The Red Bulls won their second preseason game in as many tries with today’s 3-2 victory over Swedish side Malmo FF. And while Thierry Henry got his first tally of the preseason, the tilt was far more noteworthy for the high pressure coach Mike Petke wants to use, and the come-from-behind rally led by the young reserves.
In addition to Henry’s score, the Red Bulls improved to 2-0 this preseason by erasing a 2-1 deficit with just five minutes to play. They got late scores from a pair of teens, academy signing Amando Moreno and guest player Rafhael Domingues, a young Brazilian-Austrian Facebook find who just arrived in camp.
“After the first 10, 15 minutes, we got control of the game,’’ said Petke. “You saw bits and pieces of what we’ve been working on in that first goal…It’s a step in the right direction. The pressing game resulted in the first goal, which is very positive. It’s our second win, and we’re very happy.’’
After falling behind early despite a strong Starting XI – former Seattle Sounders midfielder Erik Friberg hitting a first-timer just three minutes in – the Red Bulls got their high pressing game in gear, and it paid off less than 25 minutes later.
Fabian Espindola stripped a Malmo defender and drove into the box before selflessly passing to Henry for the equalizer. Espindola was used out wide left early on, but Petke said not to read much into that, and praised the newly-acquired striker’s play when he was later moved into a more natural central position.
The Red Bulls made eight subs at the half, but even after conceding 53rd minute to Dardan Rexhepi, the reserves pulled the game out. They exerted pressure and equalized again with four minutes left when Moreno took a pass from young Spaniard trialist Ruben Izquierdo, chested it down and scored.
Under two minutes later, teen trialist Marius Obekop hit a well-weighted through ball to an on-rushing Domingues, who tucked it into the goal’s lower right hand corner.
“The second half, the so-called reserves, second-team, trialists, whatever, they came to play,’’ said Petke. “They were eager, hungry, and they showed it in the second half, played very well.’’
Domingues just arrived in camp, but will surely have one of the more interesting back stories. Grandson of Austrian immigrants in Brazil, the 19-year-old came up through the youth ranks of the very modest Toledo CW of the Campeonato Paranaense to make the first team.
Determined to play abroad, he applied for a passport in his grandfather’s homeland, and got it. Then he made a Facebook page with video highlights of his exploits, and promptly got noticed by the Austrian Under-18 National Team.
They called him into camp, and he scored a brace to lead them to a 3-1 win over the Czech Republic, walking off to a standing ovation. Now he finds himself in camp with the Red Bulls, playing on a team with Brazilian icon Juninho and in the same scoresheet with World Cup and Champions League winner Thierry Henry.