HANOVER, N.J. – As the Red Bulls struggled out of the gates in 2016, a tried-and-true formula seemed to dictate many of their poor results to start the season; the smash and grab.
It was a blueprint that Toronto FC managed to employ to near perfection in their season opener at Red Bull Arena, as the Canadian outfit weathered a New York storm for close to 80 minutes before bagging two late goals to kill off the match and earn all three points. Now as the rematch looms large, the Red Bulls have made a point to learn from their mistakes in preparation for their second crack at the Reds.
“We have to be ready if that’s the way they want to play,” defender Connor Lade told NewYorkRedBulls.com. “We’ll have to be patient. We know that they’re good at sitting in and they’re very organized. They have guys that can hurt you on the break, so we just have to be set up behind the ball and be very good in rest defense.”
Back on March 6, a revamped TFC side expertly navigated the match as their newly improved defense managed to keep the Red Bulls at bay despite their best efforts. In their second matchup of the season, head coach Jesse Marsch will be particularly cautious of this approach as he readies his side for another tough battle.
“Obviously if you can get an early goal, it puts Toronto in a position where they have to go and find the game,” he told reporters after training. “That being said, it may not come right away, so we have to make sure that we don’t give anything away and that we lock things down at the back.”
Even more so than their first matchup, Toronto may be more inclined to take up a defensive posture than usual, as injuries and international call-ups have ensured that stars Jozy Altidore and Michael Bradley will not have a role to play on Saturday night.
“It accentuates the fact that they’ll keep themselves compact even more,” Marsch added. “I would assume that Will Johnson will drop deep to fill Michael’s spot. They’ve been playing [Jay] Chapman, they can bring in [Marky] Delgado, they can play five at the back like they did last game, so we’ll have to prepare for a few things, but we’ll be ready.”
While a “bunker and counter” approach proved to be highly successful against New York earlier in the season, the Red Bulls have shown an improved ability to deal with that tactic in recent weeks.
In their 1-0 against the Chicago Fire on May 18, Veljko Paunovic devised a game plan to absorb pressure for the majority of the match while looking for a goal on the counter through their electrifying attacking players. And while they did well to keep the home side at bay for the majority of the match, the Red Bulls displayed poise and patience, scoring on their lone shot on goal of the evening to secure a much needed win.
“I thought in the Chicago game we did that well,” Lade continued. “They play a similar style where they try to play compact behind the ball and then break. It’s a different team, but we know that we have to be patient because it can be tough to break them down.”
Goalkeeper Luis Robles echoed a similar sentiment when comparing the two matchups, hoping to learn from their mistakes from the season opener.
“We look at the Chicago game and our ability to not get frustrated as opposed to the first time we played against Toronto,” he said. “We’ll be looking to emulate more of that where we’re constantly aware of where their offensive players are, but we understand that it is going to be difficult to break them down, so we have to find ways to force turnovers or take advantage of our limited opportunities. If we’re able to do that, I’m confident we can get a result.”
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