RECAP: The Battle of the Reds, Pt. I—Red Bull New York Draw in Toronto, 1-1
On Pi Day, the Red Bulls traveled north to Toronto to play Toronto FC, which had an unusual 1 pm kickoff.
In the Red Bulls lineup, there are two changes from the drubbing at the hands of Montreal: Mohammed Sofo replaces Cade Cowell.
More importantly, Cowell did not travel with the team at all, which is surprising given that he had been a starter in all previous games. The team later posted that, because of a family situation, he was not called to the game. For Sofo, this is his first game back since last season, when he injured his wrist.
The second change is the addition of having Ronald Donkor which changed the starting formation from a 4-2-3-1 to a 4-3-3 which turns into a 4-2-3-1 when attacking. The team has played in a 4-3-3 formation in every game except the loss to CF Montreal.
First Half
At the beginning of the game, the Red Bulls were more dominant in terms of attack production, but, like other games, there was a lack of definition. In the fourteenth minute of the game, there was a VAR check, which, in my opinion, didn’t have to happen because Walker Zimmerman was already on the ground, and that would have helped avoid a penalty because of Zimmerman’s position, which was in a natural position. Near the end of the half, Mihailovic had a great pass from Gavran to set up a lethal counterattack, since Red Bull had almost every field player in the box for a corner kick.
As the play developed, Sallói was running uncovered on the far side while the Red Bull defense was distracted and did not notice him. That being said, Mihailovic served a beauty of a crosser, and Sallói one-timed it to get over Horvath’s challenge and into the only goal of the game.
Second Half
To begin this half, the Red Bulls had the best chances to get on the board, with Emil Forsberg shooting a shot that went wide of the goal. This shot was taken from the spot and just missed wide. From about the 50th to the 61st, there was a lull until there was a cross from Jakheele Marshall-Rutty, which just went a little high for Sofo to capitalize on it.
The first sub from the team came in the 65th minute, as Sofo was replaced by Tanner Rosborough, and in the 68th minute, Forsberg had another chance that just missed the goal. Josh Sargent made his MLS Debut and almost scored on his first touch, which was blocked by the back line.
In the 78th minute, there was a VAR review of a potential penalty in favor of the Red Bulls as Richie Laryea held on to Julian Hall’s arm and blocked his foot from reaching the ball. Although there was a foul, there wasn’t enough evidence of a clear mistake. So far this season, the Red Bulls have not been on the right side of the VAR. On the last play of the game, the Red Bulls equalized on a corner, with a melee of legs trying to score or clear the box. This goal was the first goal that Hall did not score.
Last Thoughts
Adri Mehmeti played a better game than last week, but the rest of the team did not show that many improvements. In the buildup to the first goal, the team did not take into account the other side of the pitch.
Jorge Ruvalcalba did not make a difference; a designated player would be signed, and Forsberg was more of an offensive player than any of the forwards today. Justin Che was subbed off because of an injury in the second half stoppage time, which came from a non-contact injury, so this should be a bit worrisome, as the team is very thin in that position.
Discover more from New York Sports Nation
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.