It was one of the New York Red Bulls better performances of the season, but still wasn't good enough for a single goal, let alone point. That is the type of season the Red Bulls are enduring, and the type of season the unbeaten Chicago Fire continue to enjoy.
Chicago didn't create many chances, and were outplayed for most of Sunday's match, but the Fire made the most of its best chance of the day to take the three points and help keep the struggling Red Bulls in last place in the Eastern Conference.
There was plenty of blame to go around in the Red Bulls camp for Sunday's defeat, from Juan Pablo Angel, who played like a shell of the player we have grown accustomed to seeing, to Alfredo Pacheco, who has gone from great signing to shaky acquisition in a matter of one mistake-filled month.
Then there was Juan Carlos Osorio, who failed once again to beat the team he left behind two years ago.
Here are some observations for both the Fire and Red Bulls from Sunday's match:
Whether it is an injury, or just age catching up with him, something is wrong with Juan Pablo Angel. He hasn't looked like himself for much of 2009, but that has been chalked up to lack of service more so than his own doing. After Sunday's performance, when he had a handful of chances to score, it is much tougher to ignore Angel's dip in form. My bet is that his back/hamstring injuries are affecting his game. It would be easy to write him off if not for what he did last season, which was recover from an injury-plagued first half of the season to help carry the Red Bulls to the playoffs with most of his 14 goals coming after the all-star break.
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Chris Rolfe needs to start. Yes, it was just one game and one goal against a team he has always tortured, but Rolfe is simply too good to be on the bench. Patrick Nyarko is a dangerous and promising prospect, but he doesn't take his chances like Rolfe does and the lineup the Fire fielded on Sunday is, in my opinion, its best. Now, Cuauhtemoc Blanco will be going away on Mexican national team duty, which should allow Denis Hamlett some time to try other things out, but when the full squad is back together, Rolfe needs to stay in the starting lineup.
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What has happened to Alfredo Pacheco? His first two games as a Red Bulls had fans considering him as possibly one of the best defenders/foreign signings in team history. He has fallen apart since. Not only has he not shown the counterattacking threat he was supposed to provide but Pacheco has been repeatedly beaten on important plays that have cost the Red Bulls points. His D.C. United meltdown was well-documented, but he was also caught late getting back on Houston's lone goal a week ago, and on Sunday Pacheco kept Rolfe onside and then let him get free for the game-winning goal. Foreign players struggling to adapt to MLS is nothing new, but as the Red Bulls learned with Gabriel Cichero last year,
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Wilman Conde is looking like the MLS Defender of the Year. Fellow Colombian Jhon Kennedy Hurtado had a strong hold on the award early on but Conde has come on strong in recent weeks. He won seemingly every ball in the air in the Chicago penalty area and proved yet again that he can match up with any striker in the league.
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John Wolyniec has looked good when given playing time, but Juan Carlos Osorio needs to ride a Juan Pablo Angel/Mac Kandji forward tandem until either the team starts winning games or he is fired. While Kandji did look better on the left flank than he has all year on Sunday, the fact remains he is most dangerous up front, where his trickiness and speed can get him into scoring chances more quickly.
That still leaves the left midfield position open, and while Danleigh Borman might seem like the logical choice I say go with Dane Richards on the left. Richards can't cross the ball regardless of the flank he's on so why not put him on the left, where he can run at people and then cut inside for a shot? He's played there for Jamaica and would allow Sinisa Ubiparipovic to stay on the right. Ubiparipovic has struggled at times, but I saw some signs from him in recent weeks. I also haven't seen much from Borman in the chances to start he has gotten in the past.
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Criticism about the Fire's lack of offensive punch in recent weeks is a bit flimsy. Chicago just played two road games and won both with shutouts. Yes, Toronto FC and New York had more chances, and perhaps the games would have been different if either of those team's forwards could finish, but the Fire is taking and finishing its chances well and showing far more defensive discipline than it showed earlier in the year. Sure, a bit more offensive punch would be better, but road games are about results. Fancy attacking soccer doesn't always produce results, as Fire fans can attest to after Chicago's 1-1 tie vs. Seattle, a game the Fire dominated.
