9/30 - NYRB vs STL

New York Red Bulls vs St. Louis City

St. Louis defeated New York 3-0 in Daniel Edelman's return to Sports Illustrated Stadium. Red Bulls were without some key players but still fielded a strong starting lineup, while St. Louis' only absence due to national team duties was Damion Downs. Still, the match was closer than the scoreline suggests. The visitors struck early with a Rafael Navarro goal, beautifully crafted on the second phase of a set piece. St. Louis went on to control much of the first half. In the second 45, Red Bulls created more danger. St. Louis held firm and added a couple of insurance goals from Becher and Ostrák late on to secure the result. This victory extends their unbeaten streak to 17 MLS matches, just two games shy of equalling the league's all time record. St. Louis looked impressive on both sides of the ball again as they continue their historic run.

Red Bulls weren't at their best in the first half. They had difficulty gaining any kind of control in the match, with the game being played at St. Louis' tempo. Part of this is missing Mehmeti and Donkor, their tempo setters, in midfield. New York couldn't build out of central areas in their own half, forcing themselves wide or long. However, when they got into attack, they were dangerous through the middle. Multiple times Red Bulls had quick, incisive combinations in central areas that led to shooting opportunities. New York grew into the game in the second half. Some of this is due to game state, but Red Bulls also did a better job pressing St. Louis. The home side caused numerous high turnovers and were overall harder to play against. Mohammed Sofo is a gigantic factor in this improvement. Sofo is one of the best pressers in the league with his relentless energy and clever angles. His inclusion in Red Bulls' midfield has greatly strengthened their front foot defense. Playing centrally, he has free rein to join the press and fill gaps wherever he sees them. It's made Red Bulls way harder to break down, and St. Louis had problems dealing with Sofo and co's defensive structure in the second half. This translates to getting their attackers into better positions, but for the most part, the quality wasn't there. Cade Cowell was brilliant in this one, but he was more of a playmaker. Beating his defenders in 1v1 scenarios, drawing fouls, picking out passes - Cowell was a consistent source of danger down the left. There wasn't much of a threat on Red Bulls' other wing. It's been an issue for Red Bulls all season: how to be more goal dangerous from the wings. The story was no different for Jorge Ruvalcaba on Wednesday night. He looked to be lacking confidence and failed to make any sort of impact in the final third.

Ruvalcaba wasn't the only Red Bulls attacker missing the final touch. Their designated players were underwhelming in this one. Choupo-Moting's hold up play is still high level, and Forsberg's vision is unquestionably special. They both put in honest defensive shifts in this match. But, DPs wasted major chances, and though they had good moments throughout the match, it isn't hard to see why they've found themselves outside Bradley's plans. New York's midfield looks more cohesive as a unit with Sofo alongside Donkor and Mehmeti, while Julian Hall has shown that he's flat out an upgrade over Choupo-Moting. Red Bulls' youth movement doesn't stop with Mehmeti and Hall. Four players made their first team debuts in this match, and all of them showed well for themselves, especially right winger Pedrinho. The Brazilian winger looks crafty and brings something different with his penchant for coming inside on his preferred left foot. He could provide a goal dangerous presence that's been absent all year from the wings. It's entirely possible that we see yet another Red Bulls II player beat out a senior member for a spot in Michael Bradley's starting 11. Inconsistency is to be expected for such an inexperienced team, and unsurprisingly Red Bulls' season has been up and down. Even so, they are in a good position: 8th place in the Eastern Conference. They are tied on points with 9th and 10th, but there is good reason to believe the Red Bulls will be back in the playoffs this year. Individual performances have been strong for Red Bulls of late, with Bazán, Cowell, and Sofo in particular excelling. Add in national teamers Mehmeti, Hall, and Donkor, and Red Bulls have a really talented roster. If they can put everything together, New York Red Bulls will be playing postseason soccer in mid November.

It was a picturesque beginning to the game for St. Louis City. They dictated the game with their high-intensity press. To a man, St. Louis presses extremely well. Their personnel is tailored to Damet's system, from their forwards to their defenders, and certainly their midfield. Edelman and Durkin's tenacity and hunger to win duels make it nearly impossible to play through St. Louis. The front line is also key to St. Louis' press, and it was highly effective against New York. They used an inverted triangle shape, with Navarro and Holse spearheading and Matan just behind them. The purpose of this structure is to deny central areas. Which is exactly what St. Louis was able to do in the first half against Red Bulls. Because the middle is cut off and the forwards(especially Navarro and Becher; they don't stop running) are constantly closing down the opponents, St. Louis' wingbacks can push high. With all these numbers putting pressure, it's very difficult to find space. Where the space exists is on the big switch. Because they pinch in their wingers, a long diagonal can exploit St. Louis' narrow shape. This is when the outer center backs are crucial. Polvara and Fall were fantastic in this game when they were called upon. Their aggressive positioning and capability defending in open space mean that even if the press was beaten, Red Bulls attacks were often diffused. Fallou Fall in particular was lights out, showcasing his athleticism and lockdown 1v1 ability. St. Louis makes the game predictable: They know where the ball will go, then they send numbers to that area and win it back.

Once they win the ball, they have multiple ways to break down opposition. They can go quick, but more often they want to slow the game down and keep the ball(they're 8th in MLS in average possession percentage). But they do so with a purpose. Early in the match, St. Louis had a chance manufactured by one of their desired buildout patterns. It's a tactic that's led to goals for them in a couple recent matches, and nearly paid dividends for them again. St. Louis looks to draw opponents in, then go forwards quickly in a faux transition moment. This is a staple of Wilfried Nancy's Columbus Crew sides, where Damet was an assistant coach. But Damet has modified the trick to fit his St. Louis City team. His midfield doesn't have Nagbe, so instead of carving through opponents, they go over the top. Against New York, after coaxing the Red Bulls forward, it was Durkin who played a beautifully weighted pass to Wallem, who was running in behind. And just like that, St. Louis was attacking into lots of open space. It didn't result in a goal, but it's a play that's been successful for St. Louis all year. Oftentimes it comes down the right - St. Louis predominately builds out down this side. This is because Totland is prone to come inside, so they are better able to utilize the full width of the pitch down the right. With Holse's arrival, Wallem has stayed on the touch line, allowing the Dane to tuck inside and find the game. Wallem has emerged as St. Louis' outlet, and they are really good at finding him in space. Whether it's Fall, who loves the big switch, one of the midfielders, or one of the forwards, St. Louis is always looking to quickly switch the point of attack. It's part of the reason why Wallem has assists in 6 straight MLS matches.

For all their good work over the past couple months, St. Louis still has issues seeing out games. They simply aren't made to sit back and absorb pressure. In the second half, the Red Bulls had some great looks. When Damet(finally!) made his first round of substitutions, St. Louis City looked more convincing, as they were better able to defend from the front foot. Lo and behold, their front foot defending led to both their insurance goals. It's imperative that Damet keeps legs fresh when defending leads, as they are so difficult to break open when they aren't just sitting back and inviting pressure. Protecting the lead is something St. Louis has a lot of practice with this season: They have scored first 16 times in their 19 match unbeaten streak. These quick starts have powered their impressive run that has seen them rise up to second in the Western Conference. St. Louis sits just 3 points below Vancouver, who will play their game in hand against Chicago Fire on the sixth of October. There's no team hotter than St. Louis City right now, and with the way they're playing, St. Louis has a real chance to finish top of the West for the second time in their club's history.