Kevin Goldthwaite’s 16th minute header from a set piece was enough to see New York run out 1-0 winners against FC Dallas at home. The Red Bulls were on the offensive for the majority of the game, controlling possession, and limiting Dallas to only two shots on goal, while New York managed 7. New York was able to grind out the result, missing both of their Designated Players(Juan Pablo Angel and Claudio Reyna), and low on strikers after the departure of Jozy Altidore to Villareal. The official New York Red Bulls blog, Red Bulls Reader, has  post game reaction from the players and manager here. What did you think of the game? 

Lost in the midst of Wednesday’s news of Jozy Altidore’s transfer to Villarreal was the Red Bulls impending match with Chivas USA on Thursday night. Playing without the teenage striker, the team managed to scratch and claw their way to an unattractive, yet important, 1-0 victory. Juan Pablo Angel’s 75th minute header proved decisive, and Jon Conway made several key saves to preserve the club’s third clean sheet of the season.New York opened the match in the following 4-5-1 formation, with Conway in goal. 

——————–Angel———————–

Borman———–Magee————Richards

——Van Den Bergh—–Stammler———-

Goldthwaite—————————Leitch

—————–Parke—Boyens————-

The first half of the match saw both teams struggle to createany significant chances or gain control of midfield. New York seemed resigned to playing long balls up top, and struggled to maintain any significant attacking possession. But while the team struggled to produce any significant offensive threats, they did show their ability to defend effectively as a team; shutting down a potent Chivas attack.

The first significant scoring chance occurred in the last minute of the first half. Off of a throw-in, Jesse Marsch slipped a pass to Sascha Kljestan between two defenders, but his breakaway attempt was stopped brilliantly by Conway’s outstretched foot. 

The Red Bulls finally broke through in the 75^th minute. Dane Richards picked up the ball on the right hand side, and sent a perfect cross into the middle of the box. An unmarked Angel proceeded to calmly head the ball into the left hand side of the goal, just eluding Chivas keeper Brad Guzan. 

Chivas then began to attack in numbers, with substitute Ante Razov having several clear long range shots. However, New York successfully prevented any substantial scoring chances and left with a 1-0 victory.

Man of t he Match: Throughout this young season, injuries and absences have prevented the Red Bulls from establishing a constant lineup or any significant rhythm. But one player who has started every game so far is goalkeeper Jon Conway, and his steady performances have eliminated any lingering thoughts that he is not ready to carry the burden of being the team’s number one. Conway’s keys save at the end of the first half single handedly kept the game level going into halftime.

Key Matchup: The right side of the field was quite busy in the second half, as Dane Richards made it the focal point of the team’s attack. Opposing him was Francisco Mendoza, and the two diminutive midfielders exchanged blows throughout the game. Richards would beat him one play; Mendoza would put in a strong tackle the next; but it was certainly entertaining to see these two pacey players go head to head.

Up Next: The Red Bulls will travel to Washington to face archrival DC United next Saturday, giving New York some time to rest and recharge. Several players are struggling to regain form due to injury, including Juan Pablo Angel who is suffering from a sore back and hamstring; he was noticeably limping towards the end of last night’s match. But these extra couple days of rest should hopefully allow the team to get healthy for the match against United. 

Scoring Summary:NY — Juan Pablo Angel 2 (Dane Richards 2, Chris Leitch 1) 75

Chivas USA — Brad Guzan, Carey Talley, Bobby Burling, Jim Curtin, Francisco Mendoza, Sacha Kljestan, Jesse Marsch, Paulo Nagamura, Atiba Harris, Jorge Flores (Ante Razov 59), Justin Braun (Anthony Hamilton 66).

New York Red Bulls — Jon Conway, Chris Leitch, Andrew Boyens, Jeff Parke, Kevin Goldthwaite, Dane Richards (Carlos Mendes 92+), Danleigh Borman (Luke Sassano 77), Mike Magee (John Wolyniec 65), Seth Stammler, Dave van den Bergh, Juan Pablo Angel, 

Misconduct Summary:CHV — Jesse Marsch (caution; Pushing, Holding) 30CHV — Atiba Harris (caution; Tackle from Behind) 40NY — Mike Magee (caution; Professional Foul) 45CHV — Paulo Nagamura (caution; Tackle from Behind) 52

Referee: Alex PrusReferee’s Assistants: C.J. Morgante; Jeff Muschik4th official: Jorge GonzalezTime of game: 1:53Attendance: 9,521Weather: Cloudy -and- 72 degrees

Following a 5-1 loss to Chicago last Sunday, the New York Red Bulls head to Houston to face-off against the Dynamo. After having their five game unbeaten streak snapped in embarrassing fashion, New York will be looking to take advantage of a significantly weakened Houston side that will be missing numerous significant players. Star midfielder Dewayne DeRosario and goalkeeper Pat Onstad will be away on international duty with Canada as they play Brazil, and defender Eddie Robinson faces a one game suspension after picking up two yellow cards in Houston’s 2-2 draw with FC Dallas on Wednesday. The Dynamo, sitting on eleven points after ten matches, lie in fifth place in the Western conference, although they are only three points behind first place Los Angeles. 

There is no doubt that New York will be looking to improve defensively after surrendering five goals to Chicago, and will certainly be aided by the return of midfielder Seth Stammler from injury. Stammler’s tenacious tackling and ball-winning prowess was certainly missed last Sunday. Talking about Chicago midfielder Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Claudio Reyna said, “Without blaming anyone, every time I turned around I couldn’t believe how much time he had. Juan (Pablo Angel) and I sat at halftime and said we never have time like that. He just seemed to be running into spaces and didn’t really know why he was so open at time. Pace isn’t his thing and he was getting wide open on the ball.” Stammler is excellent at closing out passing lanes and establishing control of the midfield, while also providing support to the backline. 

Two notable absences will be Claudio Reyna, who will not make the trip west due to a hamstring injury, and midfielder Dave Van den Bergh. Van den Bergh will miss his second consecutive game, as his wife is scheduled to give birth to the couple’s second child in the coming days. 

Another intriguing combination to keep an eye on is the Red Bull’s strike force, which has struggled to establish itself this season. The duo of Juan Pablo Angel and Jozy Altidore was predicted to be one of the most prolific goal-scoring pairs in recent MLS history, but early injuries have plugged up the expected deluge of goals. Juan Pablo Angel has suffered from an underwhelming offensive supporting cast, as well as opponents becoming more familiar with him and marking him tightly with double teams. Red Bulls officials have also started to become concerned with the attitude of Jozy Altidore, who seems to be a bit distracted by all of the attention he is receiving from high profile international clubs. The team has also been suffering from an effective third option up top, but will be reinforced by the return of Columbian striker Oscar Echeverry. Considering the talent of this group, it is not a question of if the goals will begin to flow, but when. 

New York Red Bulls striker Juan Pablo Angel saw a nerve specialist this week and was told his recent injury problems stemmed from nerve damage, not what had been thought to be a hamstring injury. Angel will receive a cortizone shot and most likely be available for NYRB’s game against Toronto FC. Striker Oscar Echeverry has sustained a strained left lateral collateral ligament in training on Tuesday and will miss around 4 weeks. New York plays the San Jose Earthquakes this sunday at Giants Stadium.

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.