A year after the Red Bulls suffered through one of the worst campaigns in MLS history, tonight’s 1-0 victory over Kansas City clinched a playoff berth and vaulted them atop the Eastern Conference. It wasn’t easy or pretty, but after the ugliness of last season, the end result was nothing short of a Picasso.
“Bouna Coundoul saved us, and this is not the kind of football I’d like to see,” said coach Hans Backe. “It’s OK to get three points, but the decision making, the passing game, the unforced errors when you’re not under pressure, how to get hold of the ball to create something. To me, just a mess for 90 minutes.”
The Red Bulls (14-8-5, 47 points) were a hot mess, salvaged by Dane Richards’ 6th-minute goal and keeper Bouna Coundoul’s dozen saves for a clean sheet. That allowed New York to clinch at least second-place in the East, and the crowd of 24,799 at Red Bull Arena celebrated when it was announced that they’d leapfrogged over Columbus (46 points), held to a scoreless draw by San Jose.
“I didn’t know I was busy until they told me. By the end of the game we had the W, had the shutout and now we’re in the playoffs,” said Coundoul, who posted his team-record 10th shutout of the season. “This is my first time (in) the playoffs; one goal achieved, now the other one’s coming.”
With holding midfielder Rafa Marquez a last-minute scratch with a left knee contusion, the Red Bulls got outplayed and outshot 26-10, unable to hold any possession. But Richards provided the only offense, swiping the ball off Kansas City centerback Jimmy Conrad’s poor first touch in the box and curling a left-footed goal for his fourth score in the last five games.
“Last year we were getting ready to go home, but this year we’re getting ready for the playoffs,” said Richards. “We’re in first place, and were in last last year. It’s unbelievable.”
After that Kansas City’s athletic duo of Kei Kamara and Teal Bunbury gave the Red Bulls fits, getting off 13 shots. But Coundoul stoned Bunbury on a 56th minute breakaway, and two minutes later came off his line and _ facing the rookie one-on-one at the corner of the box _ pounced to snatch the ball off his foot.
“The best thing I can say is we got three points; nothing more, nothing less. Kansas City deserved to win, and win very well. Without Bouna, we wouldn’t be first,” said forward Thierry Henry. “Remember we’re top of the Eastern conference and we won tonight. Other than that, it’s going to be difficult to find some good stuff about the game.”
Now the Red Bulls play two of their last three at home, with their only road trip a short jaunt to lowly Philadelphia. Columbus has flights to both Chicago and Toronto, and must still navigate the U.S. Open Cup final in Seattle and a CONCACAF Champions League group finale in Trinidad & Tobago.
But the Red Bulls host defending MLS Cup champion Real Salt Lake at 4 p.m. Saturday, and they’ll do it with Marquez away captaining the Mexican National Team. That’s something captain Juan Pablo Angel _ back in the lineup alongside Henry partly because of Marquez’ absence _ said they have to fix.
“That’s what Rafa Marquez means for a team,” said Angel. “He’s a guy that controls the tempo for a team. He doesn’t have a pair of eyes; he has four, because he sees everything.
“He sees the long passes, he sees the short passes, he manages the tempo of the games and his presence brings us a different dimension. His absence was very noticeable tonight, but we need to be able to cope without him so that is a problem we have to correct.”
