Over the past five days, the Red Bulls had the chance to test themselves twice against English Premier League clubs during the Barclays New York Challenge. In both games, the Red Bulls took a lead into halftime, only to see the opposition equalize. While on Thursday night, they lost to Tottenham 2-1, the Red Bulls overcame a deflating equalizer on Sunday to beat Manchester City.
A look at the player ratings for the top 16 Red Bulls who saw the most minutes in the tournament:
GK – Bouna Coundoul: It was plenty of “Bouna Time” during the tournament’s two games, and he will always be remembered for his 7th minute save in Sunday’s game when he charged out of the nets heroically. Against some good competition, he commanded the area very well. Rating: 7.5
D- Greg Sutton: Uncharacteristic drop on the first goal against the Spurs then hung out to dry on the second score that night. Can’t be faulted on Sunday for City’s tally. Overall, a good game Sunday afternoon. Rating: 6
D- Chris Albright: Looked solid in both appearances. His man-marking improves every week, but he needs to push forward and overlap more. Rating: 6.5
D- Carlos Mendes: As steady as they come in the back, Mendes won all his physical battles and was solid in the air. He played simple and clean. Rating: 6.5
D- Tim Ream: Vision and poise marked his two games in the tournament. His distribution was solid and his positioning was that of a veteran. Didn’t look like a rookie out there in the least. Rating: 7
D- Mike Petke: Good to see the New York legend on the field after seeing his starting spot relinquished the past few weeks. Petke dusted off some rust Thursday to put in a solid performance in Sunday’s matinee. Rating: 6
D- Jeremy Hall: From right back to right mid to center mid in the US Open Cup then to right back last week, Hall is all over the place. Bad execution on the header back to Sutton gave Tottenham the go-ahead goal and ruined an otherwise solid effort. Sunday, he won’t get the credit but he played very well. Rating: 6
D/M- Roy Miller: Even as Danleigh Borman has been solid at left back, there needs to be a way to get Miller on the field more. Looked fit after some injury struggles in June and he moves up the flank well. Rating: 6.5
D/M- Danleigh Borman: Can’t remember one bad play that Borman made. Whether as left back or in the midfield, he moved forward well and his crossing has greatly improved over last season. Rating: 6.5
M- Seth Stammler: One can tell that he doesn’t like playing on the left wing, but Stammler did well in moving forward and pinching in defensively. Rating: 6
M- Carl Robinson: In his first real, sustained action following knee surgery, Robinson showed well. His distribution and vision centrally was missed, but he still seemed a bit slow. Rating: 6
M-Joel Lindpere: With the addition of Thierry Henry to the team, Lindpere had even more space to operate. He moved well into the attack and seemed at home with the space and extra time on the ball. Rating: 7
M-Dane Richards: It was “Great Dane” throughout the tournament as the winger had space to get forward and be dangerous. That goal on Sunday was a rip. Rating: 8.5
F-Mac Kandji: The only player who could rival the weekend Richards had is the “Kandji Man.” Disciplined in his play and inspired in the attack, New York head coach Hans Backe said that Spurs’ boss Harry Redknapp was impressed. Rating: 8.5
F- Thierry Henry: Great way to start his New York career with a goal against an EPL side. When he’s on the field, the team is more dynamic and fluid and space opens up. Rating: 8
F-Salou Ibrahim: Coming off an ankle injury, Ibrahim got a run in the second half of Sunday’s match. Still doesn’t seem to get in sync with the rest of the attack. Rating: 5
Kristian Dyer is a reporter for MLSSoccer.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs. He can be reached for comment at KristianRDyer@yahoo.com and followed at twitter.com/kdyer1012
