June 20th, 2008 . 9:19 am . By: Jason Benfield

NEW YORK FORMATION

The Red Bulls enter Saturday’s affair with a much different attitude, roster, and formation than they did when they played Dallas earlier in the season. Heading into the first match, New York were loaded with talent and playing an aggressive 3-5-2 formation. Now, they have sold their best young player, their two most talented veterans are injured, and Osorio is changing the formation on a game-by-game basis.

For the past several games, New York have switched between a 4-5-1 and a 4-4-2. After the horrible performance against DC last week and the infusion of some forward depth into the side through both acquisition and the move of players to the top, the Red Bulls would be expected to stick with the 4-4-2.

Defensively, the back four are incredibly slow. In order to mask this deficiency, RBNY tend to sag the defensive line back a bit, while relying on intense defensive pressure in the midfield to prevent the opponent from playing the ball forward quickly. In both the DC and NE matches, the NY midfield began the game by effectively disrupting the flow of the ball in the midfield and limiting chances on goal. However, after the first goal allowed against DC, the midfield was forced to push into the attack, the defensive energy died, and the backline had to push up closer to the midfield line. This resulted in several breaks where many of the defenders were beaten for speed and DC was able to create a ton of opportunities on goal. Because New York grabbed the opener against New England, they were able to stay back, put in hard work in the midfield, and took an away point.

A major difference between the 4-5-1 and the 4-4-2 that New York operate is the wing play. In the prior formation, they run with wingers on the outside and attempt to counter with speed on the break. In the latter, the four midfielders are more centrally oriented. Width is provided through the outside backs moving forward, and the players up top provide the speed aspect. The team becomes much more possession oriented, bringing the entire team into the attack rather than just relying on the break, so the lack of skill and depth at the top has less of an impact. And as they move forward as a team, they also recover defensively as a unit, making them more compact and difficult to break down.

Ironically, this is the formation that the new FCD coach, Schellas Hyndman, has hinted at. For a preview of what we may see with FCD, have a look at the New York – New England game from Wednesday. The New York midfield, while technically a diamond, requires all four to be involved in both the offensive and defensive aspects of the game; the only player who stays home a bit is the defensive midfielder, Mendes. Magee is technically the forward midfielder in the diamond, but is not often involved in the attack and at several points is seen defending around his own 18. Both midfielders on the outside, Stammler and Ubiparapovic, have experience centrally and spend their much of their time working between the center of the field and 20 yards away from the sideline, rather than just staying wide. When they move centrally on the attack, the outside backs push forward to provide the width for crosses. The forwards are used to counter with speed at times, but for the most part the team tries to build an attack up and keep the forwards centrally to serve as either targets or for a through ball up 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

Juan Pablo 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. Has lower back and hamstring issues that have kept him out of the past couple of games and make him doubtful against Dallas. The New York attack is very different without him available.

Danleigh Borman – 2 - Young, fast rookie left midfielder. First few games, was just speed, but is starting to show more to his game. First touch and passing have improved, and is much more effective overall on the attack. Is a true winger. Need to see a little more consistency before he becomes a 3, but is on his way there.

Andrew Boyens – 2 – New Zealand Played right and central back for Toronto last year, but is exclusively central for New York. Has started the last couple of games. Nice size, but very slow, but overall speed and with his feet. Good energy and has been a much better overall defender than last season, but still wouldn’t start for most teams in the league. Could make way for Parke this weekend.

Jon 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. Good size, but is not very athletic. Handles high shots well, but has a tendency to get feet rooted, which can make him slow to react as well as get down. Has been beaten near post at times because his positioning is a little off and he thinks he can cover more than he does.

Oscar Echeverry – 3 – Looked good when first introduced at forward at the start of the year, but got hurt and is just now coming back from injury. Fast for his age and strikes the ball well. Looked good partnering with Angel early on, it will be interesting if they can combine well again when Angel gets fit. Opens the game up for Angel because the central defenders have to respect his speed and can’t track JPA back into the midfield. Didn’t have an impact once coming on in the DC game, but was more effective against New England. Thinks and plays the ball very quickly, but is rusty right now and gives the ball away a bit too much.

Hunter Freeman – 3 - Had a breakthrough season last year, but is unable to stay healthy. Decent speed, defends well, but is very dangerous getting foward. Very good crosser of the ball by MLS standards. First choice is on the right, but can play either side. Just getting fit and looked good last weekend against New England. There are not many quality right backs in the league, so it will be easy for him to move up the ladder here.