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Is Juan Carlos Osorio in danger of losing his job? If he were coaching any other team that he just led to an MLS Cup final the year before then the answer would be no, but the people who ultimately run the Red Bulls reside in Europe, where coaches don't get a whole year to straighten things out. Red Bulls managing director Erik Stover was completely behind Osorio two months ago, but if the Red Bulls don't start winning soon, the bosses in Salzburg could start to put some pressure on. As of right now though, the heat isn't really on Osorio, at least not from Red Bulls management. Red Bulls fans? Now that's another story.
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How does Chicago match-up against MLS leaders Chivas USA, which it will face on Thursday? Very well actually. The match-up in central midfield, where the tandem of Marsch and Nagamura will face off against Logan Pause and John Thorrington, will be a fierce one, but I see Chicago's defense neutralizing the Chivas USA attack in what should be another low-scoring affair.
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In one of the few bright spots for the Red Bulls, Jeremy Hall played his best game as a pro. Hall completely shut down Marco Pappa and looked much more comfortable than he did in the U.S. Open Cup loss to D.C. United (where Fred schooled him). What continues to be a mind-numbing trend involving Hall is the repeated number of times that teammates ignore his overlapping runs. Whether it's Dane Richards or Sinisa Ubiparipovic, Hall has made more unrewarded runs than possibly anybody in MLS. Someone might want to remind Richards and Ubiparipovic that Hall is easily one of the best crossers on the team, something we haven't seen much of because nobody is getting Hall the ball.
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That's all for now. What did you think of Sunday's match? Are you an angry Red Bulls fan who wants heads to roll? Are you a happy Fire fan who is starting to believe your team is the MLS Cup favorite we thought they could be? Did you miss the game because you were on the beach?
Share your thoughts below.
hall has prob one of the best touches on the team and is very poised with the ball at his feet..he feels pressure and passes it off to an open player with an early ball..RB players should try and look up while dribbling and pass to open players like Hall has shown
Hall afraid of the ball? You must not be in your right mind! Maybe Hall knows when he has defenders on him and that’s why he passes the ball unlike others like Richards who keeps the ball and would rather lose it than pass it. Or JPA who passes it to the other team.
At the risk of being repetitive I see the overall theme of a front office that sticks with the wrong people consistently and lets good people go or doesn’t back them. Vandenburg is the most recent example of this. If it was Agoos who indeed dropped the ball (as it most likely was), it is he who should be given walking papers. This team is playing reasonably well but the psychology of not finishing and winning probably has it roots there. In JCO’s world you are only as good as your last performance for the competitive spots and it threatens team unity.
Gary:
Sure, fire Osorio and bring in someone else. And then fire HIM the next time the team hits a slump. And so on, and so on….
That philosophy has worked so well for 14 years, why change now?
A poor form Angel lost the last game, clear as day.
Fuera Osorio!!!
LI Matt, what stability does JCO bring? is it his constant lineup changes? his constant formation changes? his constant playing players out of position? if that’s stability, you can keep it all to yourself.
there reaches a point of shitty-ness when any “stability” you’d have with keep a coach isn’t worth it, so why the hell not bring in somebody else. can’t get much worse than it already is.
Great post Ives I love reading your look back at MLS games. I just want to add that even though Hall look great shuting down Pappa and making good decisions, he lacks confidence with the ball at his feet, like he’s afraid of the ball… I also want to add that I love how Logan Pause works for the fire, he’s a coach on the field and should get a look on the USMNT.. Definitely for the gold cup, how about a thorrington pause experiment for the Gold Cup?
“I don’t think he should be fired. This team needs a little continuity.”
I agree. Osorio is the fourth manager since the start of the 2006 season. The Austrians need to stop panicking every five minutes and give us a bit of stability. If that means writing off this season, so be it.
I agree with notabott, I don’t even think Conde is the best defender on this team, let alone defender of the year. I really like Soumare, plays with a lot more passion and is a better defender. Reports from France suggest that he might be on his way there this summer.
