The New York Red Bulls will make their longest regular season away trip when they visit the Los Angeles Galaxy at Dignity Sports Park this Sunday. Kickoff is set for 5:30 p.m ET.
Here are the Keys to the Game, presented by TriHonda Dealers:
Keep Looking for Fábio
New York’s new Brazilian striker, Fábio, ticked many boxes in his first MLS game. Head Coach, Gerhard Struber made sure to note it during the post-game press conference.
“I was happy with Fabio’s working ability, he works so hard, he pressed the whole time,” Struber said. “When he played I think he was very reliable, and with his pressing we created chances. I think he must work more on his personal output, he has a very good chance in the second half and in the end with Fabio, very happy with his performance, his attitude on this day, this was a good first step.”
That play in the second half where he attempted a scissors kick could have been a phenomenal opportunity to open his MLS scoring count.
His energy was notable and contagious during his time on the field, and as Struber emphasized, Fábio just needs to score his first goal in the United States, which will allow him to become a big contributor to RBNY’s successes.
Maintain Focus for 90 Minutes
In a span of three minutes, Sporting Kansas City created the chances to take a 1-2 win from Red Bull Arena.
After the match, Caden Clark, who scored New York’s only goal of the night, made sure to note that the team needs to avoid those lapses where they lose focus.
“We all know what we are capable of and I think we have a really talented group and team. As you could see, our press was there tonight with SKC kicking the ball out-of-bounds a handful of times just on our simple press,” said Clark. “We won the ball a bunch of times as well off our press. I think offensively it was there tonight, just those two-three minutes of lack of focus cost us and lost three points tonight.”
As described by Clark, the Red Bulls created many pressing moments that made SKC uncomfortable. There were many positives from the performance, but those two-three minutes, in which the team lacked focus cost them big time.
Expect a High-Flying Galaxy
The Galaxy will arrive at their home opener after a notable 2-3 comeback win over Inter Miami CF. Mexican striker Javier “Chicharito” Hernández left Fort Lauderdale with a brace, while former New York midfielder Sacha Kljestan came off the bench and also scored.
Against Inter, the Galaxy had 66% possession and had a passing accuracy of 91%.
According to SofaScore, former Toronto FC midfielder Victor Vázquez attempted 55 passes and completed 50.
It took Chicharito one game in 2021 to match his same scoring numbers from last season.
