E. RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Juan Pablo Angel was in a foul mood Saturday night. For the fourth consecutive game the Colombian international failed to find the back of the net and for the third time in four games, the New York Red Bulls were shut out in a 1-0 loss to rival New England Revolution at Giants Stadium.
The former Aston Villa striker took his frustrations out on Revs players, cutting down Jeff Larentowicz in the 14th minute and Shalrie Joseph in the 36th minute en route to a game-high five fouls. Angel and Joseph also had a tussle at the end of the first half.
"It's been the case in the last few games, but we've got to keep going, building every weekend, trying to improve," Angel said of his aggravation. "We've got a good group of players in here and it's a long season and there's still a long way to go."
Angel's day came to a premature end when he was sent off with a straight red card in the first minute of stoppage time for an elbow to Joseph's head. He'll be suspended for the Red Bulls next match, at home against D.C. United July 22.
"One thing I will say is that I didn't have the intention to get him," Angel said. "I went for the ball and didn't move my elbow at all. I don't know if I got him at the end, but I didn't have the intention to hit his face at all."
Not surprisingly, the Red Bulls didn't think the sending off was justified.
"I think it was harsh because it was one of those where he had to protect himself," Claudio Reyna said. "If [Angel] didn't have his arm up, he is the one getting hit and on the ground."
After arriving on a free transfer from Villa, Angel had a magical start to his Major League Soccer career, scoring nine goals in his first seven games, including a club-record six in a row.
But since then, Angel hasn't gotten his desired service and he's been a marked man, often the subject of double teams.
"He's our main weapon up front and he lives off crosses," Reyna said of Angel. "They know he is dangerous. Whenever the ball goes by you can see there is pulling and grabbing. He has to deal with a lot of that stuff and that's difficult."
Perhaps it's not a coincidence that the Red Bulls' offensive woes, and Angel's frustrations, started when Jozy Altidore left to compete for the United States in the FIFA Under-20 World Cup and Dema Kovalenko picked up a groin strain.
Since that point, the Red Bulls are 1-4-1.
"He has done a great job for the national team in the U-20 World Cup," Angel said of Altidore, who scored four goals in that competition. "I am sure he will come here with a lot of confidence off that performance. Hopefully he will be a good addition again."
Angel did have a couple of scoring chances, hitting the right corner of the crossbar in the 28th minute after cutting inside of Jay Heaps and unleashing a bullet from just outside the box. He also had a looping header in the 62nd minute off a Hunter Freeman cross that missed the mark.
"He's certainly a marked man and they did a very good job competing on every ball into him and it wasn't easy," Arena said of Angel. "Having said that, he had two chances and strikers in those games don't get many chances."
New England's dangerous attacking players, specifically Taylor Twellman and Red Bulls killer Pat Noonan, didn't have many opportunities either. But the Revs made the most of a counterattack in the 38th minute as Andy Dorman beat Jon Conway low inside the far post for his seventh goal of the year.
"It came at a time where we were playing really well," Reyna said of the game's lone goal. "We had the upper hand but it was a really good goal. They countered, so it was a great finish."
Dylan Butler is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subjet to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
