Red Bulls need to defend
Offense sells tickets, but defense wins titles. Even an offensive star like Thierry Henry admits that. And unless the Red Bulls shore up a leaky defense, their fate will likely be that of a high-scoring, underachievers.
Shorthanded without Wilman Conde and Teemu Tainio, they tested that defense last night vs. potent San Jose.
“If we go all the season winning and conceding, I will sign now. But it’s way better [if you can defend]. You win championships when you defend well,’’ said Henry, whose seven goals in the previous three games was one shy of an MLS record.
But the Red Bulls’ eight goals allowed through five games this season was tied for the third-worst mark in MLS, and history has shown teams don’t score their way to silverware.
“We’re not going to score four or five [goals] every game. That’s not going to happen,’’ Henry said. “You need to be able to win like Kansas City does — 1-0, 2-0. They don’t concede. They’re doing extremely well since they have that new stadium. Their boss is doing well, and they’re not conceding. That’s how you win championships.
“Look at Houston last year. They’re a difficult team to beat and they went to the final. L.A. didn’t concede a lot of goals and they won it. We all know it. It’s a cliché, but everybody says defense wins championships. That’s the way it is. Saying that as a striker isn’t an easy thing to say, but it is true.’’
Not since the league’s infancy, when defenses were porous and goals cheap, have teams been able to score their way to titles like D.C. did. United never ranked better than sixth-best in defense in winning three of the first four MLS Cups. But of the other 13 champions, most (seven) actually ranked first in the league in fewest goals allowed, including last year’s aforementioned Galaxy team.
The Red Bulls’ shaky defense has forced keeper Ryan Meara to face 29 shots on goal, second most to expansion Montreal’s Donovan Ricketts. The rookie has been forced to make a league-high 21 saves, and will need help.
“The aim is to do better, play better,’’ Henry said. “I’m not going to talk about how many goals we score. I was sad for Ryan the other day because he made some great saves. Since the beginning of the season he’s been brilliant, and we haven’t been able to give him a clean sheet. It’s up to us. It’s been proven that he can be out goalkeeper; it’s time to give him something back.’’
