RECAP: Red Bull Lose Late to League-Leading Nashville, 1-0
It looked as though Red Bull New York was going to escape with a point against Supporters’ Shield leaders Nashville SC on Saturday night in Harrison.
Instead, defender Maxwell Woledzi scored in second-half stoppage time at Sports Illustrated Stadium.
The 1-0 loss doesn’t move New York out of eighth place, but it once again points to what’s left on the table for a team that has one win in its last five games.
For Bradley, the team is frustrated. But he also says the team is growing. He noted how much his group held Nashville back all game. Overall, the visitors had only three shots on goal, and their threats were limited.
“The way that we were able to make the game hard on them and really limit what they were able to do, I think they had one shot on goal from the run of play in the game, and it was the play where (Sam Surridge) ran in on goal after we got our wires crossed a little bit in the attacking part of the field. But other than that, we made it a really difficult night for him.”
Set-Piece Setback Again
Heading into second-half stoppage time, New York seemingly had figured some things out. Nashville had ten corner kicks throughout the match, and nearly all of them were handled neatly.
Four corners in the second half had resulted in wide shots. Reed Baker-Whiting saw his header go wide left in the 56th minute, followed by chances from Matthew Corcoran and Sam Surridge as the half went on.
In the second minute of stoppage time, however, Nashville was awarded a free kick on the left side of the field. Defender Cristian Espinoza, in his first year away from San Jose, sent the ball into the box – curving. The ball found the head of Maxwell Woledzi, who sent it into the back netting for the game-winner.
Bradley noted after the game that his team continues to struggle with it. The team is missing the ability to get through these moments.
“It’s one of the biggest things that is keeping us from being a really, really good team,” Bradley said.
“It’s our ability to dig in a little bit harder in some of these moments. Make sure that we can handle some set piece situations in more consistent ways.”
Two key things from the Nashville free kick. As Woledzi is running on goal, he is essentially level with fellow defender Josh Bauer. Bauer, who had only come on in the 87th, jumped for the ball but it was just over his head. That wasn’t an issue for Woledzi, who was behind him and got his head to the ball. Both defenders were open.
Red Bull attacker Mijahir Jiménez was behind both of them, seemingly focused on Bauer but not Woledzi. Center back Tim Parker, who came into the game in the 88th, covered no one. He ran into the net as two players ran essentially unmarked to his right—a miscommunication.
Red Bull New York defender Julián Bazán said as much after the game when asked about the goal by the media.
“I think we need more communication,” Bazán said.
“Because sometimes, for example, Jiménez thinks, ‘I’m (going) to the ball,’ and he runs more slowly. We need to communicate better to do the job.”
Missed Chances, Missed Points
For New York, the game was within reach. The home side had multiple opportunities to gain the lead against Nashville.
In the 10th minute, Ronald Donkor passed to Adri Mehmeti, who quickly turned around to pass upfield. Julian Hall went on the run as Nashville keeper Brian Schwake approached. Hall tried to chip him, but his shot went wide right. The forward was visibly frustrated as he looked up afterward.
In the 34th, Hall created another chance. He played a ball into the box, where Emil Forsberg battled it away from defender Jack Maher. One-on-one with Schwake, the Nashville keeper makes himself big and saves it with his foot. The stadium pyro behind the goal momentarily went off as the ball trickled wide right. Forsberg fell to the ground, hands over his face.
Nashville also had chances to score early, with two goals called back for offside.
Sam Surridge put the ball at the back of the net in the 23rd, but the flag went up a few moments later. Nashville midfielder Eddi Tagseth took advantage of a mistake by the Red Bulls’ defense, feeding Surridge. However, the forward was offside, and the ball hitting Ronald Donkor’s foot wasn’t enough for an opposing player to play it.
In the 82nd, Woledzi looked like he ended it early. A corner kick eventually found Surridge on the right side, who played the ball across the box, where the defender tapped it in. However, the flag was up early for offside.
What Comes Next
The loss is New York’s fourth since returning from the World Cup break. The team is still in eighth place, thanks to teams around them, but the playoff position is dropping.
A reminder: Red Bull was 5th in the Eastern Conference when the World Cup started.
A difficult stretch continues as Chicago Fire come to Sports Illustrated Stadium on Saturday night. Robert Lewandowski and company are third in the East, coming off a 2-1 win over Orlando on Wednesday.
Across all competitions, the Fire have won six straight.
They also face a difficult Leagues Cup quarterfinal match early next week.
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