Despite yet another new lineup and yet another different formation, the Red Bulls’ are a broken record playing the same sad song. They do just enough to lose, settling for moral victories, Pyrrhic victories, and every other kind of pseudo victory that bad teams substitute for the real thing.
Last night’s 2-0 defeat at rival D.C. was no different. Can they can even be United’s archrival anymore, losing the Atlantic Cup for the sixth straight season? Last year’s MLS Cup final berth has faded away like a hard-to-believe dream. This season, on the other hand, is more like a nightmare.
“It’s frustrating, disappointing. A lot of guys played hard out there tonight, and that’s becoming a disgusting cliché in my mind. I feel like all our guys work hard all the time, but we’re just not getting results,” said centerback Mike Petke, at a loss to explain away how a team with this much talent can lose this many games. “If I knew, I’d be the head coach – and I’d still be the center back if I was head coach; I’d put myself there.
“I don’t know what’s going on. I don’t believe in the whole luck thing. I believe in a little luck; everybody gets lucky here and there. But I don’t want to start saying clichés…but we just can’t find the net, and we can’t keep the ball (out of) the net with the very few opportunities that we’ve afforded against (us). It’s a horrible combination to have, so someone has to sacrifice a chicken or something because something has to happen.”
After allowing a goal by resurgent Santino Quaranta and a late clincher by Jaime Moreno – both of whom struggled in stints in New York – the last-place Red Bulls (2-8-3, 9 pts) fell even further from contention. According to Elias only one team in MLS history – the 2003 Rapids – made the playoffs after earning just nine points through 13 games.
They’re winless in their last 18 regular-season road games, one shy of the MLS record. They can match that dubious mark Sunday at New England, where they’re 0-8-3 in their last 11. Last night was the start of a road swing that could essentially end their season and put coach Juan Carlos Osorio under even more pressure.
Last night started a span of six-of-seven games on the road, where they’re 0-5-1 this season without a single goal. And with Senegalese revelation Mac Kandji – clearly their best attacking player this year – out with a pulled hamstring, their attack did precious little last night at RFK Stadium.
They played a 3-5-2 to match United, but in the 36th minute, United midfielder Fred got away from Albert Celades in the box, and right back Carlos Mendes – who never seemed in sync with CB Mike Petke and was subbed off at halftime for debutante Nick Zimmerman – went to ground too late to stop the Brazilian’s low cross. Quaranta slid onto it for a 1-0 lead that proved enough.
The Red Bulls had their chances to equalize, but wasted them. Two minutes before the break, midfielder Seth Stammler played a perfect ball to an unmarked Danleigh Borman right in front of the keeper; but the South African’s first touch failed him and he got taken down.
In the final 11 minutes, all-star striker Juan Pablo Angel – invisible for most of the night – hit a free kick just over the bar, then had a point-blank chance saved by a diving keeper Josh Wicks from ten yards. Meanwhile, Zimmerman acquitted himself well in his MLS debut with work rate, attacking play and a blistering shot from distance that forced a save.
“We’re playing well a lot of times, but you know it doesn’t matter how you play,” Zimmerman said. “What matters is results.”
And for the third straight game _ and third in three meetings with United this year _ the Red Bulls failed to get one. United sealed it on a 93rd-minute counter when Christian Gomez got taken down by Red Bull keeper Jon Conway and Moreno converted from the spot.