The talk coming into Saturday night’s Red Bulls-D.C. United game in Washington centered around midfield dominance, revenge, high pressure, forcing mistakes and capitalizing on them, and the Atlantic Cup. And while many of those issues factored into the 2-2 result, Red Bulls coach Jesse Marsch found out something else about his team.
In the first gut-check moment of the season, the Red Bulls, without the designated players who were such game-changers last season and who were looked to when all seemed lost, found a way to rally against their hated rival and gain a point in a game that appeared all but over.
This did not come from a bit of magic by Thierry Henry, or the hustle and heading power of Tim Cahill. Rather, the two goals in the final 23 minutes that overcame a 2-0 deficit were the result of a strong, individual effort by defender Damien Perrinelle off a set piece, and the opportunistic nature of midfielder Lloyd Sam.
And that’s the first step toward building a winning team and gaining confidence in the beginning of a long, grueling season.
“We have seen four different kinds of games, and in four different kinds of games we have been up to the task,” Marsch said. “… But yeah, it's important that early on we get to know each other in a lot of different ways. The way we responded, that lets you know that on the inside there's something happening here and we keep pushing hard.”
The Red Bulls (2-0-2) were on the defensive early. They absorbed the physical play from D.C. United, which began in the first minute with a foul by Perry Kitchen on Felipe from behind, and were never protected by a referee who has a history of yellow cards and penalty kicks but handed out just three cautions, and only one to D.C. United.
The midfield dominance by the Red Bulls in the 2-0 win March 22 at Red Bull Arena did not carry over despite the same numerical advantage. Michael Farfan did a much better job on the right than Nick DeLeon did in the earlier game and Perry Kitchen and Davy Arnaud switched sides at defensive midfield. With the forwards and defenders helping clog up the midfield, the Red Bulls were not able to have the same success.
When Kitchen scored in the 26th minute, the Red Bulls were on their heels and D.C.’s advantage carried into the second half. The Red Bulls were searching for answers and surely a second goal would seal the game. When it came – a beautiful 25-yarder by Kitchen that beat Luis Robles low to his right – you had to figure the game was lost, especially if a response wasn’t immediate.
But it was.
Perrinelle, who had other opportunities around the net on set pieces earlier in the game, rose up in a crowd to head in a Felipe corner kick a minute later to give the Red Bulls life. That’s one sign of a good team. A tying goal in the dying moments of a game is another. And though it came on a rare flub by D.C. United goalkeeper Bill Hamid, it’s the type of goal – and the type of game – that can build confidence and carry a team a long way.
“I think it's important for us to face this sort of adversity this early in the season because it's going to continue to shape us,” Robles said. “We want to be a team that only plays quality football, that puts teams under a lot of pressure, but also has that sort of spirit that fans can be proud of.”
And Saturday night, they were.
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.
