New York Red Bulls: Yes, they are absolutely for real
The New York Red Bulls dissected Minnesota United in another brilliantly ruthless performance on Saturday night. Yes, Jesse Marsch’s side are for real.
The early stages of the MLS season are about evaluation as much as they are points.
While it is important to get wins on the board quickly, working towards a healthy points total that secures a postseason berth, many of the teams use the first few games to test themselves against their competitors, comparing their respective strengths and weaknesses, scouting the players they have in the squad, and producing a plan of how to navigate what is a strenuous and testing season.
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That is why teams try to stay grounded after early-season results, both positive and negative. They do not want to over-react to the results, rather focusing on the process that aims to peak at the end of the season, not the start of it.
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So to see the New York Red Bulls compound their impressive four-goal dismantling of the Portland Timbers last time out with an equally convincing three-goal win over Minnesota United makes me take note, that is for sure, even if they are separated by a 1-0 loss to Real Salt Lake. It would have been easy for this team to rest on their laurels in MLS, especially given their CONCACAF Champions League commitments. But no. They pressed their foot on the accelerator and put in an excellent performance.
While Bradley Wright-Phillips will grab the headlines with his two goals, breaking the record for the most MLS goals score in a five-year period — he still has nearly a whole season to go, such is the remarkable nature of that achievement –, this was a rounded and complete display by the Red Bulls.
Jesse Marsch began to ease some of his more experienced players into the starting line-up, dropping the likes of Ben Mines and Nelson Rivas for BWP and Daniel Royer. It showed. This was a wonderfully cohesive showing. The Red Bulls portrayed a well-oiled machine, with each individual component fitting together beautifully with those around it.
If you were to just watch the highlights, for instance, you would see that the Loons did not have a chance that mlsscoccer.com deemed worthy of showing until the 80th minute. If you were to watch the full game, you would see a very similar pattern: Red-Bull domination. The stats also bear that out.
21 shots to 10; 54.9% of the possession; six corners to five. The Red Bulls were clearly the better team in this encounter. It was thought that that might be the case beforehand. They then proceeded to prove it.
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And that, for me, is a sign that this team is for real. They have shown they have depth. They have shown they have quality. They have shown they can score goals. The New York Red Bulls are for real. The rest of MLS should watch out.