In his short time with the Red Bulls, Sean Davis has seen the team go on a seven-game unbeaten streak and a four-game losing streak. Unfortunately, he’s going through the down time now, but he seems to be handling it like a seasoned veteran.
“I think I’m getting the complete pro experience at this point,” he said. “I’ve experienced a lot, just like all the young guys on the team. We definitely know what it feels like to win a couple of games, and we also know how it feels to go through a tough stretch. We’re just looking to help the team get back on its feet.”
That will come tonight when the Red Bulls (4-5-5) look to salvage difficult month of June with a match against Real Salt Lake (5-5-6) at Red Bull Arena.
“They’re a good team. We saw some film on them this weekend. They look really good in all spots,” Davis said. “They’re coming off short rest but we know it’s still going to be a difficult game for us, so we’re looking to press them from the onset and go from there.
“It hasn’t been easy. We haven’t gotten the results we wanted. The silver lining is that we’re playing well, so if we keep our heads down, continue to work hard, then the results will swing our way.”
The timing could be right. Real Salt Lake, in eighth place in the Western Conference, is coming off a 2-1 home victory over Sporting Kansas City, with the game-winning goal by Olmes Garcia three minutes into second-half stoppage time. Conversely, the Red Bulls are coming off their worst game of the season, a 2-1 home loss to the Vancouver Whitecaps Saturday night in Red Bull Arena.
Neither team will have much rest, but the Red Bulls have an extra day of rest and the motivation to get back on track, while a euphoric Real Salt Lake squad will have to quickly refocus, fly across the country and bring their 2-4-2 road record into Red Bull Arena.
“It’s a quick turnaround for us. It’s a quicker turnaround for them,” Red Bulls coach Jesse Marsch said. “We’re making a few changes in the lineup. I still think that we’ll be ready to step on the field and compete. That’s kind of where we’re at right now, just figuring out that for all the good things we’ve done this year, now that we’re in a bit of a bad stretch, we’ve got to just figure out a way to step on the field and every guy want it a little bit more.
“I expect to see an impassioned performance from our players, and I expect us, from the first minute, to go on the field and compete at the highest level.”
Davis will get the start tonight, replacing suspended midfielder Sacha Kljestan. Marsch will also have to replace midfielder Lloyd Sam, who has a groin injury, although Marsch said Sam should be ready for the NYCFC derby on Sunday.
“Sacha is an important guy for us,” Marsch said. “It’s not just his on-the-field performance, it’s the presence that he has within the team. It won’t be easy to replace him, but we’ve used Sean in that spot a little bit, and even though it’s not natural for him to play there, he’s more of a deeper guy, but when he plays in there he provides us with a defensive presence and the ability to win more balls in there. The more we can make it hard on Salt Lake in the middle of the field the better chance we have of winning this game. I expect him to help us in many ways and be ready to go.
“It’s about the mentality right now. Whenever you’re in a tough stretch you’re tested more from a mental perspective and emotional perspective than you are from a soccer perspective. Now we have to also step on the field and, as much as we know we want the game bad, we don’t get overzealous and get in trouble with cards and dig ourselves a hole in different ways, but I expect this team to be ready to step on the field, know what it takes, and get a result.”
Real Salt Lake has scored just 15 goals this season, three less than the Red Bulls. Both have allowed 19, which is a bit high considering the Red Bulls (Luis Robles) and RSL (Nick Rimando) are two of the league’s better goalkeepers. Bradley Wright-Phillips leads the Red Bulls with five goals, and should have had more if not for two missed penalty kicks against the Whitecaps. Sam is next with four goals.
Javier Morales and Alvaro Saborio top RSL with three goals apiece, while Morales leads with five assists, but the team will be without Saborio, who is in Costa Rica preparing for the CONCACAF Gold Cup. U.S. national team midfielder Kyle Beckerman will also miss the match due to yellow-card accumulation.
Though the Red Bulls have lost four in a row, the team hadn’t played poorly until the last game. Marsch believes some good has come out of the bad stretch.
“There’s been things we’ve learned about ourselves,” he said. “When you’re winning, sometimes it masks things that need to be surfaced and we’re addressing them as we go, but at the same time as much as the results haven’t come, I don’t think that there’s a lack of belief in what we’re doing. It’s just now a matter of strengthening ourselves, so that when we do get out of this we’re ready to launch ourselves.”
