A road point in hostile territory is usually cause for commendation, yet an empty feeling remained following New York’s 2-2 draw with the LA Galaxy.
After a convincing midweek win in CONCACAF Champions League play, the Red Bulls journeyed out west to take one of the league’s elite on short rest. In a roller coaster of a match, the Red Bulls walk away with another point in tow, pushing their league unbeaten streak to six. However, there’s a whole lot more to it than that.
Here are my three takeaways from a wild one in Carson.
Déjà vu All Over Again
Back in March as the MLS season was in its infancy, the Red Bulls faced off with the Houston Dynamo looking to bounce back after dropping a duo of Canadian fixtures to Toronto FC and the Montreal Impact to start the season.
Looking to right the ship, New York encountered some misfortune at a level that few had ever witnessed. Not one, not two, but three Red Bulls starters were forced off through injury, as Gonazlo Veron, Gideon Baah, and Ronald Zubar all limped off the pitch that night. To see three substitutions made through injury was almost unprecedented, as players and coaches alike failed to recall a time in their careers in which a similar phenomenon had befallen their team.
Surely such horrible luck would be an isolated incident. Yet somehow, lightning struck twice for New York.
On Sunday night, head coach Jesse Marsch was once again forced to empty his bench—this time inside 46 minutes—as Connor Lade, Damien Perrinelle, and Bradley Wright-Phillips were forced out of the match.
Back in March, the Red Bulls managed to overcome their injuries in thrilling fashion and walk away with the victory. But on Sunday night, they weren’t so lucky.
“We have two guys on crutches. We had to make our third sub at the 46th minute and we're just fighting like crazy to hang on,” Marsch said. “And even that being said, there's calls at the end that could help us really gain an advantage still. But again, I have nothing but pride for my players and the way they poured their hearts and guts into the game. And that's what makes it difficult to swallow and hard to understand."
Two late goals from LA saw New York’s lead go up in smoke, and some questionable calls failed to reward the visitors’ industrious ways. Still, a valiant effort in a hostile environment should serve them well down the stretch.
“It was an interesting game from that standpoint, having to use all our subs so early, but I thought the guys that came on did really well,” Sean Davis said. “We put in a good shift, but it’s disappointing not to come away with three points.
“We have to learn from this game. We’ll take the good and bad and move on and carry some momentum into next Saturday.”
Homegrown Hero
The Red Bulls weren’t expecting to deal with three more injuries on the night, but they had been planning on a lengthy absence for captain Dax McCarty.
In his stead, midfielder Sean Davis stepped in looking to put his imprint on the game. Finding minutes somewhat hard to come by, the Homegrown star did just that at the StubHub Center, orchestrating the New York attack on the night and finishing off a spectacular effort for his first career MLS goal.
“Obviously not having Dax is a big loss because he’s such a big presence in the middle of the field. But we know with Sean Davis, he’s a quality player,” Marsch added. “We don’t look at it as a step down, we look at it as being on par with the kind of player that Dax and Felipe are. He seized his opportunity and stepped up. I thought he had a very good game, was very clean in the middle of the field. Him and Felipe were fantastic.”
Matching up against some of the best players in MLS, not only did Davis hold his own, he proved to be one of the biggest difference makers on the night.
“I’ve very proud of Sean,” midfielder Sacha Kljestan said. “I talked him up pretty big for the past couple of weeks since Dax went down, so he backed me up tonight and put in a really nice goal. He does that in training all the time so we’re not surprised. But to put in a shift like that against [Nigel] De Jong and [Steven] Gerrard and really stand out, a big compliment to him.”
Gonzalo Gets His Goal
Gonzalo Veron has had his fair share of struggles in a Red Bulls uniform, but perhaps the Argentine Deisgnated Player is beginning to turn a corner.
After being named to the Best XI for the CONCACAF Champions League Team of Round 1 for his performance against Antigua GFC, Veron followed up with a sensational appearance off the bench for New York on Sunday night.
Following the 3-0 win midweek, Veron told Marsch that he “needed a goal” to get going. He got just that against the Galaxy.
"You work during the week to be ready if you are called upon,” Veron said after the match. “I came in had to do what was needed and I think it came out well. What is important is that the whole team does great and I think we did against a great rival like the Galaxy."
Entering the match for the injured Wright-Phillips, Veron jumpstarted the New York attack in the second half operating as a lone forward, a contrast from his usual role out wide. Playing in his preferred position yielded dividends as he broke the 0-0 deadlock in the 68th minute.
A perfectly weighted ball from Kljestan, the MLS leader in assists, saw Veron in on goal with just keeper Brian Rowe to beat. A pillow chip staked New York to a 1-0 lead and sent the Red Bulls’ bench into frenzy.
"Gonzalo took the run amazingly well,” Kljestan explained. “He is very good at that so I was able to look up and find him. The finish was a 10 out of 10 because it’s not easy coming on his left foot and the goalie coming out.”
With two strong performances in back-to-back games, the now shorthanded Red Bulls are hoping that a reignited Veron can help to lift the team as a whole.
“You could tell that it was a monkey off his back,” Kljestan continued. “He set me up with a very nice goal midweek and his confidence seems to be growing. He seems to be becoming a bigger part of our team, which is awesome for us; it’s only going to push further as a team. He’s done very well these past couple of weeks, even in training, so we’re really proud of him and excited for his future with us.”
