When Sacha Kljestan became the big off-season signing for the Red Bulls, all anyone wanted to talk about was the offensive side of his game. They lauded his scoring talents, his vision with the ball and his ability to play fast in tight spaces.
No one mentioned his defense.
Sunday night, Kljestan’s defensive effort in shutting down Andrea Pirlo proved to be the key to the game as the Red Bulls swept the three-game season series from rival New York City FC with a 2-0 victory before 25,219, the third-largest crowd to see a Red Bulls game at Red Bull Arena.
Oh, and just for the record, Kljestan added an assist as well.
“I was told to make sure when he got the ball he didn't have time to pick his head up and get the ball where he wanted it,” Kljestan said about the legendary Pirlo, NYCFC’s playmaker. “(Red Bulls coach) Jesse (Marsch) said when he got the ball to attack his right foot and I think we did a very good job with that.
“(Pirlo) has the same emotions on his face at all times, but I could tell he was frustrated. We were a little physical with him and he doesn't like that. He's an amazing player and he has a lot of class and a lot of talent, but I think we made things hard on him tonight.”
To be fair, this might have been the Red Bulls most complete defensive performance of the season. Not only did the team help register a shutout for goalkeeper Luis Robles, who tied Tony Meola’s franchise record with 25 clean sheets, but the back line of Connor Lade, Matt Miazga, Damien Perrinelle and Kemar Lawrence, as well as Dax McCarty, Felipe and Kljestan, helped silence the deadly trio of Pirlo, Frank Lampard and David Villa.
“(It was a) little nervy in the beginning, for sure,” Marsch said. “Yeah, we've worked a lot on the tactics and some of the individual defending and guys were able to stand up guys like Villa (who) didn't have an easy day. He caught a lot of balls in and around the 18 where he's been dangerous all year, but he didn't have a lot of free looks. That's a credit to each one of our guys.
“That was a big emphasis on how we wanted to play. We wanted to make sure neither (Pirlo or Lampard) had an easy day. Credit to, again, Sacha, Dax and Felipe in middle of the field, with heavy legs. I think they took it as a personal challenge to play against great players like that.”
NYCFC (6-11-6) did, however, play its best game of the three meetings this year and was unlucky not to score early when it pushed the action the first 15 minutes.
Villa sent a through ball to Lampard in the right side of the box in the third minute, but Lampard’s shot rolled just wide of the far post. Five minutes later, Thomas McNamara sent a pass on the left to Angelino, who moved into the attack from left back. Angelino sent a long cross to the far post to a wide-open Mix Diskerud, but his volley was knocked away by Robles on a great reaction save from point-blank range.
“We knew they were going to come with a lot of energy and it was important for us to match that energy,” Robles said. “Maybe we didn't in the first few minutes, but that's part of my job description to come up with saves once in a while. So after that the defense was phenomenal.”
Added Kljestan: “Luis made a big save on Mix's chance. Soccer is about moments and games and big moments. Luis save was a big moment and I think we scored 15 minutes after that. So those things happen in soccer. Sometime games go your way and tonight the game went our way.”
The Red Bulls (10-6-6) broke through in the 21st minute. Kljestan played a ball wide on the left to Lawrence, who looked up and saw Bradley Wright-Phillips cutting into the box. Lawrence sent a low cross in front that skipped under the foot of NYCFC defender Jefferson Mena and allowed Wright-Phillips a clean shot into an empty net for his 10th goal of the season and fourth in three games against NYCFC.
The Red Bulls could have doubled the lead two minutes before the break. Lade stole a pass and dribbled half the length of the field before picking out Kljestan cutting into the box, but Kljestan’s shot sailed high and wide.
The fast pace of the game continued in the second half as the Red Bulls dug in on defense. Whenever Lampard or Villa found an opening, someone stepped up to close the space. And when either NYCFC player made a move to gain space, another Red Bulls player slid over for cover.
“With players like that, you just can't give them time on the ball,” Lade said. “We watched games of them in the past where they've been given a lot of time and people are shying off of them, and that's when they hurt you the most, so we wanted to make it hard for them to get in sync. I thought we did a pretty good job of that.”
The Red Bulls finally sealed the game in the 85th minute. Mike Grella pushed the ball through Lampard’s legs and cut toward the center of the field. Feeling pressure from Lampard from behind, Grella pushed the ball wide to Felipe, who dribbled into the box on the left. Cut off by NYCFC defender Andoni Iraola, Felipe took a step back, then cut to his right and drove a low shot just inside the near post.
“I think that he has gained clarity in terms of his role and in terms of the expectations for him,” Marsch said of Felipe, who played one of his best games of the season. “He cares so much and he wants to give so much to the team that sometimes he starts to operate outside of his boundaries. It's just trying to remind him that he's a very good player, especially when he plays to his strengths and he plays to his role. When he does that I think he's absolutely fantastic. I think he showed that tonight.”
Midfielder Gonzalo Veron, the Red Bulls new designated player signing, made his debut in the 86th minute and nearly set up a goal. Taking a pass from Lade on the right, Veron cut to the byline and sent a low cross in front that NYCFC goalkeeper Josh Saunders did well to dive and push out of danger with Wright-Phillips on the door step.
“You're trying to evaluate who to use and how to keep different guys on the field,” Marsch explained about Veron’s late entry. “For Gonzalo, it was not an easy moment to just throw him in the game after he's only been here for a few days. I was trying to balance out where to use him, how to use him, if to use him. It's funny because we were ready to sub him on right before the second goal and that goal helped alleviate some of the pressure of going on in that moment, which I thought was good.”
The victory enabled the Red Bulls to jump back into second place in the Eastern Conference, eight points behind D.C. United with three games in hand, but all anybody wanted to talk about was the team’s performance, the sweep of the season series and the rivalry that keeps getting better with each matchup.
“We have a fearless team,” Marsch said. “That was a personal challenge, I think, for those guys. I think our guys wanted to prove a point and go in there and play against world-class players (and) show they're up for the task. The way we play and how we play and who we are is still going to make us successful.
"I think there is pride involved in the city. I'll be straight. I think them being in the league has been great for the city of New York and great for the league. I've never seen this city so alive with soccer. For actual local teams for people to be passionate about, for them to take sides, for them to attach themselves to the identity of whichever team they want to attach themselves to, it's been awesome, man."
