No one said it would be easy.
As the Red Bulls continue their grueling road trip, a matchup with Columbus Crew SC gave New York a chance to quickly bounce back from their defeat at Real Salt Lake.
All things told, a road point on short rest should feel like a positive result, but another late goal changed the feeling of it all.
With one point from their last two, the boys head back home for another short stay before trekking down I-95 to take on the Philadelphia Union in US Open Cup play on Wednesday night.
But before we get there, here are my three takeaways from the 1-1 result at MAPRE Stadium on Saturday night.
Baah Turns Beast
There may not be much in the way of stats to prove it, but centerback Gideon Baah was tremendous for New York on Saturday night.
After scoring against RSL just days earlier, the Ghanaian turned in a herculean effort starting for the second time in as many matches. Baah made several game-saving tackles throughout the match, intervening at crucial junctures to keep the Crew at bay.
Paired with Ronald Zubar after Aurelien Collin’s suspension was upheld, the two were rock solid on the evening, doing well to limit the Crew’s dangerous attacking options.
“The system that they play is tough to defend,” defender Connor Lade said. “They’ve got speedy guys on the wings and good fullbacks. They’re tough to deal with but I think we did well overall. There were stretches that we could have been better, but at the end of the day we did well for the most part of the game.”
It wasn’t until the dying moments of the match that the legs gave way, opening the door for Columbus. Deep into stoppage time, Baah went down in agony, but head coach Jesse Marsch did not have any more subs at his disposal. So Baah trudged on valiantly, carrying a heavy limp in an effort to stave off the Crew for the last few moments of the match.
Unfortunately for New York, a late equalizer denied the defense another clean sheet and two points on the night.
“I think it is a big disappointment for us,” midfielder Felipe said. “Especially those two games as we were up 1-0 and then we [gave up] late goals. I think we've got to be better. We've got to stick together until the end of the game and don't concede those goals.”
Five Man Questions
For the third straight match, Marsch decided to shut up shop by employing a five-man backline in the second half to help ensure the result for his side. But for the second game in a row, things didn’t exactly go according to plan.
After doing so successfully against Seattle at home, the defense failed to hold up against RSL, then gave way at the last moments in Columbus. Sacrificing a midfielder for a defender, possession was conceded to the Crew, but the Red Bulls defense seemed to be bending without breaking.
After Baah’s injury, Columbus managed to capitalize on a defensive breakdown on the wings, forcing Marsch to reassess going forward.
“They got going a little bit and I felt like in the first half we didn't stick to our game plan enough, which then allowed the game to slip a little more than we would have liked,” he said after the match. “Second half, I thought, the game plan was in place but once we scored the goal they start pushing, getting us wide, which is why we went to five in the back. It's the second game in the row where we put five in the back and get beat on crosses. We've got to go through tactics again.”
According to Felipe, the breakdown could have been avoided with a bit more mental sharpness in the waning moments.
“I think the mentality is there, the work is there,” he said. “Just a couple of plays we've got to be more alert. It's little mistakes that cost us points. I think we've got to work during the week. Now we have two big games coming up and do better in what we didn't tonight.”
No Rest for the Weary
Some tired legs and minds may have plagued the Red Bulls on Saturday night, but the boys will have to bounce back quickly if they want to advance in Open Cup play.
Flying home on Sunday, the team will get back on the road on Tuesday night ahead of their matchup with the Union in the round of 16.
“The rest of our season is like this,” Marsch explained. “We have a lot of games, we have CONCACAF coming, guys have got to be able to deal when they don't have enough training, when they have heavy legs, when things are tough; they've got to still play well.”
After rotating the squad over the last few matches, Marsch will once again have to put out a strong starting XI to take on the current leaders in the Eastern Conference, the same side that bounced New York from the competition a year ago.
“We have to bounce back,” Lade added. “We have to get our legs back and our minds right and focus on Philly. We know it’ll be another test on the road and it’s a competition that we want to win. It’s going to be tough, but we have faith in ourselves to go on the road and get the result.”
