Saturday night’s loss to the Seattle Sounders was the first hiccup at Red Bull Arena for the New York Red Bulls, who dropped their first ever points at their new home. A game that seemed destined to end in a draw instead ended poorly for the Red Bulls when Fredy Montero struck in the 85th minute to give the visitors all three points.
The player ratings for the Seattle game:
GK Bouna Coundoul – An uneasy performance by Coundoul who came off his line poorly in the first minute of the match and again in the 54th minute, only to be saved by a goal line clearance. Distribution was poor. Rating: 5
D Jeremy Hall – Got burned a couple times as the five-man Seattle midfield seemed to overwhelm the New York backline through stretches of the match. Did move well into the offense, however. Rating: 5
D Mike Petke – Tough to fault him on the Montero goal. Got “stuck in” several times and cleaned up plenty of junk from the New York midfield. Rating: 6
D Tim Ream – The rookie defender looked fine but didn't show the form we’ve grown accustomed to seeing. His distribution, his strong suit, was rather ordinary. Rating: 5.5
D Danleigh Borman – Man of the match for New York, and not just for his goal line clearance. Defended well and pushed into the attacking third quite well. Rating: 7.5
M Dane Richards – Quiet night for the Jamaican winger who got little service down the right side. Rating: 5
M Carl Robinson – The defensive midfielder did well enough in breaking up some plays but his passing, which is why he is on the field, was average at best. Rating: 5.5
M Seth Stammler – A good end-to-end effort despite playing out of position on the left flank. Defended well and moved into the attack comfortably. Rating: 6.5
F Ibrahim Salou – Looked slow and plodding, and not at all dangerous. Seems to have a penchant for silly fouls. Rating: 4
F Juan Pablo Angel – The service wasn’t great for Angel who never really looked dangerous, but he came back to the midfield several times to win balls. Frustrating game for the striker. Rating: 5.5
Substitutions
M Sinisa Ubiparipovic – Made his second appearance on the wing as a sub and slowed down possession, a good thing for a team that struggled holding the ball on Saturday night. Rating: 5.5
M Brian Nielsen – After a strong cup performance earlier in the week, Nielsen looked all out of sorts and selfish on Saturday. Another mediocre display. Rating: 5
M Tony Tchani – Late substitution warrants no rating.
Kristian Dyer is a reporter for MLSSoccer.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