Kevin Goldthwaite – 3 - Has progressed into a solid starter this season at both left and center back. Has improved his strength and is solid in the air. Defense has improved considerably in the last year. When playing ont he outside, gets forward well and sends in a very nice cross. Plays the ball quickly. Can get caught forward, even when he plays centrally. Probably New York’s best defender right now, on the verge of taking a step forward in the ratings.

Chris Leitch – 2 – Has always been decent as a spot-starter in MLS, although he should not be first choice. Can play centrally, left, or right; for New York he factors in the right back equation. Doesn’t have the best speed or athleticism, but gets into tackles hard, positions himself decently, and is a decent passer. Doesn’t really have the size to play center back or speed to play outside back in a back four.

Mike 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. Will probably start against Dallas. Good energy, and works hard, but really has little impact on a match offensively.

Chris Megaloudis – 1 - Forward is an international for Puerto Rico. Came on at the end of the New England game but had no impact, and didn’t even touch the ball for almost 10 minutes after he came in. Did not show much on his debut.

Carlos Mendes – 3 - Played central back for the last couple of years, but may have found his spot at defensive midfield. Is slow on the backline and not that effective, but looked very good at the end of the DC game and for the New England match. Plays the ball quickly in the midfield, holds his position well, and provides key grit and energy. Moves the ball around quite well. Surely has earned another start and it will be interesting to see if he can continue to impress.

Jeff Parke – 3 – 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. Kind of a poor man’s Parkhurst. Has not played as well in the last couple of years as he did in his rookie campaign. Out of the starting lineup on Wednesday; could be brought back in, but wouldn’t be surprising to see him continue to sit because he was awful against DC.

Claudio 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. Will fit into the new formation quite well if he can get healthy, but we will see if that happens. Will probably miss the Dallas game this weekend.

Dane 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 missed the beginning of the season, but is now back. Was absolutely fantastic against New England. Played forward for the first time instead of on the wing and was very dynamic; very active and dribbled by several players on occasion. Is back to full fitness and will be extremely dangerous this weekend whether he plays at forward or on the wing.

Luke Sassanno – 2 - Shows good touch and composure on the ball, but does not have a consistent impact on a match. Can play right midfield and central midfield. Not a lot of speed. Nice flexibility to provide cover and depth, but should not be starting. Has improved over the course of the season.

Seth 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. 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? Has picked up injury and is not as active as he has been in the past. Is playing right midfield with Mendes playing defensive mid.

Zach 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.

Sinisa Ubiparapovic – 3 – Can play defensive midfield, attacking midfield, and right now playing left midfield. Really has improved his overall game. Comfortable on the ball. I would describe him as a “hard” player; very tough, not afraid to go into a tackle. Works very hard off the ball. A key component in the midfield pressure to keep other teams from exposing the defense. Played very well against New England. Kind of reminds you of Dema Kovalenko.

Dave 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. Plays left mid and left back. Great crosser, takes all free kicks. Can score from distance. Skilled on the ball. Was tried centrally, but is invisible in that role. Gets forward well, but is very slow and can be really exposed in the back. Fits into the 4-4-2 as a left back getting forward. Good understanding of the game and a good overall passer. Offensive abilities keep him from being a 3.

John Wolyniec – 2 - Very active, lots of hustle, and has a great finish every once in a while. But is not a starting quality player. Doesn’t provide much else to the game. Is a decent passer, but can’t create his own shot and doesn’t have much speed. Decent size to be a target. Should be coming off the bench now that Etcheverry is healthy.

I have not seen 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

Since we have no idea what to expect from Dallas, I will lay out both the 4-4-2 and the 3-5-2. Because of the loss of Moor and Serioux for the weekend, Dallas may stick with the 3-5-2.

3-5-2:

4-4-2:

Both teams will essentially use 4 central midfielders and rely on the outside backs for width.

KEY TO THE GAME

We really have no idea how FCD will come out and play. The key to this game is the first goal. The slow New York backline relies on the defensive shape of the midfield to keep the pressure up. If they score first, they have speed at the top to be dangerous on the counter. Otherwise, they stretch out and can be beaten. The defenders also lack the ability to cover for other players’ mistakes. If Oduro or Cooper can get free early, FCD can grab points on the road.

Prediction:

New York are coming off a strong performance against New England, and Dallas are missing some important pieces on the backline and adapting a new system. A win could be too much to ask for on the road under those circumstances.

NY 2 – FCD 1

Categories: Match Preview.

7 Comments

Comments RSS TrackBack Identifier URI

Leave a comment