RECAP: Eile Makes Impact vs Montreal, Gives NY Win, 1-0
Noah Eile scored his first goal as a New York Red Bull at a perfect time to give his team a 1-0 win over CF Montreal on Saturday.
The result over the winless Canadian side is New York’s first victory since the start of the month.
It wasn’t a pretty win as New York controlled the game but struggled to do anything with it.
Even after scoring, Montreal threatened the home side, who did enough to keep the three points.
It’s a good way to end a tough April for RBNY.
First Half
The first 45 was one to forget. Not because it went badly for New York. But because it was boring soccer.
The Red Bulls only managed to get two shots in the first half, neither being on target.
Winger Cameron Harper had two of the best chances in the first half. In the 17th minute, he intercepted a pass behind the backline and just had keeper Sebastian Breza to beat. He put his shot wide. Later in the 33rd, another chance from him inside the box, but he wasn’t able to get the ball on target.
Overall, New York instead took their time controlling the ball. The home side battled with the former Impact in the middle of the field. For their effort, Club de Foot tried their best to take advantage of any mistakes the Red Bulls made.
The visitors had two shots saved by Carlos Coronel in the first ten minutes, and a third that went wide right. However, for the rest of the half, the New York defense held firm enough to keep the visitors far away from the net.
Second Half
Despite his team’s performance, head coach Sando Schwarz said after the game that he wasn’t worried.
After Montreal’s offense in the first 10 minutes, and seeing his team take control, he had a “good feeling”.
“We spoke in the halftime. We showed poor sequences from the technical point,” the coach said.
“One situation in our defense and in our pressing that we can stay more in a higher position with Wiki at the left winger, and then our transition moments, we stay a little bit wider with our wingers and the buildup, what I explained right now, to have these counter movements. To have these counter movements, and yeah, this was the main part.”
The last 45 went much slower for New York, but overall, it was a cleaner progression of play.
Instead, the Bulls pressed Montreal into a defensive bubble and looked for ways to pop it. In the 67th minute, that came. A corner kick saw defender Omar Valencia deliver a corner kick to Noah Eile.
He headed it in for the game’s only goal.
“It felt great. Obviously, the game being a tie as well, it felt even better,” Eile said after.
“I lost a little focus there a few minutes after, so that I had to refocus again, yeah, because it was still a lot of fun to me.”
Montreal did attempt to equalize, even as New York brought on Tim Parker to try and see the game out on defense.
Coronel was forced into three saves during the second half while multiple other attempts were blocked by RBNY defenders at the last moment.
Analysis
RBNY’s 4-2-3-1 did not look clinical against Montreal, but it did enough. Overall, New York looked in control of the match but struggled to find the finish for a majority of the game.
Kyle Duncan looked good in his return from injury, playing the full 90 minutes for New York. Carlos Coronel earned a much-needed clean sheet and made critical saves. The backline shined through, especially players like Sean Nealis, Eile, and the aforementioned Duncan. Add on Valencia’s assist, and overall, those four players were the keys to New York winning.
Which brings up the uncomfortable conversation about the midfield and offense. Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Emil Forsberg both looked quiet against a struggling Montreal.
Cameron Harper, playing as a winger essentially, created the offense in the first half.
“Every coach in this world want to have this consistently every Saturday, every Sunday, to see in the highest quality of performance, and that’s a topic for sure. That is what we want to improve, what we must improve, why we are working so hard every day, but — and the expectation, and I can understand it,” Schwarz said after the game.
“We were very successful last year — and last season, we had after ten games, do you know how many points we had last season after ten games?… We had 17 points. But the feeling was a little bit different, like we have now. Now, it’s 15 points, two points less than last season. But it’s clear, consistently is the main part, and we are working for that.”
The next stretch is going to be brutal for the Red Bulls. First up is a game against Inter Miami CF down in Fort Lauderdale.
The team will be coming off a mid-week match against Vancouver in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, so some starters might be rested after that is a mid-week U.S. Open Cup clash against USL Championship Final winners Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC on Tuesday.
New York will return home the following Saturday for an MLS Cup rematch against the LA Galaxy.
PHOTO: Brad Penner/Imagn Images
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