On Friday, two days after a stunning loss to the last-place Chicago Fire, Red Bulls goalkeeper Luis Robles said the team had to keep working hard because it had yet to play the perfect game.
He may have to adjust that statement.
The Red Bulls took advantage of a surprisingly lax D.C. United defense to record 24 shots, including a 15-2 advantage in the first half, and buoyed by two goals and an assist from Bradley Wright-Phillips, overwhelmed their long-time rivals, 3-0, Sunday night before 22,645 at Red Bull Arena.
The victory vaulted the Red Bulls (12-7-6, 42 points) into second place in the Eastern Conference, two points behind D.C. United (13-10-5, 44 points) with three games in hand, and clinched the Atlantic Cup, awarded to the winner of the season series between the two teams. With two wins and a tie, the Red Bulls took seven of a possible nine points from D.C. United this season.
When asked if the club finally played the perfect game, coach Jesse Marsch hesitated for a moment.
“The last 10-15 minutes weren't great, but overall it was a very good performance,” he said with a sly smile. “We set the tone right from the start. I thought we played at a very fast pace and our goal is to always try and make the game fast and overwhelm teams.
“It's a credit to our men. It's a credit to the players we've had. It's a credit to Marc de Grandpre, Ali Curtis and my staff. Everybody shares in this. It's been a total group effort from top to bottom.”
D.C. United didn’t stick to its previous game plan against the Red Bulls. Yes, the game was physical, but there were no long balls over the top, which prevented them from winning second balls. And there were few opportunities off set pieces. Basically, they had no offense.
I didn’t think they would play that deep. They pretty much let our front four do whatever they wanted,” Robles said. “From that standpoint it continued to allow us to grow in confidence. The swagger was high today. I’m not going to lie, the swagger was high.”
And it showed from the start. The Red Bulls played with energy and pace the entire game, and their 2-0 lead at the half could easily have been more than twice that. D.C. United goalkeeper Bill Hamid played an outstanding game, finishing with five saves, but was let down by his defense. All three goals came on open shots in the box.
“We knew against D.C. that in the past, at least for us, we started slow, so if we could get to them right away then we felt that we could capitalize on that weakness,” Robles said. “Tonight the idea was to overwhelm them, and we did a pretty good job of that.”
Hamid kicked out a shot by midfielder Mike Grella in the sixth minute, stuffed Sacha Kljestan from in close in the 12th minute, and raced off his line to again deny Grella three minutes later. In the 30th minute, Lloyd Sam curved a cross from the right that Kljestan headed on net near the left post. Hamid made the save, but the ball rolled to Wright-Phillips, who drove a shot that was blocked by the defense.
But with such pressure, you knew the breakthrough had to come, and it did just three minutes later.
A pass by Wright-Phillips led Sam in the right side of the box and the midfielder drove a shot into the far-side netting in the 33rd minute for his seventh goal of the season and fifth of his career against D.C. United.
“I was actually aware of that before the game,” Sam said. “My brother said that to me before our last game against them, and I scored in that one, too. I was just thinking that if I was going to get a chance that I was going to be selfish and take it.”
Though the Red Bulls scored first in Wednesday night’s 3-2 loss to the Fire, they weren’t about to give up the lead again. And when the second goal came, just three minutes before halftime, it effectively sealed the match considering how little attacking ability D.C. United showed.
It also could be a strong candidate for MLS Goal of the Year.
Felipe played a long ball to Grella in the right side of the box and he quickly turned and hit a waist-high cross. Wright-Phillips made a move to get inside position on D.C. United defender Steve Birnbaum and volleyed a laser into the upper right corner for his 12th goal of the season.
“It was a great ball,” Wright-Phillips said. “I didn't have to do much. I really just had to make decent connection. I saw Mike coming in, he didn't look and I was just hoping he played it into that area because that was the nearest place I could get to. It was a great ball. I just had to make decent connection.
“I feel like we are a very difficult team to play at Red Bull Arena, and playing D.C. obviously makes it an even bigger occasion. I think we showed up today.”
The Red Bulls controlled the game the second half and added a third goal in the 64th minute. Kljestan intercepted a defensive clear on the right and pushed a through ball to Wright-Phillips. D.C. United defenders appeared to be waiting for an offside call, but the flag stayed down and Wright-Phillips drove a shot into the far corner.
With 13 goals, Wright-Phillips may not come close to last season’s franchise-record 27, but his seven assists are something he takes pride in.
“It was something I wanted to add to from last season to my game,” said Wright-Phillips, who came off in the 74th minute due to an injured toe from a tackle by Birnbaum in the eighth minute. “I didn't have nearly as many assists (two) as I should have. I wasn't touching the ball as much as I should be. This season I'm just trying to make it work and get my goals and my assists.”
With a third shutout in the past four games, the defense is also coming together. Sunday night, Damien Perrinelle and Kemar Lawrence returned to the lineup and helped Robles earn his eighth shutout of the season and 27th of his career.
“Certainly, whenever there's a shutout, there's a lot of credit to the goalie and a lot of credit to the back line,” Marsch said. “The way we play we ask 11 players to make things fast, to press, to defend together. When we (play that way) well, it makes it hard for teams to move up the field and find space.”
Added Kljestan: “I think we put our foot on the gas pedal and went out to get them from the first minute. I think we created a ton of chances, probably had the most dominating performance we've had this season, so it felt really good. But I think the key was just good mentality, sticking to our game plan and really put them under pressure.”
