Harrison, N.J. – After disappointing results in their last two outings, the Red Bulls stepped up on a wet and windy Saturday night for a 3-0 home win over San Jose. A look at the player ratings from the emphatic win:
WATCH:Full Match Highlights
GK – Bouna Coundoul: His distribution was shaky in the 1-0 loss to the Union last week but the Red Bulls goalkeeper was solid on Saturday. Cool and calm in distribution and made two solid saves to preserve the shutout. Rating: 6.5
D – Jan Gunnar Solli: Some rough distribution in the early spells of the match, but Solli’s man marking was solid. Moved well into the attack and helped sustain possession in the second half. Rating: 6
D – Rafa Marquez: Set pieces were much better from Marquez but he nearly gave San Jose a lifeline in the 48th minute when he was sloppy in his own area and Chris Wondolowski nearly scored. Still, his overall game and distribution, in particular switching the field for New York, was superb. Rating: 6.5
D – Tim Ream: Rebounded very well from his poor giveaway last week to win all his battles. Positioning was veteran like and passing was crisp, in particular to Teemu Tainio in the midfield. Rating: 7
D – Roy Miller: Picked his movement forward very well and moved into open space to provide support for the midfield in holding the ball. An all-around solid match. Rating: 6.5
M – Dane Richards: Didn’t get sprung a whole lot as the wet field seemed to slow things down for the Red Bulls, but Richard consistently made smart choices on the ball. It looked like he was trying a shot in the second minute but the winger will take credit for the assist on the game’s first goal. Rating: 6
M – Teemu Tainio: Best performance on the field for a Red Bulls player and that says something when one of Tainio’s teammates scored twice. Destroyed the San Jose counterattack, moved well, distribution was fantastic and put in a sensational 90 minutes. What he did won’t show in the box score but it was massive. Rating: 8.5
M – Joel Lindpere: Worked well in the attack and smart, tactical decisions slowed down San Jose all night long. Was crisp in his touch on a difficult night to move the ball. Rating: 6
M – Dwayne De Rosario: A quiet and efficient night from De Rosario who rarely got the ball with steam and heading towards goal. Worked a solid enough 90 minutes with no major gaffes. Rating: 6
F – Thierry Henry: Repeated chances and near misses typified a night that seemed destined to end in frustration for the striker. His 88th minute goal was well taken and much needed. Hard fought play on assist for game’s second goal was impressive in tenacity and vision on the pass. Rating: 7.5
F – Luke Rodgers: Though 5-7, his play was anything but small. His first goal was good positioning, his second one showed smarts and the club’s third goal was an assist by Rodgers who showed nice touch on the play. A bit sloppy on the ball at times and a tad bit trigger shy, but it was a great night for the Englishman. Rating: 8
Substitutes:
All three substitutes came in with mere minutes left in the win and do not justify a rating.
Kristian R. Dyer can be followed at twitter.com/KristianRDyer
