Four takeaways from a six point week in Harrison
After a weekend off the Red Bulls captured all 6 points in games against Charlotte FC and Orlando City SC
Aidan O’Connor makes his debut
A tense 1-0 lead became palpably tenser in the 75th minute of the Red Bulls’ match against Orlando City SC on Saturday night after center back Noah Eile appeared to pick up a knock. With Andres Reyes, the third member of the Red Bulls’ defensive carousel, out with a foot injury, that left 12th overall 2024 MLS draft pick Aidan O’Connor to take the reins.
And while coach Sandro Schwarz made light of his introduction in the post-game presser, comically remarking “Yeah, it was a very simple decision because he was the only center back on the bench,” New York has already shown trust in O’Connor. It’s worth remembering that in the draft, the Red Bulls traded $50,000 in GAM, the 14th overall pick, and the 43rd overall pick to get him.
Despite being relatively brief, Aidan O’Connor’s debut was bright. The combination of his size, standing at 6’3, and his speed, made for an imposing presence on the pitch. He read the game well, cutting out passes and using his frame to cause a problem for Orlando’s attackers. And in moments when he may not have known what to do with the ball, he played it to safety in the opposition’s end, which as a fan (and I’m sure as Sandro Schwarz) creates some peace of mind.
I sincerely hope that Reyes, Nealis, and Eile can remain healthy and out of red card danger. But I also hope that we can see more of Aidan O’Connor in the first team this season. And as Sandro Schwarz has made clear this season, competition is a key to his formula for success.
Dante Vanzeir’s goal struggles continue
Speaking of competition, Dante Vanzeir returned to the starting lineup after making a ~25 minute cameo against Charlotte FC last Wednesday. And while some of that decision can be attributed to fixture congestion, neither Elias Manoel nor Dante Vanzeir have seemed eager to claim the second-striker role.
This season, Vanzeir has only scored two goals. Seven assists remains an impressive feat, and in the aggregate nine goal contributions in 14 matches played is strong output for a designated player. But the eye test still doesn’t love Dante this season.
And this isn’t just about Dante Vanzeir. As great as Lewis Morgan has been this season (nine goals and four assists in 16 games) he still misses chances that an elite number nine would likely finish. Dante needs to find his shooting boots if this team is going to play to its potential this season – hopefully a week off and a match against the New England Revolution can do the trick.
Four wins in five
Speaking of the New England Revolution, the Red Bulls began their stretch of four wins in five matches by hammering the Revs 4-2 at Red Bull Arena. Since then, the good guys beat raccoon rivals D.C. United, Charlotte FC, and most-recently Orlando City SC. The only dropped points were to NYCFC in a match that did not feature Emil Forsberg.
The main reason why I think this is notable, aside from the strong string of results, is that this team could not buy a win from the end of March through the month of April. Red cards, own goals, and injuries haunted Red Bull fans and made Stress Awareness Month difficult to observe. But things seem to have shifted – this team is seeing out results, scoring multiple goals, and staying disciplined (for the most part) which is encouraging. It shows that this team can grow and evolve, as we’ve seen playing against five-back formations after the Columbus Crew defeat.
Sandro effusive about Daniel Edelman
Speaking of that awful loss to the Columbus Crew, that match might have been a season low for Daniel Edelman. Once a mainstay in the Red Bulls’ midfield, Edelman was facing competition at his position, lost a tough away match to a U.S. youth national team compatriot Aidan Morris, and received a silly red card in stoppage time to add insult to injury.
Since then, however, Edelman has been on a warpath of redemption to the point of arguably deserving a call-up to the U.S. olympic team this summer in Paris, France. And Schwarz was not afraid of making explicitly clear just how good Edelman was against Orlando City SC in the post-game press conference “Top. Danny Edelman, top…how he plays, the games, his performance in training sessions, his behavior very professional. He wants to learn everyday and his improvement is a lot. All of us know his quality, especially against the ball. Physically he is in a top spot.”
P.S. Free kicks galore
Before I end, I had to mention that Emil Forsberg and John Tolkin scored free-kick goals in back-to-back matches this week for the first time since Felipe and Sacha Kljestan in 2016. Obviously the goals were incredible to watch (and rewatch and rewatch again) but tactically these goals should make Red Bull fans very excited.
Forsberg’s free kick goal opened the scoring on a rainy night at Red Bull Arena against Charlotte FC. After he scored, two more goals followed, including another goal two minutes later from Forsberg again which proved to be the winning goal. And Tolkin’s free kick goal was the only goal of the match against a testy Orlando City side. These set piece goals are proving to be critical in securing results when our forwards aren’t firing, and while we shouldn’t rely on them, we should appreciate having that capability within the squad now. These are the plays that extend tournament runs and win trophies. I know Juninho is sending us good vibes from his new post at Olympique Lyonnais.