The Red Bulls earned a point on the Fourth of July—a rarity for the club, which hasn’t won on Independence Day since 2001. New York’s 1-1 draw with Colorado on Sunday night was the first tie of the season for the Red Bulls, but the hard-fought point was, in many, ways a moral victory.
WATCH: HIGHLIGHTS: COL 1, NY 1
Four things to take from the game:
1. Resilient Red Bulls – In his postgame comments, midfielder Dane Richards praised the team for not giving up. The Red Bulls weathered not just a deluge from the heavens on Sunday night, but also a blistering Rapids attack that pressured at the game’s open and close. Richards said that the team held on and had confidence, something he said wasn’t the case last year. These are the types of games that New York would have lost last season, and head coach Hans Backe has changed the team’s mentality significantly.
2. Compact back line – With the exception of Omar Cummings' goal in the 15th minute, the New York back line held tight, even as Colorado pressed the attack. The central pairing of Carlos Mendes and Tim Ream looked strong and maintained its shape. Danleigh Borman, on the left side once again, defended very well. The defense has conceded just two goals over the past four games and seems to be hitting its stride once again.
3. Lack of creativity – One thing becoming more apparent is that the team desperately needs a creative presence. Joel Lindpere was a fantastic off-season signing — a two-way midfielder who does plenty of hard work that often goes unnoticed. But the starting XI still needs a true creative player who can take on players and distribute the ball. If the Red Bulls can find that player who can be a true link to Juan Pablo Angel, then they will be a force. Is that Thierry fellow available? New York also needs someone who can feed Angel the ball or get it out wide. A central midfielder capable of that can push Lindpere to the left side of a diamond midfield — a place where several players think the Estonian international can be most effective.
4. Road warriors – After going much of the past two years without a road win, the Red Bulls now have three road wins and a tie this season. New York fans likely cringed when they heard that Backe was using a 4-5-1 lineup — shades of Juan Carlos Osorio — but the Red Bulls did some chopping and came away with a point.
Kristian R. Dyer can be reached for comment at KristianRDyer@yahoo.com and followed at twitter.com/kdyer1012
