HANOVER, N.J. – The New York Red Bulls are expecting a chess match with the New England Revolution, especially in central midfield.
The Red Bulls and Revs are three days away from getting reacquainted in the Eastern Conference Championship, and much of the talk leading into the first leg of that series at Red Bull Arena on Sunday (1:30 pm ET, NBC/NBC Live Extra) concerns the teams' central midfielders.
Much of New England's success in recent months is down to the play of midfielders Lee Nguyen and Jermaine Jones. Nguyen has repeatedly scored or set up goals, serving as the club’s playmaker, while Jones and defensive midfielder Scott Caldwell break up opposing attacks from deeper positions to free Nguyen up.
New York have similarly enjoyed a good run of form thanks to their engine room. Since switching to a similar 4-2-3-1 formation at the start of September, the Red Bulls have been much more organized defensively. Holding midfielders Dax McCarty and Eric Alexander have handled the unsexy but necessary work to protect a previously leaky back line, freeing up Péguy Luyindula, New York’s playmaker, and the other attackers.
How those six fare against one another could ultimately determine the series. That’s a detail not lost on the Red Bulls, who know they have to be smart and effective on both sides of the ball to advance to the MLS Cup Final.
“I know we’re a team that likes to keep the ball and try to play out of the back, but there are certain moments, certain situations in a game, where you’re going to have to play safe rather than take risks,” said McCarty. “We’re going to keep doing what we do. We’re going to keep trying to play the ball on the ground, we’re going to keep trying to break teams down through the middle of the field using Thierry [Henry] and Péguy and Lloyd [Sam].
“We’re going to always continue to do that, but we also have to make sure we’re smart with our possession, and we can’t lose balls in dangerous areas. Because if you have a guy like Lee, and Jermaine Jones, picking out passes for
Charlie Davies
and a guy like
Kelyn Rowe
– they have dangerous players all over the field – they’re going to hurt you.”
While coach Mike Petke’s players know full how difficult it will be to minimize the offensive impact of the crafty Nguyen, a lot of the emphasis has been put on Jones.
The reason? He’s a piece of the puzzle that the Red Bulls have not yet seen up close and personal. Jones did not join New England until after the two clubs had finished their regular-season series, so this new-look New York midfield has not had to deal with his two-way style.
The Red Bulls are aware of what the US national team standout can do, but watching him on TV or the computer is one thing. Going up against him is completely another.
“When we’re attacking, when we have the ball, we still have to be very aware of where he’s at,” goalkeeper Luis Robles told MLSsoccer.com. “Jermaine Jones is very good at winning that second ball and springing their attack. Whether that’s our outside back tracking him, one of our D-mids tracking him, whatever it is, to understand that he is what runs that offense, and we need to know where he’s at.”
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But New York also have enough talent in the middle of the field to keep New England’s back line busy. McCarty and Alexander occasionally push forward to join in the attack, and Luyindula has been stellar this postseason. It's often said that whoever wins the midfield battle will win the game, and that could very well hold true in the Eastern Conference Championship.
“It’s a very, very good midfield, and I think as a player, you always want to test yourself against the best players,” said McCarty. “When you get to the conference finals, you’re going to get the best players in the league, and that’s what you look forward to. It’s going to be a huge test for us, but I have a lot of faith in our team, a lot of faith in our midfield, how we’re playing right now, and I definitely look forward to the matchup.”
Franco Panizo covers the New York Red Bulls for MLSsoccer.com. He can be reached by email at Franco8813@gmail.com.
