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MLS New York Red Bulls

MLS Match Notes: New York at D.C. United

April 9, 2015 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
New York Red Bulls News Release


HARRISON, N.J. (April 9, 2015) - The New York Red Bulls are back on the road this weekend for a second early-season meeting with D.C. United Saturday at 7 p.m. Jonathan Yardley and Shep Messing will call the action on MSG2 from RFK Stadium.

Head coach Jesse Marsch, a D.C. United draft pick in the inaugural 1996 MLS college draft, has the club off to its best start since 2007. The team has opened 2-0-1, including four points from two road games, an opening-day draw at Kansas City and a 2-1 win in Columbus in their last outing. New York sits in second in the East, behind only D.C.'s nine points through four games.

The club's one home fixture was a 2-0 win over D.C. United at Red Bull Arena on March 22. Bradley Wright-Phillips and Lloyd Sam scored the goals, while Luis Robles recorded his 20th-career clean sheet.

The New York Red Bulls are one of 20 teams that comprise the top-flight professional soccer league in the United States - Major League Soccer. On the field, the team is led by head coach Jesse Marsch, former MLS player and coach of the Montreal Impact, 2014 Golden Boot Winner Bradley Wright-Phillips and New York veterans Dax McCarty and Luis Robles.

New York is one of 10 charter clubs of Major League Soccer as the league is in its 20th season. Major League Soccer is coming off a record-setting season in 2014, as the league witnessed all-time highs in television viewership, in-stadium attendance, consumer products, digital audience and social media engagement.

Last season, the Red Bulls reached the MLS Eastern Conference Championship, just short of reaching the second MLS Cup in club history. New York has qualified for the playoffs for five straight seasons and 11 of the past 12 years.

New York is 24-33-9 all-time against D.C., including a 10-20-4 mark at RFK. The Red Bulls lost both regular season meetings at RFK last season. The team also fell 2-1 in a playoff game in the Nation's capital, but won the home-and-home series 3-2 on aggregate thanks to the all-important away goal.

Since the start of 2010, the Red Bulls are 3-3-1 at RFK Stadium. The last road win came almost exactly two years ago, on April 13, 2013 - a 2-0 decision thanks to goals from Thierry Henry and Jamison Olave, and a Luis Robles shutout.

BEST HOME RECORD IN MLS

New York owns the best home record since the start of the 2012 season in Major League Soccer. The Red Bulls are 33-7-12 at Red Bull Arena since 2012. New York is 1-0-0 at Red Bull Arena in 2015.

MLS Best Home Record Since 2012

Record Points

1. New York Red Bulls 33-7-12111

2. Real Salt Lake 33-8-11110

2. Seattle Sounders 34-10-8110

4. LA Galaxy 33-9-9108

OFF AND RUNNING

The Red Bulls currently sit at 2-0-1, its best start since the 2007 season, and good enough for second place in the East - behind only D.C. United's nine points through four games. New York maintained its hold on second place despite the second bye week of the season. The Red Bulls have two games in hand over most of the league, and remain one of two undefeated teams along with Real Salt Lake.

With a victory Saturday at D.C. United, New York would equal the best start through four games in team history. The 2007 club started 3-0-1 for the best start in club history.

Last season's Red Bulls didn't reach seven points until their seventh game, a 2-1 win against Philadelphia. It took the 2013 Supporter's Shield-winning side nine games to reach eight points with an April 20th win over New England.

The Red Bulls have also shown poise on the road, claiming four points in their first two away matches, including a 2-1 win over Columbus last time out.

PICKING UP WHERE HE LEFT OFF

New York Red Bulls forward Bradley Wright-Phillips hasn't missed a beat since the end of 2014, notching two goals and two assists through the first three contests. BWP was name MLS Player of the Week following his performance in the Red Bulls' 2-0 win over D.C. United in the 2015 home opener. The 2014 MLS Golden Boot Winner scored the game-winning goal, and also had an assist.

