JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – In their last friendly of the preseason, the New York Red Bulls put together their most impressive performance to date in a 5-1 victory over NASL side Jacksonville Armada.
The match served as the final tune-up for the defending Supporters’ Shield champions, as the next match on their schedule is the March 6 season-opener at Red Bull Arena.
Ahead of the match, both players and coaches alike stated a desire to earn a winning result, but more importantly stretch their minutes while having a solid day on both sides of the ball. Suffice to say; the Red Bulls checked all the boxes in Saturday night’s thrashing.
“We made a little tactical shift in the middle of the first half, which I think really helped the game,” head coach Jesse Marsch said after the win. “That’s one of the reasons why we’ve tried to create a little bit more flexibility with how we play.
“There were a lot of good performances and I think there’s clarity on the field as to how we want to play.”
Head coach Jesse Marsch rolled out a strong starting XI that featured newcomer Gideon Baah and Designated Player Gonzalo Veron, both of whom excelled on the night. And after a slow first 15 minutes, the Red Bulls put the Armada under pressure, breaking through twice in the first half alone.
An encouraging sign for Marsch and his staff, the Red Bulls were able to score from the run of play via combination from their forwards, broken plays, as well as set pieces.
“It’s a good feeling to finish the preseason like this,” midfielder Sacha Kljestan told NewYorkRedBulls.com. “I think we had a really complete performance. We’ll be a little bit disappointed to give up that goal, because one of our goals for tonight was to keep a shutout. But other than that, to score five goals—we scored a lot of goals this preseason—so we continue on our form from last season. Overall, a very positive finish to preseason.”
With over a month of training in the books, New York is looking a side that is coming together quite nicely, which shouldn’t come as much surprise. The team had continually shown improvement throughout their stay in Orlando, and a club that stayed almost entirely in tact from the previous season had the luxury to build on the success of 2015 unimpeded.
It all came together in Jacksonville as the Red Bulls now turn their attention to Toronto FC and the 2016 MLS season, looking primed to hit the ground running.
“I feel like we’re ready to go,” Marsch added. “Right now, there are a lot of guys that look sharp and look ready to have a good season. We’ve just got to stay hungry and push hard.”
