April 12th, 2008 . 8:10 am . By: Jason Benfield

NEW YORK FORMATION

After going with a 4-5-1 almost exclusively last season with Chicago, Osorio has show his flexibility by implementing a 3-5-2 in New York. Although the formation names might be the same, this 3-5-2 operates much differently than one used by Coach Morrow in Dallas. The back three operate much the same, with the ball-side outside defender holding more of a wide position, and the defender on the off-ball side of the field sliding more centrally to help in the middle.

There is a drastic different in the operation of the midfield. The central three for New York stay in an organized triangle, with two holding midfielders sitting behind an attacking midfielder. All three players hold their positions: neither defensive mid joins the attack much at all, and the attacking midfielder is not asked to track back. This is very different from the FCD central midfielders; for FCD, there may be a triangle in name, but the attacking mid is asked to do defensive work and one of the defensive mids will always join the attack. The wings operate differently as well. Because two central mids are always back defensively in the NY scheme, the wingers primarily focus on the attack. They do have defensive responsibility, but their major role is to attack, both diving into the middle to shoot and staying wide to provide service to the forwards. FCD, of course, is much different in this respect as they play with wingbacks who have a “defense first” mentality.

The forward line of New York is asked to stay centrally. One forward is asked to stay high and stretch the defense, while the other will check back into the midfield. Both forwards have the size to serve as targets for balls served in from the wings. The New York attackers do a better job of staying centrally than the Dallas forwards; because the wingers of New York are constantly involved in the attack and stay high, they establish the width of the field and allow the forwards to stay in the middle.

RED BULL NEW YORK ROSTER

Just a reminder of the rating system:

1 = Developmental player
2 = Solid bench player
3 = Below average starter in MLS
4 = Above average starter in MLS
5 = All-star caliber player in MLS
6 = Superstar

Angel – 6 - Was the best forward in the league the moment he first stepped onto an MLS pitch. Still plays as though he is in the prime of his career. Decent speed, exquisite first touch. Fantastic finisher with either foot as well as his head. Tremendous vision and a good passer; last weekend he was fantastic even though his hamstring limited his overall play because of the use of flick-on headers. His hamstring is still bothering him and there are reports that he did not travel to Dallas for the game.

Altidore – 4 – Has the tools to be the best forward the US has ever produced. Great size, good in the air, and has good speed for his size. Has a good first touch. Not the best passer, but getting better. Inconsistent, and despite all the hype was not a lock-down starter for New York last season, and played a lot on the wing for them. Does not have the best work rate, although that is improving. Does not do a lot of defensive work as a forward. Picked up a bruised knee in training which is why he was held out of the last game, but should start the FCD match.

Borman – 2 – Young, fast rookie who saw action at outside midfield last game as a sub. Doesn’t show much other than speed; a 2 is probably a generous rating at this point. Does not have a strong first touch and did not create much of anything offensively.

Conway – 3 – Solid keeper, but has never been able to establish himself as a starter in MLS. Is the starter for New York, but is also really the only option. Doesn’t make mistakes, but is not incredibly athletic. Positions himself well and keeps the GAA decent, but will never be a top level MLS keeper.

Echeverry – 4 – Was very solid in his MLS debut last weekend. Fast for his age and strikes the ball well. Opens the game up for Angel because the central defenders have to respect his speed and can’t track JPA back into the midfield. Disappeared in the second half after Columbus figured him out a bit, but NY stopped pressing forward as well. Will be the third forward normally, but should start with Altidore on Saturday if Angel is out.

Freeman – 4 - Had a breakthrough season last year, but was unable to stay healthy. Decent speed, defends well, but is very dangerous getting forward. Very good crosser of the ball by MLS standards. First choice is on the right, but can play either side. Does not have the size of a traditional back in a three man defense, so when he becomes available he may play right midfield. Will miss the Dallas game with an ankle sprain.

Goldthwaite – 3 - Was outstanding last weekend at left back. Scored a goal, did a good job passing out of the back, and was good in the air. Serves a very nice deep cross. Has looked good in spot duty in the past, may be making the progression into a solid MLS starter.

Leitch – 3 – Has always been decent as a spot-starter in MLS, although he would be not be an everyday starter on most teams. Doesn’t have the best speed or athleticism, but gets into tackles hard, positions himself well, and is a decent passer. Played well in the first game at right back. Can also play center back and on the left. Physical nature could make him an ideal fit as an outside back in a back three; doesn’t have the size to play center back or speed to play outside back in a back four. Will start again against Dallas.

Magee – 2 - Once a promising player when he came up through the US youth system, has never really blossomed. Very injury prone, and has lost some of his speed because of it. Has never really broken through at the MLS level. Best asset was speed, but now that that is not as good as it was, may never break through. Initially surfaced as a forward, but has been moved centrally after injures and now serves as a backup at attacking midfield.

