On Saturday night, there were times when the Red Bulls were able to play the ball to each other cleanly. They were also able to generate crosses and send teeming through passes into the box. However, it was their finishing that let them down against FC Dallas, as they fell 2-1 at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas.
New York had a number of chances in both halves to put themselves on the scoreboard. In the first half, the Red Bulls might have had at least two goals in the books if it was not for the impressive performance of Hoops' goalkeeper Dario Sala.
First, in the 17th minute, Sala, who is under pressure after FC Dallas signed Trinidad & Tobago international Shaka Hislop, made a spectacular diving stop when an open Jean Phillippe Peguero picked up an Amado Guevara through ball and curled a shot towards the right post.
Then, 15 minutes latter, Sala again came up trumps when he poked away a Marvell Wynne attempt that was bound for goal after the defender and Edson Buddle played a pretty give-and-go. To top it off, in first half stoppage time, Sala deflected away a Seth Stammler blast from long range before rejecting Guevara rebounds twice in the six-yard-box.
"He was solid. He made some great saves for them and he kept [their lead] for them," said Red Bulls interim head coach Richie Williams.
However, as much as Sala's heroics helped the Hoops, the Red Bulls, according to Williams, were not clinical with their finishing in the attacking end.
"[When] we do give away two goals early, it puts us in a bad spot because it gives them a chance to sit back and look and see what we do," said Saturday's goal scorer Mike Magee. "In the final third, we definitely can play with a little more urgency and some guys making better runs or better crosses and be better in front."
In the second half, FC Dallas played more conservatively, opening up the field for New York and giving the visitors a number of opportunities. However, of the Red Bulls' 20 shots on Saturday, only seven of them were on frame.
"Someone has to have some responsibility in front of goal and basically say, 'Look, when I'm in front of the goal, I'm going to hit the target, I'm going to put the ball in the back of the net.' We had so many opportunities and to not be able to [score] is disappointing," Williams said.
Magee's strike in the 80th minute was in the midst of a New York rally in which it controlled most of the possession. The crowd became nervous after Magee's goal as the Red Bulls kept pressing, but the Hoops were able to hang on.
"I thought we were moving the ball well. I thought we created chances ... and I thought we defended well, other than just losing our concentration in the second minute of the game and then again on the cross [that led to FC Dallas' second goal]," Williams said. "You look at the game and you're a little bit dumbfounded by the whole thing, but we're going to work hard and we're going to keep at it."
Laventure makes long-awaited debut
After spending almost two years in New York's reserve squad, forward Jerrod Laventure made his first career MLS appearance on Saturday night against FC Dallas, coming on in the 67th minute for Marvell Wynne.
"It was an exciting experience. It was something I've been waiting for for a long time and I'm happy to get out there and do whatever I can to help the team," Laventure said.
And he made his chance count.
Along with featuring in his first game, Laventure also picked up his first career MLS assist on Magee's goal in the 80th minute.
"Basically, Jeff Parke played me a nice ball, I saw Edson [Buddle] wide open on the left side before I even got the ball so I knew that's where I wanted to go," Laventure said of the play that led to the goal. "I just tried to turn as quickly as I possibly could. I gave him the ball and he laid it off to Mike Magee and Mike finished it up pretty well."
The Seton Hall product has been unable to find a place in the first team since his arrival, signing on as a developmental player on April 12. Last year, he featured in New York reserve games but never earned a permanent MLS contract. He scored two goals in nine reserve games in 2005 and has played in three reserve games this year.
On Saturday, Williams put him in as a third forward to try and spark the offense and get the team back in the game.
"Jerrod has been working hard in reserves," Williams said. "All of our reserves have been working hard and we just threw Jerrod in there as an attacking player to help us out in terms of trying to get a goal and he did well."
Laventure said that besides the fact that you have to be sharper at all times and are forced to adjust to the game's faster pace, he felt comfortable coming in on Saturday. Along with the help of playing reserve games, Laventure focused on staying prepared so that he could achieve his goal.
"The reserve games help out a lot but you just have to be in the mindset that you're going to play," he said. "That's what I've been doing and I think it helped me to get there."
And now that he's gotten there, the forward from Middle Island, N.Y., hopes he can stay.
"I feel honored to be able to go out there and play for the Red Bulls," Laventure said. "[The reserves and I] work hard everyday and this is where it pays off and hopefully we can do the club justice by going out there and winning more games."
It is the third consecutive game in which a Red Bull has made his debut for the team. Against New England on July 1, Jordan Cila came on for Chris Henderson in the 77th minute. Then, in the team's game against Los Angeles last Tuesday, Joe Vide played his first career game, replacing Steve Jolley in the 15th minute.
Jolley misses Dallas return
When defender Steve Jolley went down in the 15th minute due to a right ankle sprain suffered in an earlier play during the Red Bulls' 1-0 loss to Los Angeles on July 4, it was always going to be a race to get him back on the field in time for the team's game against his former club, FC Dallas.
Jolley's condition improved throughout the week and on Friday during practice he was jogging and hitting long balls. Williams and the trainer's staff said the question of Jolley's status for starting against Dallas would be a game-time decision.
"Jolley was not fit to play a full 90 minutes and hopefully he'll be able to get out with the reserves [Sunday] and do a good job for us," Williams said.
Stammler, who has mostly featured in the midfield this season, took Jolley's place at left back, while Magee took Stammler's slot on the right wing in the midfield.
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