Photo by William Hauser/USA Today Sports
While the New York Red Bulls found their first three points of the new MLS season against the Houston Dynamo, the victory did come with several caveats.
Felipe’s six magical minutes down the stretch saw the Red Bulls battle back from 3-2 down to 4-3 up. However, it was the team’s defense that, for the third straight match, displayed more vulnerability than head coach Jesse Marsch and the Red Bulls supporters are accustomed to seeing.
In 2015, Marsch’s side conceded the fewest goals in the Eastern Conference, 43, while boasting a league-leading 62 finishes from his attack. Despite only having played three matches thus far, the Red Bulls have given up eight goals, the most of any team in MLS.
While Sal Zizzo and Kemar Lawrence, both of whom joined the club last season, have proven to be not only solid additions but also steady contributors at the two outside back positions, the Red Bulls’ biggest liability has been centerback. RBNY’s first-choice duo, Ronald Zubar and Gideon Baah, both exited Saturday’s match against the Dynamo with hamstring injuries, along with attacker Gonzalo Veron.
Prior to the pair of defensive setbacks against the Dynamo, the centerback pairing of Zubar and Baah was quite underwhelming.
The Dynamo caught both centerbacks out of position on Will Bruin’s first goal, despite Lawrence’s best efforts to clean up the play. Bruin then doubled his lead thanks to a glaring blunder by Zubar, who swung and missed on a pretty routine clearance in the penalty area.
RBNY’s lack of defensive discipline has been a common theme in the three matches the team has played in March. Of the eight goals that Marsch’s men have conceded, six have come after halftime, although the team did seem to buckle down a bit in the second half against the Dynamo.
The Red Bulls feature arguably two of the league’s best holding midfielders sitting in front of the backline, with Felipe and Dax McCarty. Their presence will be further valued this season as the team looks to work the kinks out defensively. It will also help if Felipe continues to score goals like he did on Saturday.
If there were ever a time for the side’s injuries to come, though, it would be now while the Red Bulls and many other MLS sides take time off for the international break. That being said, the extent of Zubar and Baah’s injuries are not yet known and the team lacks experience in the event that either or both players can’t play in the near future.
With Damien Perrinelle still rehabbing a season-ending injury from November, the Red Bulls are left with Canada international Karl Ouimette and 2016 draft selections Justin Bilyeu and Zach Carroll. Lawrence, who is primarily played as an outside back, was forced into the role of centerback once the injury bug struck on Saturday night. Additionally, Connor Lade, another player who typically sees time at outside back, has experience in a central defender role dating back to his days playing college soccer.
No matter who is plugged in to fill the gaps, the Red Bulls will need their defensive unit to step up if they hope to regain the form that led them to the Supporters’ Shield last season.