JCO needs to get fired, he doesn’t have the tools to put the pieces back together. Give Richie Williams a crack at it thru the remainder of the season.
I will have to agree with most, JPA seems to have hit the bottom. He is a great player, I’m sure he will rebound soon!
stoned
not sold on Ubi. He’s looked ok and better than Richards because he can complete a pass and has control on the ball ( sometimes ) but I agree with a previous post that Hall should be considered for Right Mid with Johnson at RB when he recovers. Even if that means Hall comes off the bench for Ubi in the 2nd half. He adds defense, has poise and can cross the ball. A trifecta of qualities Ubi doesn’t have after the 55th minute on his best day.
I think that Osorio should play Angel at goal. That will really mess with Colorado’s mind, and further show Osorio the genius coach that he is.
Pacheco has not been nearly as bad as you make it seem ives. Sure he could be blame for the rolfe goal but he is generally solid and always athletic, and that dc united goal you referenced was not his fault, conway has let it be known that he called for the ball but didn’t go to it. Richards shouldn’t be on the field at all it really doesn’t matter what flank it is, he might be a man but than he does nothing with the ball, and ubi has been the unsung hero of this offense.
Two things from the Fire POV: As much as I like Rolfe, I prefer starting Nyarko because his speed stretches the defense, which makes them give up too much space for Rolfe when he enters the game, ideally at halftime.
Second — and I’m going to say this until I’m blue in the face — Wilman Conde is not even the second-best defender on this team, and he’s Defender of the Year? Seriously?
The grass is always greener on the other side of the coach theft, is it not?
Perhaps this will serve as a lesson. But this is MetroRed Bull, the MLS equivalent of Newcastle, we are talking about, so probably not.
martha — saying that angel sucks is a bit strong, but i’ll let it slide if you only saw this last game with the fire. in that game, he was very bad.
HALL FOR RM!!!!!!! Ives please forward osario this thread!! we all want to see it… our season couldnt be going much worse!! what does he have to lose? Hall will get the ball in the net!
hope they fix this team before they move into the new field.. right now they suck
That Josh Wolff comparison is just no a fair one. I mean you can’t score if you don’t get the service; it doesn’t matter who you have up front. The Kandji/Angel IS a dangerous one and I would not change it for a Lopez/Wolff; they’re just on a hot streak, the total opposite of the slump on the RB fowards right now.
I cannot agree with you, Ives, on Ubi. I thought he played a very hustle game but his lack of class with the ball and finess on his passes was PAINFUL. Hall deserves man of the match for his play and an award for the number of unrewarded runs he makes. JPA has looked hobbled the entire season but certainly worse on Sunday. RBNY has still at this point of the season not found a replacement for Vandenburg. I love Woly and his effort but this team MUST have Kandji and JPA front and center. Borman at L Mid might have been the better choice.
Also can anyone on this blog please tell me the last time the Red Bulls have converted a corner?
FIRE OSORIO
I don’t think two wins is enough to be excited about the Fire just yet. In order to be a Cup favorite they need to start taking care of teams at home.
Thursday night will be a key test. The two games on turf the past two weeks drove a more conservative plan. Lets see how they do when they get on the grass and whether they can still find the defensive balance that this technically strong team has lost at tiems when tye’ve been knocking it around on the live stuff.
ROLFE is a great sniper but a big liability defensively. Nyarko does everything better except score goals.
In the end thats what the games all about. Its not like Rolfe has lost all his game and sucks now like Angel.
Richards is a ball hog thats why he ignores Halls runs. So is Upranivakoibicjkkicavic to lesser extent.
Fire is way better period. Its a shame that the Red Metros were allowed to play ok. The Fire with an off night and on the road are still better than the Red Metros at home.
3,000 fans arent much of a home field advantage but the crap turf which is a disgrace to soccer is.
I am also tired of the comments about JCO getting us to the final last year. He got lucky (plain and simple). If that is the only reason he continues to get breaks from the front office then it is obvious that they are as clueless as he is! I don’t think its a coincidence that good players under his direction seem to get worse. He is overpaid and over-rated! I’m sure someone like Richie Williams would be thrilled to get a shot at the job for less pay and would probably promote better team chemistry.
