With any luck, this will be the last time I write or think about this past Sunday's FC Dallas vs. New York Red Bulls contest. While there was little good to take away from the 2-1 loss, the game was hardly a disaster for the Red Bulls. When you really think about it, you realize that a New York side without two lineup mainstays lost a winnable away contest by a single goal. It seems to me that, halfway into week one of the 2012 Major League Soccer season, fans and analysts alike may be over-thinking the match just a bit.
3 final thoughts on Red Bulls loss at FC Dallas: Not a story
Breaking news: Thierry Henry didn't want to talk to a reporter after a Red Bulls loss. I feel the need to ask one obvious question to people who believe that this is actually a noteworthy story. Have you ever before seen and/or spoken to Henry after a RBNY loss? This was nothing new. Everybody is entitled to his/her opinion, and I really don't have any strong feelings either way regarding the "Henry needs to be more professional when speaking to the American media following a loss" subject. I was, however, a bit irritated with all of the coverage this matter received on Monday. Henry remains one of the biggest names in the league, but this story was a flashback to 2010. Next thing you know, somebody is going to try to convince you that European players don't fancy flying around the United States for matches.
3 final thoughts on Red Bulls loss at FC Dallas: Why I'm not worried
Fans may not like to admit it out loud, but New York were clearly missing defender-turned-midfielder Rafa Marquez on Sunday. The team's midfield was simply not good enough at Dallas, producing absolutely nothing and essentially forcing Henry to drop back in order to (hopefully) create attacking sequences. Marquez has, leading up to the start of the 2012 season, stated that he's committed to the franchise. Give him a shot, fans, before you boo him out of Red Bull Arena this spring.
We got our first look at what the 2012 Red Bulls will look like without Luke Rodgers, who is still trying to obtain a work visa. I didn't like what I saw. Red Bulls fans can clamor for Kenny Cooper to start over Juan Agudelo until they are blue in the face. If there's one glaring thing I learned on Sunday afternoon, it's that we could be in for more bad times than good until Luke returns to the States.
3 final thoughts on Red Bulls loss at FC Dallas: Why I'm worried
Perhaps we RBNY supporters underestimated how much we are going to miss Tim Ream this season. New York's back line was just plain awful on Sunday, and Dallas would have cruised to an easy 4-0 victory if not for the stellar play of rookie goalkeeper Ryan Meara, who kept his team in the match with several clutch stops. Blaming Markus Holgersson and Roy Miller for their two obvious miscues is easy, but the unit as a whole failed Meara. If that wasn't bad enough, there was also no real distribution from the back, minus those "what are you hoping to achieve here?" over the top balls to absolutely nobody. Ryan Meara looked like the real deal against Dallas, and I really do have high hopes for the young 'keeper. He can't do it all by himself, though.
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