Wright-Phillips followed that up with another multi-point game in Columbus, burying a penalty kick and then earning an assist on a forced turnover that led to Mike Grella's game-winning chip.

The Englishman only found the back of the net once in the first six outings of 2014. Perhaps more importantly, the London native has already tied his assist total from all of last season with the two helpers. While Wright-Phillips has proved that he still has a nose for goal, his set up ability may prove to be more valuable to the Red Bulls' overall success in 2015.

Wright-Phillips was also a finalist for MLS Player of the Month for his play in March.

SAM CHALLENGED TO RETOOL HIS GAME UNDER MARSCH

After being acquired by New York in the summer of 2012, Lloyd Sam spent 2013 and '14 establishing himself as one of the best wide players in MLS. Now, he is being challenged to be a threat around goal. Early results prove that Sam is up to the task.

His speed and ability to take on defenders have earned results - In 2013, Sam finished tied for fourth on the team with five goals and added one assist despite making only eight starts among his 22 appearances. In 2014, the former Leeds man totaled four goals, and his nine assists were tied for second on the team behind only Thierry Henry.

Coming into 2015, Sam has been challenged to add another dimension to his game, to utilize his quickness and clever touch in more areas of the field, to attack centrally and put himself in goal scoring positions, in addition to being able to take on any defender out on the wing.

That change is already having an effect, as Sam has found the back of the net in two of the first three games of the season, and also earned a penalty kick that was converted by Wright-Phillips in the 2-1 win in Columbus.

MR. 1,000

Mike Grella's game-winning chip of Crew SC 'keeper Steve Clark will go down not just as one of the best goals of the early season, it will have a place in the record books as the 1,000th goal in New York franchise history across all competitions.

The Long Island native scored the first MLS goal of his career seconds after entering the game as a substitute in the 56th minute. After a forced turnover Grella caught Clark off his line, and chipped a ball over his head to give the Red Bulls a 2-1 lead on the road. The goal was the 1,000th scored between all sanctioned competitions.

KLJESTAN RE-ADJUSTING TO MLS LIFE

When Jesse Marsch was named Red Bulls coach in early January, one name immediately came to mind: a talented young player he had mentored first as his midfield partner at Chivas USA, and later as an assistant coach under Bob Bradley with the U.S. Men's National Team.

Now, three games into the regular season, the bond between the two is strong as ever, while the relationship between Kljestan and his teammates continues to blossom.

"So far it's been pretty good," Klejstan told reporters last week. "I always look at the team first. The results have been good, and we've played good soccer, so that has been great. Obviously I don't have any goals or assists yet, but that part will come. I think my relationship with Bradley is growing pretty quickly. I think we've gotten a lot better of finding each other on the field, whereas the first game in Kansas City [a 1-1 draw] we didn't find each other nearly enough."

Marsch is asking the U.S. international to play higher up the field, to receive the ball and launch the Red Bulls attack. For the coach, things are starting to come together over the first three weeks. In fact, he believes Kljestan sometimes needs to slow down to control the game --

"He's so used to seeing plays [develop] so quickly that he's played a lot of one- and two-touch in moments when he could actually take more touches and either be running at defenders or be running in a way so that it's setting up a pass that can lead towards goal," Marsch said. "When you play in high-level games in [the UEFA Champions League], you have to think so quickly and play so quickly because there's no time and space on the field."

GROWING UP FAST

Coming off of a strong showing at the U-20 Concacaf Championships with the US U-20 squad, center back Matt Miazga has been put forth by Jesse Marsch as a part of the Red Bulls future.

Miazga signed with the Red Bulls as a Homegrown player in May of 2013, turning down offers to play in college.

Though starting the season on the bench, Miazga was called into action in the first match of the season, replacing Zubar in the final stages of the game in Kansas City. Miazga has gone a full 90 in each of the Red Bulls back-to-back victories.

Through three games, New York has only yielded two goals in 2015.

PERRINELLE PROVIDES VETERAN PRESENCE

After joining New York in the summer of 2014 from French side FC Istres, Damien Perrinelle saw action in just two games - for a total of seven minutes.

