Year three under the Red Bull brand kicks off Saturday when the Columbus Crew visit Giants Stadium, and New York/New Jersey soccer fans hope that this year’s team can rise above the mediocre performances of recent campaigns.
New York enter their new season with a new head coach and a new philosophy, but with mostly the same core group of players as last year’s team that bowed out of the playoffs in the first round at the hands of the New England Revolution. New head coach Juan Carlos Osorio has placed an emphasis on improving a defense that allowed 46 goals last season, third worst in all of Major League Soccer. Osorio has gone about implementing a 3-5-2 formation, and the team is slowly but surely grasping the nuances of playing with a three man backline.
Reports out of Red Bull camp reveal that Osorio is leaning towards a backline composed of Kevin Goldwaithe on the left, Jeff Parke in the middle and Chris Leitch on the right in place of incumbent Carlos Mendes, who had been receiving much of the playing time there in preseason. With Dane Richards out with an MCL tear and Hunter Freeman nursing a right ankle sprain, rookie Luke Sassano seems poised to make his MLS debut on the right side of midfield, along with fellow rookie Danleigh Borman on the left as both have been impressive. All in all, I think that we might see the following starting lineup Saturday night:
————Angel———–Altidore————
Borman————Reyna————-Sassano
——Van Den Bergh—–Stammler———-
Goldthwaite——-Parke————–Leitch
——————-Conway———————-
Columbus arrives in New York coming off an impressive 2-0 win, albeit against a weak Toronto F.C. team, and is looking to defeat the Red Bulls at Giants Stadium for the first time since 2003.
Keys to the game: It will certainly be interesting to see how the Red Bulls operate defensively in their opening game. Have they made the necessary strides and adjustments while playing in this new system? Preseason performances have certainly indicated that there is still much work to be done in perfecting the 3-5-2, and Columbus will be looking to exploit this inexperience. Going along with this, the 3-5-2 places even more emphasis on team defending, with the midfield support and backtracking essential for success. Rookies Danleigh Borman and Luke Sassano will have to help contain Columbus’ Eddie Gaven and Robbie Rogers on the flanks, as both are formidable attacking players.
Key Matchup: Seth Stammler vs. Guillermo Baros Schelotto. Sticking with a defensive theme, everyone knows the skill that Columbus’ playmaker Schelotto possesses, as well as his ability to start an attack and adequately support the forwards. The question is how New York will go about disrupting Schelotto, which will invariably slow down Columbus’ attack. Seth Stammler looks to be New York’s answer, as he provides the bite in the defensive midfield duo of him and Dave Van den Bergh. Stammler is exceptional in his ability to cover vast amounts of ground, taking away passing lanes and sticking his tackles well. Look for him to provide the necessary energy in support of the three man backline.
Key Player: Claudio Reyna. Employed in a new attacking role for the coming season, this will be many fans’ first look at the rejuvenated Reyna. I firmly believe that, if healthy, Reyna will emerge as a viable attacking option. Reyna’s new role allows him to enjoy a certain amount of free range, as he is positioned behind the two forwards. He will be called upon to link the midfield and forwards, and to provide quality service to Angel and Altidore. With Reyna’s field vision and ball control skills, I believe that he will flourish in this new role.
