Major League Soccer (MLS) has resumed play following a pre-determined pause in their season due to the FIFA World Cup causing a scheduling conflict. Red Bull New York (RBNY) has not quite found the momentum they seemingly built prior to the break where they picked up three wins in their last four matches. Since the resumption of league play, they have played in three matches losing two and winning just one.
The context of their first fixture back was nearly as favorable as an away match could be. On July 22, Red Bull New York was set to play bottom-of-the-standings Philadelphia Union in a match away from home that was only a two-hour drive down I-95. The composition of match factors all pointed toward a comfortable New York win, but any soccer fan knows that the game is not played on paper. With an unlikely result, Philadelphia came out on top after 90 minutes. Instead of continuing their run of great outcomes, Red Bull New York lost shockingly 3-1.
Although the results of the matches are ultimately what determine a team’s place in the standings, it would be unwise to say they are the sole determinant of a club’s chances for success. Take the match versus Charlotte FC for example, if someone tuned into the game after the early eighth and 12th minute goals were converted and were unaware of the score, there is a very good chance that they would come away with the sentiment that Red Bull outplayed Charlotte FC.
The play on the pitch was illustrated by the tangible statistics, in every offensive category the Red Bulls led. They quadrupled the amount of shots (16 to four) that Charlotte FC had, keeping nearly double the amount of possession (64% to 36%), completing 599 passes at a 90% success rate to their opponents 78% of 355, and took six corner kicks versus their opposition’s one. In contrast, their defensive frustrations were on display and this lack of discipline is what ultimately led to the Red Bull’s inability to kickstart a comeback, they committed 14 fouls and were shown 4 yellows. Their defensive struggles culminated in the 93rd minute where midfielder Adri Mehmeti was shown a second yellow card and sent off just minutes before the final whistle. This may not have had an impact on the outcome itself, but it was the perfect exemplification for the match as a whole that they lost 2-0.
Prior to the bout against former World Cup winner and French superstar Antoine Griezmann’s new team in Orlando City SC, the sentiment of the fan-base was that of slight concern given the recent unfavorable match results. The 35-year-old scored on his MLS debut and would certainly be a focal point in New York’s preparatory discussions in the lead up to the game. Griezmann may have been the most famous player on the field that night, but it was Mijahir Jiménez of RBNY that stole the show. In his very first MLS start, the 19-year-old Panamanian netted two goals and essentially was the difference in the team securing a 3-2 victory in his 70 minutes played. Jiménez and veteran teammate Cade Cowell were named to the MLS Team of the Matchday for their performances last weekend (Cowell tallied two assists). All Red Bull New York supporters hope their team’s form will parallel that of Jiménez’s promotion to the first team from Red Bull New York II and the success that coincided with it.
With the Leagues Cup, a competition involving teams from Liga MX and MLS, set to kick off today, so comes another break in the MLS schedule. Since they are not participating in this year’s edition of the Leagues Cup tournament, Red Bull New York will not play for two weeks from the day of their last game versus Orlando FC until their next match against Atlanta United FC.
Given the circumstances not only was picking up the victory against Orlando City imperative from an MLS standing’s perspective, it is also crucial in considerably boosting morale for the next two weeks around training and for the players themselves. Rather than entering the most recent match hiatus on a three-game losing streak, Red Bull New York can return to its practice facilities knowing the team put in an admirable effort that saw them snatch three points in the standings along with witnessing a break-out performance from their youth talent Mijahir Jiménez. Red Bull New York supporters will be hopeful when the MLS season resumes again for them on August 15 in Atlanta this momentum will carry their team to another victory.
