Having lost key performers such as Jozy Altidore (to Spain), Claudio Reyna (to retirement) and Dane Richards (to injury), the New York Red Bulls needed a little luck and a lot of hard work to earn a 1-1 draw against the San Jose Earthquakes on Sunday afternoon.
The hero of the day for New York was defender Jeff Parke, who twice stopped San Jose forwards when they appeared to be breaking in alone on goal.
"Jeff played great," Red Bulls head coach Juan Carlos Osorio said. "He stopped [Ryan] Johnson in the first half, and [Scott] Sealy in the second. I (told the team) that Jeff kept us in the game, and he contributed in a great way with those two tackles."
The Red Bulls got a break early on as the Earthquakes gifted them an own goal in the fourth minute. Dave van den Bergh's long cross from left midfield looked relatively harmless as San Jose defender Eric Denton played it on the bounce inside the penalty area, but Denton's header back to Joe Cannon floated over the goalkeeper's head and into the net.
San Jose equalized nine minutes later through Darren Huckerby, and neither team was able to break through again the rest of the afternoon.
"It was a tale of two halves," Juan Pablo Angel said. "The first half wasn't very good at all for us. We were very shaky, we couldn't control the game, and after (San Jose) gave up the own goal, they played a lot better. In the second half, we were more solid in the back, but we still lacked a bit of creativity at the end."
Osorio concurred. "In the second half, we had the better chances. We played better, we controlled the game, and in our counterattacks, with a bit more quality we could have had the three points," he said. "But in general, I would say a fair score, 1-1."
Osorio said San Jose's goal "took us by surprise," and that his club struggled in the opening 45 minutes.
"When we needed to put the ball down and play we failed to do that," Osorio said. "San Jose came back into the game, and it became a very even game."
As for newly signed Jorge Rojas, while he had a strong game, he didn't figure as prominently as he did in his MLS debut when he contributed two assists against the Los Angeles Galaxy last weekend.
"I think San Jose watched the video (of the LA game) and they really marked him very tightly today," Osorio said. "In the second half we played him out wide in a 4-4-2 and he still managed to get some good crosses in. I think we got from him a good return. He's still getting used to the league and his teammates, and his teammates are getting used to him, so we'll keep improving. I thought there were some good signs out there today."
With the transfer window open until August 15, the Red Bulls will continue to look to add to their lineup.
"We're still looking for another target," Osorio said. "Not just Richards is hurt, but also Oscar Echeverry, so we're looking to bring in another striker in the next two weeks."
But on Sunday, the Red Bulls did all right with what they had.
"In the long run, it will prove to be a good point, provided that we win our home games," Osorio said.
That begins in two weeks, when the Red Bulls return to MLS action, facing D.C. United on August 10, the first of three consecutive Sundays playing at Giants Stadium.
Pete Ratajczak is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
