Just as the “House of Horrors” narrative began to creep its ways back into the minds of many, Bradley Wright-Phillips did what he does best.
Despite their standing in the league table, the Chicago Fire have proven to be a formidable side at Toyota Park and nearly notched another win on Sunday night. To the surprise of no one, David Accam gave the Red Bulls fits for large portions of the match. But on this night, it would be the visitors who would have the last laugh.
Here are my three takeaways from a road point in Bridgeview.
Role Reversal
Look back to New York’s form after the Copa America break and you’ll find a somewhat inconsistent side. Nowhere is this more apparent than on the road, where the Red Bulls struggled to close out close games.
Late collapses in Salt Lake, Columbus, and Philadelphia (twice) saw the frustration mount and the points fade away as the Red Bulls often endured momentary lapses in concentration and intensity leading to unfavorable results. But on Sunday night, they managed to flip the script.
Despite taking an early lead, the Red Bulls found themselves a goal down heading into the break. It began to look like another opportunity wasted, as the road woes would seemingly continue. But the second half saw a resurgent side push for the equalizer, eventually finding it in the 90th minute.
"At halftime, it would have been easy to be frustrated and angry but I just tried to arrange their minds to know that the game was there and that they really had to make a push,” head coach Jesse Marsch said. “And if they made a push the right way, that they would be able to get themselves back into it. That was my main emphasis at halftime. I think that the push that they made in the second half was really good. I think they went after the game in a good way, we pressed a little bit more, and we were able to be dangerous with possession.”
Whereas the Red Bulls had earned a stigma for shrinking in the face of adversity in recent times, their ability to fight back a gut out a result should prove to be an invaluable experience to draw upon come playoff time.
“The message at halftime was to go after it,” midfielder Sean Davis said. “If we lose the game we lose the game but let's go for it, let's leave it all on the field, let's empty the tanks, let's give it everything we got. At the end of the day, I think that is what the group did and we were pushing that whole half and finally found that goal. I thought, again, we deserved it so we maintained that momentum going forward now."
The key now will be finding away to build upon the fight and desire that saw them over the finish line, as the schedule won’t be getting any easier.
“Overall you have to look at it as a positive, a big positive,” Marsch added. “Now it's a result we get on the road and momentum going forward. Somehow though we have to find ways to cut out performances like the first half and build on performances on the second half."
BWP Stands Alone
As has so often been the case throughout his tenure in New York, Bradley Wright-Phillips saved his side by coming up in the clutch. It’s just one of the reasons he has ascended to such heights in his MLS career and is amongst the most feared strikers in the league.
His finish in the waning moments was something Red Bulls fans had seen countless times before, but there was something different about this strike in particular. With the goal, Wright-Phillips moved past the legendary Juan Pablo Angel to occupy the top spot as New York's all-time leading scorer in franchise history, notching his 63rd goal in all competitions.
"It was one of the rare times that we had space on the flank so when Connor [Lade] got it my eyes kind of lit up and I knew he could deliver a good ball,” Wright-Phillips said of his latest strike. “I just kind of wanted to get to the front post. I think Felipe got a little touch on it, which might have helped my cause, but I just tried to get a nice firm touch behind it.
"Of course, I won't lie, I try not to think about it but when you say these kind of things it makes me proud. I put a lot of work into what I do and an achievement like that, it makes me feel happy and proud."
One of the most humble and elite goal scorers in league history, BWP continues to etch his name amongst the greats not only in team history, but MLS history as well. Already co-owning the record for most goals scored in a season (27), the Englishman has continued to score at an alarming rate, passing JPA despite having played 776 fewer minutes.
A striker known to score in bunches, Wright-Phillips has been known to step up when the moment requires. With his 90th minute equalizer, the Red Bulls have now scored six goals on the season in the final 15 minutes of a match.
"I've been challenging him to make more plays late in the game,” Marsch said. “I thought that they did a pretty good job of being hard on him. Every team we play knows that Bradley is important. They focus in on him, they focus in on him and Sacha [Kljestan] and Brad still manages to find ways to get goals.”
Walking Wounded
Since arriving to the club in 2011 and 2012, Dax McCarty and Luis Robles have been virtual locks within the first team lineup. But on Sunday night, both veterans went suffered injuries that put their future in doubt.
Just before halftime, McCarty suffered a crunching tackle leading to what is being called a leg contusion at the moment.
“We're hopeful that Dax is going to be okay,” Marsch said. “I thought it was bad tackle. One in my mind was worthy of a red card. This has been an emphasis in the league is cutting out these kinds of tackles. And Dax is big player, an important player. So you hope that a tackle like that doesn't lead to a really bad injury. We're hopeful that he is going to be okay.”
Prior to that challenge, goalkeeper Luis Robles went down in some pain after taking a goal kick in the first half. However, he managed to stay in the game after receiving some treatment on the pitch.
"He said he tweaked it a little bit on a goal kick and when he hit it with his left foot on the one he said it felt weird,” Marsch continued. “Again, he is another guy we hope that will be okay. We have a midweek game, Champions League, so we will have to evaluate where he is at, where Dax is at, and then figure out what the next steps are. We are hopeful that is a minor one."
On the depth chart, Kyle Reynish would be the likely replacement if Robles were unable to go for a quick turnaround on Wednesday night. And while missing your captain is far from ideal, Sean Davis was able to fill the gap nicely on Sunday night and provides New York with a solid presence in the heart of the midfield.
“I think he came in and did a very good job and had a very good game, but it takes time to get into the game,” Kljestan admitted.
However, with time to prepare as the starter, confidence remains high in the young midfielder.
“It doesn't change too much. Sean Davis is a guy that we know we can count on whenever he steps in the games, steps on the field,” Marsch added. “It's not a big drop off. As good as guys like Dax and Felipe are, Sean can come into our team and still give the same kind of effort and awareness and confidence and ability. So overall I thought that as much as we missed Dax, it's still good to have Sean on the field."