After his first full offseason with the club, Perrinelle has been rejuvenated under Marsch. The Frenchman was named starting center back next to his countryman Ronald Zubar. When Zubar picked up an injury just 70 minutes into the season, Perrinelle found himself the anchor of a young and shifting back line. That role became even more prevalent after Roy Miller was also forced out with a knee injury in training.

The 31-year-old Ligue 2 veteran has been a steady presence in the early going on a backline that has seen three different combinations of starters through three games, yet has still conceded just two goals on the team's 2-0-1 streak to start the year. After Perrinelle, the most experienced defender to take the field for New York is second-year right back Chris Duvall.

Perrinelle has steadied 19-year-old Matt Miazga, starting in place of Zubar, and has provided stability for the shifting left back position, where Kemar Lawrence and Anthony Wallace have both made starts in place of Miller.

Perrinelle was recently recognized as a finalist for Coup Franc's MLS French Player of the Month award.

Red Bulls captain Dax McCarty draws strength from father Dart

Two days ahead of the season opener, Jesse Marsch told his team that veteran midfielder Dax McCarty would shoulder captain's responsibilities for 2015. McCarty is entering his 10th MLS season, and fifth with New York after being acquired from D.C. in a midseason trade in 2011.

McCarty is the second-longest tenured Red Bull player behind left back Roy Miller. He was praised by Marsch from day one, -

"I already know Dax McCarty, and I know what kind of guy he is. He's grown up in this league in a lot of ways. He came into the league when he was young and he's played a lot of different roles as time has gone on, but I think he's ready to show that he knows what it takes to be a winner, he's had a lot of experiences. As a starting point, that's a guy that I'm definitely going to rely on to now help this transition move forward smoothly, and to make sure that on the field we're all on the same page."

Marsch did just that - leaning on vets like McCarty and Luis Robles during the preseason. The armband was spread around in the early going - with McCarty and Robles each wearing the armband in preseason games, along with Lloyd Sam, Bradley Wright-Phillips and Sacha Kljestan.

During preseason, McCarty and his father, Dart, were profiled in the Orlando Sentinel by Paul Tenorio.

"What? What did they trade you for - Dart McCarty asked.

"Straight up for Dwayne De Rosario," Dax responded.

"Son, I love you," Dart McCarty said. "But I would trade you straight up for Dwayne De Rosario."

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When he was diagnosed, McCarty, who had never smoked or used tobacco products, was told he had options that might give him a few more years to live. The treatment options he was offered included pulling all of his teeth. He walked out of the office to find a doctor who would give him a more positive outlook.

"I said if you're going to be on my team, I'm a fighter and I never want to hear anything less than survival rates of 30-plus," Dart McCarty said. "And if you can't do that, I'll find somebody else."

2015 RED BULLS COACHING STAFF

After being appointed head coach, Jesse Marsch named long-time Chicago Fire assistant and head coach Denis Hamlett his first assistant. Hamlett, like Marsch, entered MLS in the inaugural 1996 draft. After a medical condition ended his playing career, Hamlett joined the Chicago Fire's coaching staff for their inaugural '98 season, the same year Marsch was acquired by the team.

After 10 seasons as an assistant coach in Chicago, Hamlett was giving the head coaching reigns of the club in 2008. In two seasons at the helm, he led the side to back-to-back Eastern Conference finals and came within penalty kicks of an MLS Cup appearance in 2009.

In addition to keeping John Wolyniec and goalkeepers coach Rafael Gonzalez, Marsch brought in long-time Fire teammate Chris Armas. Armas also joined Chicago in '98, pairing with Marsch in the midfield for the fairytale double-winning campaign for the expansion side. Armas earned MLS Best XI honors five times in his career, tied for second-most all time behind only Landon Donovan's seven. He made 66 appearances for the USMNT, just missing the 2002 and 2006 World Cups due to injury. Armas is widely considered one of the best American players of his generation.

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