It wasn’t pretty, in fact, it was often ugly, but Saturday’s 2-0 win by the New York Red Bulls over D.C. United gave RBNY their fifth win of the season—tying their total W’s from all of last season. It was also New York’s third shutout of the season, a testament to the much-improved back line.
GK Bouna Coundoul: A performance reminiscent of the match against FC Dallas in which Coundoul stood on his head. Good positioning and numerous saves plus solid direction to the back four, especially as he was under siege in the first half. Rating: 8
D Jeremy Hall: Unafraid to mix it up physically against United, the right back followed up last weekend’s great performance with another solid effort. Pushed forward well and his individual defending was fantastic. RBNY fans can at least thank Juan Carlos Osorio for this stud. Rating: 7.5
D Mike Petke: "Gutsy" best describes the effort of the backline’s leader. Solid play, won head balls and was rarely on his heels. Overall, a good effort in the shutout and his leadership and savvy showed itself. Did I see streaks of his blonde hair, circa 2000? Rating: 7
D Tim Ream: Positionally, his game was without flaw. Distribution was good but safe. Looked cool and calm under pressure in a hostile environment. Rating: 7.5
D Roy Miller: A good game despite repeated attacks down his left side. Some dicey moments and perhaps got away with a foul inside the box on Santino Quaranta. Rating: 6
M Dane Richards: A horrid first half gave way to brilliance in the second half. Used his speed well in the final 45 minutes and played smart balls. Gritty work on setting up the first goal. Bravo for bouncing back. Rating: 6
M Carl Robinson: Didn’t win many balls, didn’t do much to hold possession. Looked slow and out of position numerous times in the first half. Rating: 5
M Joel Lindpere: Along with the rest of the team, looked sluggish in the first half. His second half was a good effort and he did well on the freekick assist for the second goal. Rating: 6.5
M Seth Stammler: Clearly a central player, Stammler pinched in to play left midfield with a lack of options on the wing. Did some good defensive work but offensively was tentative in moving forward. Rating: 5.5
F Juan Pablo Angel: Like every other attacking player, struggled in the first half. Dangerous time after time in the second half. A glancing header from 15 yards out for the game’s second goal? Sublime enough to be a '90s band. Rating: 7
F Ibrahim Salou: Active in the first half, but all for naught. His goal came from hard work and effort. Rating: 6
Substitutions:
M Tony Tchani: Showed poise and tracked back well. The counter-attacking style of New York let him spread the ball and make smart passes. Rating: 6
M Danleigh Borman: Subbed in for Richards and did some good dirty work down the flank. He has a place on this team. Rating: 6
F Connor Chinn: Rating: N/A
Kristian Dyer is a reporter for MLSSoccer.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
