The
Red Bulls finally stumbled last week, dropping their first game of the season
on the road 2-0 to Chivas USA. MLSsoccer.com reporter Kristian Dyer breaks down
five points as New York looks to rebound on Saturday against FC Dallas at Red
Bull Arena.
More Energy– Red Bulls coach Hans Backe told MLSSoccer.com that he was surprised by the effort on Saturday against Chivas USA, and was puzzled by the physiological letdown after the win over Seattle. Backe said he is waiting to see how the team responds, but he vowed that there will be a better, more concerted effort on the field. He’s spoken to the players about the need to bounce back and put in a total effort and not accept the result on Saturday.
Coundoul It Again – Despite the blunder to start the second half -- where goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul inexplicably pushed the ball into the back of his own net --Backe isn’t worried about his first choice keeper. “There’s nothing you can do with individual mistakes,” Backe said, saying that he has full faith in Coundoul to perform to the same standard in the first two games.
Lindpere Returns to Form – After running the midfield in the wins over the Fire and the Sounders, Lindpere had a very quiet game against Chivas USA. “I think he looked unbelievably tired. The last 30 minutes, he couldn’t even run,” Backe said. The coach noted that he didn’t think Chivas USA marked Lindpere out of the game but rather that an issue with Lindpere’s hip was bothering him.
Robinson Returns – Expect to see Carl Robinson on the field at some point on Saturday. He participated in training for the first time on Tuesday after suffering an injury in the Santos friendly. It’s been several weeks since Robinson practiced fully and was on the ball. “My intention is to make myself available for selection for Saturday, then it’s down to the manager,” Robinson said.
Ibrahim Acclimating - Saturday’s loss saw the MLS debut of signee Salou Ibrahim, a forward that Backe had targeted since pre-season camp. It was a tough first MLS test, especially since the Red Bulls played long ball in the hopes of equalizing. Backe isn’t concerned about the less than stellar debut of the forward. “He couldn’t get any rhythm or flow when he came in,” Backe said. “We had a number of unforced errors, a tremendous amount of them.”
