PREVIEW: Evaluating Red Bull’s Defense Ahead of Inter Miami
This weekend, Red Bull New York will face Lionel Messi and Inter Miami CF at the brand new Nu Stadium in Miami, Florida.
Red Bull are three points behind first place in the East and only one point behind Inter Miami.
That said, New York’s defense has been questionable all season so far.
With injury and multiple departures, head coach Michael Bradley and company have had to try different things to make the four-man backline work. It has held up at times and collapsed at others.
Let’s take a quick look at the regular starters right now and consider how one of the better offenses, led by Lionel Messi, can match up against them.
Dylan Nealis
Dylan Nealis is returning to play for his former team in their new stadium. The recently appointed center back will face a lot of challenges at Nu Stadium.
Nealis’ last match was after playing with New York through their first two wins of the season. A moderate ankle issue kept him out of action for a month, though some of that coincided with the international break.
Nealis hasn’t been perfect this season; no one is. In the last game, his inability to cover FC Cincinnati’s Kyle Smith allowed the visitors to make it a one-goal game midway through the second half. While that is partially understandable because of the injury return, it doesn’t change one simple fact.
Nealis is not a center back. Unlike his brother Sean, Nealis is a natural right-wing back on defense. He’s always been better there. Putting him in the middle devalues his speed and puts his less physical form on full display for opposing offenses to exploit.
Until Colombian defender Julián Bazán is ready to start in MLS, Nealis will be a CB unless the team wants to try Gustav Berggren again. I hope they don’t after his one-game red card suspension just ran out. Otherwise, 6-1 versus Charlotte could pale in comparison to Inter Miami.
Robert Voloder
Robert Voloder is complicated to explain when trying to place him on a defense.
The 6’1″ German looked like an okay pickup in the offseason when New York was desperate for a center back.
Multiple times this season, he’s looked bad. The CF Montreal game and Charlotte FC blowout come to mind. Multiple goals scored against Ethan Horvath boil down to Voloder being beaten in the air or on the ground. Things that a seasoned CB should be able to handle look out of place for him.
At times, he doesn’t advance far enough, and in response, he’ll keep backing up. He leaves little room for error, and then it’s up to Horvath, who hasn’t been amazing, to try to make a save. Spying, Kansas City had one of the worst defenses in MLS last year, and it kinda explains something by watching him.
Has he gotten better over time? Yes. Even in some games. The FC Cincinnati first goal last weekend was on him. FCC’s constant pushing to equalize late wasn’t fully stopped by him; they just had bad finishing, but he did break up a few attacks.
In conclusion, Miami, being a score-early type of team, might spell disaster for Voloder on defense.
Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty
Despite only signing with RBNY in early February, Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty has already found form with the team. So much so that the 21-year-old was called up by the Canadian National Team in early March as the country prepares for the World Cup, he made his national team debut on March 31, coming off the bench in a 0-0 draw against Tunisia.
The Ontario native has long been teased as one of the future pieces of the Canadian national team. Now he’s become a dependable player for Red Bull New York, starting all six games for his side so far. He’s clean, only committing four fouls so far this season, while also being physical when needed.
He’s not as full-field-focused as past wingbacks, but he has contributed to attacks on a few occasions. His main weakness right now might be his size, but overall, Rutty has impressed.
Matthew Dos Santos
The unexpected star of the backline for Red Bull New York this season. After burning through both of his short-term callups from the reserves, Matthew Dos Santos was signed to an MLS contract last month. Unfortunately, since being signed, the 17-year-old has taken a step back from his fast start.
In simple terms, in the last four games, Dos Santos has not gotten higher than a 6.8 rating on FotMob. His first two games were above 7.0.
Going deeper, his defensive output has been declining. He is a team leader on fouls with eight, while his defensive contributions and tackles remain low. He’s been beaten on multiple occasions, with interceptions and dispossessions on the rise. He looked lost at times against FC Cincinnati and was subbed off for Omar Valencia halfway through the second half.
The Charlotte game got out of hand when Berggren was shown a red in the second half. Dos Santos was getting beaten by Kerwin Vargas throughout the first half, along with others. Michael Bradley made the right call, taking him off at halftime, because the game should have been more than 1-0 in favor of Charlotte.
Dos Santos is young but still has a lot of good going for him. I like his speed on defense and connection with the midfielders. He just needs to work on one-on-one defending. Because group defending and keeping the box secure won’t stop Inter Miami.
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