HARRISON, N.J. – Well it wasn’t pretty – in fact it was the antidote to pretty – but the Red Bulls got an effective point in their scoreless draw with Real Salt Lake on Saturday afternoon.
The player ratings for the match:
GK – Greg Sutton: A busy afternoon for “Suts,” who made several nice saves in the match. Whiffed on one cross but made up for it with several fast reaction saves and came off his line very well. An impressive showing for a goalkeeper who will be starting in MLS next season for another club. Rating: 7.5
D – Chris Albright: With Dane Richards away on international duty, Albright pushed forward more to help provide some offensive spark down the wing. The veteran hit several nice crosses and was always reliable in his distribution. Rating: 6.5
D – Carlos Mendes: He got caught out of position on several occasions in the opening 30 minutes, but recovered nicely to step up and make an impact. Moved forward well to cut off RSL’s diagonal balls from the wings and won a number of aerial challenges in the second half. Rating: 6
D – Tim Ream: It was an up-and-down performance from the rookie center back, who looked lost and a step slow in the middle of the park but, like Mendes, settled down nicely. Played a very solid second half. Rating: 6
D – Roy Miller: He will be praised for his pushing forward into the attack, but Miller had an up-and-down day as well. He got caught far up field twice in the second half and had some sloppy first touches. Good movement in getting forward for the entirety of the match. Rating: 6
M – Joel Lindpere: Looking a bit lost on the right side, the left-footed Lindpere still played a solid if quiet match for New York. His defensive work rate was outstanding and he was continually drawing fouls from the RSL midfield. Rating: 6.5
M – Tony Tchani: It was a physical game for Tchani, who was tough to get off the ball but got whistled for several soft fouls. Never really got settled in to the match. Rating: 5.5
M – Rafa Márquez: His presence was missed in New York’s 1-0 loss to RSL last month, and Márquez calmed and settled the midfield on Saturday. Despite the good things, he still had several uncharacteristically sloppy passes but still, a good overall effort. Rating: 7
M – Mehdi Ballouchy: He had several nice passes and some deft touches but like the rest of the offense, failed to find a good rhythm or sync in the final third. Went quiet for about a 20-minute stretch at the end of the first half. Rating: 5.5
F – Juan Pablo Angel: Where is the service? Ángel had several decent half-chances that he seemed a touch slow to respond to, but he lacked quality balls and service. He battled though; he always does. Rating: 6
F – Thierry Henry: Still looks unsettled and a bit out of sorts. After a strong debut to his MLS career, Henry has now begun to fizzle rather than sizzle. Needs to find his scoring touch before the playoffs. Rating: 5.5
Substitutions
M – Juan Agudelo: Made his MLS debut on the right wing and looked good in limited play. Was fearless and pushed forward, but needs better cleats as he slipped several times. All in all, a good start. Let’s be the first to say it: “Bob, cap Agudelo!” Rating: 6
Kristian R. Dyer can be reached for comment at KristianRDyer@yahoo.com and followed at twitter.com/kdyer1012
