Kandji or Rojas).
I also think it will be an ugly game. Not only because it’s the first game of the season but also both teams are missing a bunch of first choice players and despite some preseason time and Seattle fan’s insistence that much of their squad has 1-2 seasons playing together in USL, it’s still their first game in MLS.
I predict disappointed NY fans
Where are the Red Bull supporters going to be watching the game? I may head to Lilly O’Brien’s in Tribeca…
as much as I dislike the red bulls, and hope seattle does well, I confess to having two bargain players in the my fantasy lineup, Cepero and Hall. frustrating that Hall can’t be listed as a defender, though. I see 2-0 new york.
NYRB 3 Sounders 2. THe game will be fast paced and open.
Both of these teams are tilted towards the offensive end of the field I see a high scoring game 3-2 in favor of the home team. Goals by Jaqua, Montero and Letoux.
Fans predictions for the final score cracks me up, so random and meaningless. Plus, we all want to read it too. I’ll put the call in to Osorio and let him know there is no need to worry, Anthony says Red Bulls win 4-2.
NYRB 4 SSFC 2
Hey Ives,
I thought Boyens was out hurt?