Sorry Ives, I basically copied your post, didn’t realize it (hadn’t read your entire post before commenting).
while i am enjoying the fire’s strong start to the season, i also realize it’s way too early to get overly excited. i’ll get excited when/if they secure home field and if they are playing well down the stretch.
i agree 100% rolfe needs to be starting. nyarko is good, but he isn’t as good as rolfe yet.
Totally agree with lack of service to Hall on all the runs he made on Sunday!
Ives,
Why is it okay for Osorio to start Kanji (a right footed player) on the left but not Mbutu, Hall (before Johnson injury), Richards (who can’t cross anyway), etc.
I was all for being on JCO’s side, but he meddles too much–for all his alleged tactical awareness he seems to lack common sense.
***Hall at RM
what do you expect from richards? you can count on one hand the number of passes that he completes in a game. and osorio should not get a pass just because of last year. every honest RB fan knows that the playoff run was a complete fluke. Let’s not forget that they didn’t deserve to even make the playoffs. Plus, Osorio has made a series of bad player acquisitions. his streak in this regard is shockingly bad, even by RB/Metro standards. That being said, I don’t think he should be fired. This team needs a little continuity.
JPA and Kandji, combined, have just 5 goals in 21 games. That’s less than Josh Wolff!
Ives, I think you should look into the background of that crazy person who wrote, just a month ago, “Angel and Kandji forming a dangerous tandem”.
Oh, wait…
(j/k)
I wonder how things would play out if we put Hall at RCM and leave Johnson at RB (when he heals). Their style of play makes me feel like they could partner up to do overlapping, backtracking and attacking.
I’d guess that the Giants Stadium turf does not do anything to help Red Bull’s consistency or Angel’s balky back. With the way the turf plays a team is more likely to get a lucky bounce then execute a well coordinated attack. I don’t know how many times I saw attacks stall and fizzle because the ball bounced to high or wouldn’t settle.
RBP can’t be finished soon enough.
hall is being wasted at RB. Granted he holds the spot down well but i rather see him at LM or RM.
part of me is hoping for a loss so we can get rid of JCO and AGOOF sooner rather than later
A loss against Colorado on Saturday and they need to show JCO the door. We have a long stretch of mostly away games ahead against fairly good teams and Osorio has demonstrated no ability to get points on the road.
I’m not sure a win against Colorado will really make much difference in the long run but it may buy him a bit of a reprieve. The season’s over for all intents and purposes.
Here’s hoping:
– Osorio reads this
– Everyone else on the Red Bulls reads this
…….Angel….Kandji…….
..Hall……………Sinisa..
…..Celades…..Stammler….
.Pacheco.Goldy.Petke.Johnson.
………..Conway…………
I think that is our best chance at winning any games this year.
Thank you for this piece, Ives! You make some excellent points. I am also concerned about JPA, and his uncharacteristic lack of touch on Sunday was frustrating. Your point that “Hall has made more unrewarded runs than possibly anybody in MLS” is spot-on. I hadn’t noticed that Ubi was missing him, too, but Richards’s inability to see Hall (much less pass to him) nearly drove me insane. I thought that Ubi had quite a good game overall. His corner kicks aren’t great, but he made some very good threatening runs, laid the ball off well and opened up space. There was much to like in this game…except the final score. If this had been our first game of the season, I would be VERY hopeful for 2009.
No need to panic. The Bulls have lost 5 of the 6 games by only 1 goal and with a little luck could have won two of those. With those two wins and a win against NE instead of the last minute tie they would be close to the top of the Eastern Conference. They can easily turn things around this season by coming together as a team and having a bit more luck.
This Chicago Fire fan is pleased with two road wins. Thursday’s game at Chivas USA looms large and ought to be fun to watch.
Still need to start winning at home and stop dropping points. Beating Dallas and winning back the Brimstone Cup since…since i don’t know when would be a good start.
As for NYRB, I laugh at JCO and Khano Smith.