The New York Red Bulls made it six clean sheets in eight matches, blanking the Chicago Fire 3-0 at Giants Stadium Thursday to move into a first-place tie with the idle New England Revolution in the Eastern Conference standings.
But on Thursday night, the backline consisted of a backup goalie, two midfielders on the flanks and regular center backs Jeff Parke and Carlos Mendes. And when Parke left with a left hamstring strain at the half, Taylor Graham got his first playing time of the season.
The reason for the makeshift backline is because the Red Bulls have been hit hard by a rash of injuries. Yet, for a second straight game New York didn't concede a goal despite missing four starters to various ailments.
"We've got a good team, we have guys who come off the bench and do a great job," Mendes said. "Taylor did great tonight and we've been getting it all season from everybody. Part of being a good team is having a deep bench."
Of course, it didn't hurt that the Red Bulls tied an MLS record by scoring the fastest two goals at the start of a game.
Fresh off returning from his prom in Florida, Jozy Altidore struck 55 seconds in and Juan Pablo Angel scored the first of his two goals inside of three minutes to quickly put the hosts in front 2-0.
Angel's second goal was pure class, as he danced around Chris Armas and tapped a left-footed shot past Chicago goalkeeper Matt Pickens in the 69th minute.
"I sat on the bench and said, 'He's done that before,'" Red Bulls boss Bruce Arena said. "It's nice to have a player with that kind of composure in front of the goal."
Said Angel: "I just saw an opportunity where the defender basically was going to the floor and he basically made my mind up and my life much easier just to finish with my other foot."
Dema Kovalenko played at right back for a second straight game with Hunter Freeman missing his third straight game to a sprained left ankle, and Jon Conway started in goal for the third consecutive game with Ronald Waterreus also out with left ankle sprain.
But when Todd Dunivant suffered a left thigh injury in training Wednesday, Bruce Arena was looking up and down his roster at a potential left back. Dave van den Bergh volunteered, although he hadn't played there since his stint with Rayo Vallecano in Spain seven years ago.
"Carlos Mendes, Jon Conway and Seth Stammler did a very good job in putting me in good positions and keeping me put," van den Bergh said. "Especially in the second half, I saw all that space in front of me and I just felt like, 'I want to go, I want to go, I want to go.' Sometimes you have to think differently as a defender."
Altidore also had to play out of position, moving into the midfield with van den Bergh and Kovalenko in the back and Reyna out of the lineup. Despite struggling with his fitness, according to Arena, Altidore did well and scored his third goal of the year.
"I have new respect for that position. On a [toughness] scale of 1-10, it was a 9.99," said Altidore, who returns to Florida for his graduation from Edison Academic Center in Bradenton Saturday night. "It's hard when you're running back and forth, defending, but it was nice to help out the team that way."
The Red Bulls are off until June 2 at Kansas City, when they play the first of three straight Eastern Conference road games. Time should heal the Red Bulls' wounds, but it doesn't hurt that the team has 17 points in its first eight games.
"We got a clean sheet not playing our best," Arena said. "There was a lot of times in that game when we weren't playing well and Chicago was taking to the game to us, so we held in there and we got the win. I was pleased with that."
Dylan Butler is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
