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Matchday Musings: Pachuca
A slightly too lighthearted look ahead to the Red Bulls' upcoming fixture
Photo credit: Irish Maliborski
Did you know that Liga MX has the highest television ratings of any soccer league in the United States? You probably did, it’s not really that obscure of a factoid, though it is worth noting Liga MX typically draws more American viewers than MLS and the Premier League combined. If you’re really keeping your eye out for it, you’ll see more Club America or Chivas jerseys walking through the streets of New York than Man United’s or Liverpool’s. You won’t see as many Pachuca jerseys though, despite their rich history the Hidalgo club doesn’t quite have the same following as the biggest names in Mexico. There should be a solid away fan presence at the game, but don’t expect a sea of white and blue in the seats.
Leagues Cup Standings:
* 3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw plus an additional point for winning a penalty shootout.
Bulletin Board
The Red Bulls’ Leagues Cup campaign started on Saturday and it just might be finished on Tuesday. After 90 minutes of the kind of soccer that makes it hard to get Americans invested in the sport, New York and Toronto took a 0-0 game into penalties, a shootout which TFC ultimately won 5-4. 16 year old Wunderkind Julian Hall made his first ever career start with the senior squad, but with the team on the brink of elimination, Sandro Schwarz will likely opt for a more experienced forward in game 2. While a regular time win against Pachuca would clinch a spot in the knockout rounds, a loss would eliminate the Red Bulls. A penalty shootout makes things more complicated. In that scenario New York would still get at least one point in the standings, and would essentially just need the Toronto-Pachuca game to not end in penalty kicks in order to advance. Leagues Cup has some weird rules and a very short group stage, the important thing is though, if the Red Bulls don’t get the right result, then they won’t play a competitive game of soccer till August 24th when MLS resumes. Some people can’t go a day without a Red Bull, I don’t know if I can go a whole summer month without a Red Bull game, so for that reason alone, I’m really banking on the team getting a win here.
Getting that win might be a little tricky as Pachuca are no normal Mexican team, they are the current CONCACAF champions after thrashing the Columbus Crew 3-0 in the final back in June. It was a pretty dominant run to the North American title, they beat Philadelphia 6-0, Costa Rican heavyweight Herediano 7-2, and knocked out the current Liga MX champions Club America in the semifinals. That said, it’s been a bit of a slow start for Los Tuzos, which google translate tells me means the gophers, who have only earned 4 points through 4 games in the new Liga MX season. Also with the game being in the relatively flat Harrison, the Red Bulls won’t have to deal with Pachuca's most daunting ally, their home stadium which sits almost 8000 feet above sea level, That level of elevation can be absolutely brutal for away teams, but it also makes Pachuca a less daunting opponent when they’re on the road. They are still stacked with talent, led by a very intimidating group of forwards. MLS fans might be familiar with Oussama Idrssi who scored a fairly stunning goal from outside the box during the MLS-Liga MX All Star Game. Idrssi was one of 5 Pachuca players at the All-Star Game, where he was joined by midfielders Nelson Deossa, Alan Bautista, striker Salomon Rondon, and defender Bryan Gonzalez. There’s a lot of individual quality on this roster, probably the most the Red Bulls have seen this season outside of only the top teams in MLS.
But that individual talent has been a little inconsistent, both this season and last season in Liga MX. The whole continent saw what this team is capable of when it’s firing on all cylinders, it’s the team that won the CONCACAF Champions Cup afterall, but it’s also the team that’s been shutout in 3 of their 4 games this season. To be fair it’s early, but the team had similar issues in the league last season and it’s fair to wonder if they’re experiencing a post title hangover. Pachuca typically lines up in a 4-2-3-1, a formation that empowers a strong attack, by attempting to overwhelm the midfield. With the likes of Deossa and Pedro Pedraza providing cover in the midfield, the attacking players like Idrsi, Rondon and Bautista can wreak havoc. This is a team that can really break an opponent with an early goal, forcing the opposition to open themselves up and then they proceed to just relentlessly chip away at those openings till the game gets ugly. In a game the Red Bulls cannot afford to lose, Schwarz would likely go in on an all out attack if his squad goes down early. In that scenario, things could get a bit messy real fast. If the Red Bulls defense can hold firm, then this should be an even game against an intriguing opponent.
Stats Circle
New York Red Bulls MLS Record: 10-11-4 (4th-E)
Pachuca Liga MX Record: 1-1-2 (12th-E)New York Red Bulls Last Leagues Cup Result: 0-0 vs Toronto FC
Pachuca Last Liga MX Result: 0-2 vs. PumasNew York Red Bulls Top Leagues Cup Scorer: 30 way tie with 0
Pachuca Top Liga MX Scorer: Two way tie with 1 (Alan Bautista, Carlos Sanchez)This is the first ever matchup between Pachuca and the New Red Bulls in any competition in their collective history.
Fun Fact: By winning the CONCACAF Champions Cup, Pachuca has qualified for next year’s Club World Cup, where they stand to earn 50 million euros not dollars in prize money just for making the group stage. There they could end up facing another Red Bull owned team, 17 time Austrian champs, RB Salzburg. There is still one last spot in the tournament available for an MLS team, but the criteria for that place has still not yet been announced.
Player To Watch
Salomon Rondon
Venezuela's all time leading goal scorer has had a pretty spectacular 2024 so far. Despite being 34, he’s had perhaps not the best year of his career, but certainly the most prestigious. He took home both the Golden Ball and the Golden Shoe award during CONCACAF Champion Cup, scoring an impressive 9 goals in 7 games. He followed up the strong club season, with an impressive Copa America campaign, adding 3 goals in 4 games, taking Venezulaz to the quarter finals, and the country looks primed to potentially qualify for the first World Cup in their history. However that run, largely kept him out of the Pachuca lineup for the start of the Liga MX season, a big reason why the team’s had trouble finding the score sheet so far. He did see his first minutes off the bench against Pumas, but this game against the Red Bulls could be his first start of Pachuca’s 2024-2025 campaign. That might mean he could be a little rusty, but this is one of the best strikers on the continent right now and keeping him off the score sheet will be a challenge.
Daniel Edelman
This one will likely be won or lost in the midfield, and pound for pound, Pachuca just has more quality and experience in that area of the field. With Emil Forsberg injured and Frankie Amaya gone, that is an area where the Red Bulls aren’t only fairly inexperienced, but very young. Edelman, Dennis Gjengaar, Ronald Donkor and Wiki Carmona have an average age of a few months over 20 between them, and none of them are older than 21. There’s also not really any depth with much experience beyond MLSNP behind them at the moment, as injuries have taken their toll. Edelman has been a starter for a few seasons now, and is easily the strongest defensively among the team’s midfielders. If the Red Bulls are going to win this game, they’ll need him winning duels, providing cover for the center backs, while still being able to coordinate the passing game through the midfield. He can do it, but against these guys, he’ll really need to step it up a notch.
Matt Miagaza Model of the Week
Pedro Pedraza
Photo credit: @pedrazar16 Instagram
Well toned, not overly muscular, and he’s got one of those faces that makes you think he's a sweet guy.
Prediction:
1-1 after regulation, but this time the Red Bulls take the “win” on penalties.
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