HARRISON, N.J. – Mike Petke had to get creative, and it paid off probably as well as he could have imagined.
The New York Red Bulls entered Saturday's showdown with Toronto FC missing two key left-sided players in Roy Miller and Ambroise Oyongo. The duo was away on international duty for the vital Eastern Conference affair, forcing Petke to come up with an inventive plan to decide who would start at left back and left midfield.
Petke went with Kosuke Kimura and Ruben Bover, respectively. The two reserves have not played all that much in recent months – zero combined starts since June 9 – and never on the left flank together. But they still managed to put forth solid showings that helped the Red Bulls post a 3-1 win, and show that the club’s depth might be stronger than some people think.
“Listen, that’s what I’m all about. That’s the school that I come from,” said Petke in his postgame press conference. “You know if you don’t get your chance, you don’t get your chance, you’re finally going to get one and it could be under any type of circumstance. It’s on them to step up and show me.
“Like I told [Richard] Eckersley a couple of games ago when he went in, I said, ‘Go in there and after the game be able to tell me, ‘You should’ve played me 15 games ago.’ I have no problem with that and I thought that they did a very good job.”
There was not a deep understanding between Bover and Kimura, as could have been predicted, but they managed to make it work on the left. They not only defended capably – Kimura had to settle in after struggling a bit in the early going when he was targeted by Toronto – but they each directly contributed to a goal apiece in an impressive 3-0 first half for New York.
Kimura went first, making an astute, darting run up the sideline to receive a pass and whip in a pinpoint, one-timed low cross with his less-preferred left foot to Bradley Wright-Phillips in the 25th minute.
Bover then joined in on the fun 10 minutes later, collecting a loose ball in the penalty area and bundling it home for the eventual game-winner. It was the 22-year-old Spaniard’s first career MLS goal, and came with impeccable timing as his parents were in attendance at Red Bull Arena to watch it happen.
“It feels amazing,” said Bover, who back in April had a goal – and euphoric celebration – disallowed by a penalty-kick call in the Red Bulls' 4-0 win over Houston. “I’ve been waiting since I’ve come here to score a goal.”
Added Petke: “I’m very excited Ruben got a goal. It’s always nice to see. It’s like seeing your kids score.”
As many positives as there were to draw from Bover and Kimura’s performances, they were not without some hiccups. Kimura had a tough time early on dealing with the speed of Jackson, who pulled off a cheeky nutmeg on the 30-year-old in the first half, and Bover was caught too far upfield at times before coming off with an injury just before the hour mark.
Mistakes aside, they still helped New York get the job done on a night when Petke had to come up with a resourceful alternative on the left.
“It’s never easy for a guy – Kosuke didn’t play for a very long time – but he showed his experience on the left,” said captain Thierry Henry. “It’s always awkward, especially if you’re not comfortable with your left foot, to go out there and perform and he did it. Ruben, we’ve been waiting for him to give us something since he’s been here and he did it.
“We asked them to step up tonight and they did it.”
Franco Panizo covers the New York Red Bulls for MLSsoccer.com. He can be reached by email at Franco8813@gmail.com.