Mendes – 3 – Played central back for the last couple of years. Doesn’t have the best size or skill to play in the middle; his starting was more of a result of the lack of talent on the New York backline than of his skill. Was beaten out by Leitch at right back and Goldthwaite at left back. Is now backing up Parke in the middle and will most likely start this weekend against Dallas. Could be exposed as the only central defender, because he is not great in the air and doesn’t have speed to cover for other players. Is a quality player to come off the bench, but would not start for most teams in the league.

Parke – 4 – Has developed into a decent starter in the league. Uses his positioning to cover for lack of speed and athleticism. Physical player, and strong in the air. Dropped in the draft because of his lack of “numbers”, but the intangibles make him a solid starter. Kind of a poor man’s Parkhurst. Normally is a smart defender, but was very rash in getting thrown out of last weekend’s game when up two goals.

Reyna – 5 - Best field player to ever have played for the US National team. Older now, and even more injury prone than he was in his prime. Great first touch, very quick thinker and good vision to make the quick pass. Very underrated player on the ball; just doesn’t use that ability very often because he pings the ball around so quickly. A true central midfielder, which is a rarity in today’s game of offensive and defensive specialization. Struggles on the NY turf, but is still a joy to watch when healthy. Although he has good vision, is not known for creativity; it will be interesting to see how he plays as an attacking midfielder this season. May not hold the ball long enough to allow plays to develop from that position.

Richards – 5 - Took the league by storm last season. Wore down a little as the season wore on, but was really the find of the season. Dominated some games on the right. Suffered a major injury in the preseason and will miss a large chunk of the year. His loss is a major blow for New York.

Sassanno – 2 - Rookie played in his first match last weekend. Showed good touch and composure on the ball, but was not involved for large chunks of the game. Does not have top line speed. Not sure about crossing ability. Needs to be more active over the course of the match, as almost every attack came from the left side of the field. Will most likely lose his right midfield starting spot when Freeman gets healthy.

Stammler – 4 - Former first round draft choice really came into his own last season. Starts at defensive mid, but can also play either wing position and any position on the backline. May drop back to central defense if Mendes doesn’t play well this weekend. Reads the game very well from a defensive perspective. Strong on the ball and a good short passer as well as a good crosser. Tackles well and has good enough speed. Should continue to progress this season and could be an all-star caliber player eventually. Displaced Kovelenko as a starter and made him expendable. Poor man’s Michael Bradley? Outstanding in the opener.

Thornton – 2 - Has grown to epic proportions over the last couple of years and is no longer effective. Has lost his athleticism and was never a strong positional keeper to begin with. Is the backup, but will not push Conway for the starting spot unless he gets fit. Will not see time unless Conway gets hurt.

Ubiparapovic – 2 - Saw a decent amount of time last season as a rookie and starts the season as a defensive midfielder pairing with Stammler. In optimum lineup, Freeman and Richards would be on the wings, Van Den Bergh in the middle, and Ubi would be coming off the bench. Solid as a destroyer in the middle, and also has some attacking capability. Was decent in the opener and is probably on the verge of becoming a 3 with a string of solid performances. Seemed a lot more comfortable on the ball than last season.

Van Den Bergh – 4 - Was brought in by Kansas City to a lot of hype, but never has lived up to the over-ambitious billing. Is still an above average player in the league though. Good crosser from the left, and as he showed last weekend he can finish from distance. Lacks speed and is not very athletic. Will not beat players on the dribble. Good understanding of the game allows him to outplay his limitations. Is a good passer. Will start at left midfield, but will be brought inside as a defensive mid as the season progresses.

Wolyniec – 3 - Meet the Red Bulls’ version of Abe Thompson. Fourth choice striker who will see time off the bench this weekend. Very active, pretty good passer who links well with other players when on the pitch and scores an occasional goal. Good energy off the bench. Hs the size to play as a target, but work rate allows him to play off center as well. Lacks top level speed, athleticism and instinct to be a starter in the league. Can start in a pinch, but is at his best coming off the bench.

I have not seen Brunner, Gilkerson, Mesa, Palacio, Patterson-Sewell, Roth, or Schramm play; they are all developmental players and should not factor in Sunday’s match.

EXPECTED NEW YORK LINEUP

EXPECTED DALLAS LINEUP

KEY TO THE GAME

The New York midfield is extremely well organized. Columbus play a similar system to Dallas in that players are supposed to switch around and be mobile, but they could not generate much of an attack against New York because they were unable to make it through the midfield. Dallas was successful last weekend in the attack against Houston when they played deep defensively and then beat a slow Houston defensive line on the counter, effectively bypassing the midfield. This game could be very similar. New York will send numbers forward because of their aggressive wingers and Dallas’ wingback philosophy. If Dallas can hold up to the pressure, the New York defenders are not very good and not very fast as a group and can be beaten on the counter. If Dallas is not able to counter, it could be difficult to generate an attack.

Defensively, this game will present a major test for Davino’s skill in the air as well as Sala’s ability to come off his line. Dallas did a decent job against Ching, although he freed up several times in the second half. One of the major differences between the Mexican league and MLS is the number of balls played in the air and the physical play in the box. New York plays with two targets and will be an early test for how well Davino is adapting to the new league.

Categories: Match Preview.

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