It lasted the majority of the 2014 season and nobody could figure it out. Former coach Mike Petke tried everything: harder practices, easier practices, stronger pre-game speeches. Nothing seemed to work. The team, more often than not, suffered from slow starts.
We bring that up only because through the first three games this season the Red Bulls (2-0-1) are not only off to their best start since 2007, but have been on the gas pedal from the opening whistle.
“I watched almost, if not every game last year. Our focus has been more about making sure that we keep moving ourselves along,” coach Jesse Marsch said. “The way that the good start has helped us has been that we just feel it’s validated what we’re doing.
“We’ve had a good start because we’ve emphasized that we play like we want to play and we want to try for 90 minutes to maintain the level of speed at which we play and make sure that we continue to put the game on our terms. The more we are able to do that the more successful we will be. That’s led to the success.
It wasn’t just the slow starts last year that frustrated Petke and the players, it was also giving up early goals. Lethargic play is one thing, but falling behind is another. And while it didn’t prevent the Red Bulls from having an excellent season, falling one goal shy of reaching MLS Cup, it did make the players work a lot harder than they had to.
“It’s always been a focus. You never want to start a game poorly,” said defender Chris Duvall, who started 18 of 19 games as a rookie right back last season. “No matter what coach you have or what team you have it never feels good to start a game slow or sluggish. We gave up a lot of early goals last year. That has nothing to do with coaching or personnel, it’s something that just happened and we’re focusing more and more on not letting it happen this year.”
Duvall made a great impression on Petke, who gave the rookie a run of starts before Duvall made a few mistakes and found himself on the bench as Petke went with more experienced players in the stretch run. Duvall also seems to have impressed Marsch, who has started Duvall all three games this season.
“We’re just putting a specific focus on making sure we come out every day and giving it everything that we have to get better every day,” Duvall said. “We’re giving 100 percent every day on purpose, not just we happen to come into training and everything just happens to come together. We’re focusing on giving it everything we have and it’s showing on the field.
“Jesse doesn’t focus on the past at all. He just focuses on where we’re going. Whether it’s a game a few weeks ago or last week, he’s very good at letting it go and focusing on where we can take the team in the future and getting it done.”
Midfielder Dax McCarty, who has assumed the captain’s armband this season with the departure of Thierry Henry and Tim Cahill, believes Marsch’s training regimen may be a reason the team has started games better this season. With an emphasis on pressure, it seems easier to get into the mental part of the game right from the start.
“With the new coaching staff and the new philosophy it’s hard to look back at last year and say we’re learning from that or make the same mistakes,” McCarty said. “For the most part we approach every game as an opportunity to put an imprint on the season and what you want to be about as a team.”
And it has worked.
After falling a goal behind Sporting Kansas City in the season-opener, the Red Bulls not only rallied to earn a 1-1 draw in a tough environment, but pushed the game in the final 19 minutes when they had a man advantage following a Matt Besler red card.
Two weeks later, in the home opener against D.C. United, the Red Bulls dominated the midfield in a 2-0 victory. The following week, during a 2-1 win over the Crew in Columbus, Ohio, pressure late in the game resulted in a turnover and a beautiful long-range chip by Mike Grella over the head of Crew goalkeeper Steve Clark midway through the second half to snap a 1-1 tie.
“Slow starts were a thing of the past,” McCarty said. “I don’t want to say that’s not going to be an issue for us because you never know, but there’s a 100 percent certainty of the mindset going into every game. We’re going to be the aggressor, the team on the front foot.”
Frank Giase has covered Major League Soccer since the league's inception in 1996. Follow him on twitter at @Frank Giase. He can also be reached at fgiase@gmail.com.
