March 23: Impact 1, Red Bulls 0
The Red Bulls, coming off a dominating performance against D.C. United, looked to build on it and take the upstart Impact, undefeated heading into the weekend, down a peg.
Instead, they failed to come away with any points from the affair, dropping to 0-2-2 on the season.
It's not panic-more-than-usual time in New York yet, but what was shaping up to be a turning point game, where the team finally puts everything together (on the road, even) and makes a statement, fizzled.
Not that there weren't strong points: Peguy Luyindula looked good, sans finishing. Juninho had a strong game, coming off an injury and limited duty against D.C.
But on the other side of the coin Markus Holgersson didn't have a particularly good day at the office, and Brandon Barklage had a horrific one. Oh yeah, and that finishing.
Then again, the above can be said for every game this season...
Positives
- The Red Bulls out-possessed the Impact.
- Luyindula looked pretty good, especially for a guy who hadn't played much in two years.
- Connor Lade got his first real chance of the year.
Negatives
- At some point, the Red Bulls have to score. Honestly.
- You can play all the games in the world where there was a positive takeaway, but those games seldom get you three points...
- Barklage's red will keep him out of next Saturday's game against the Union.
Notable Quotes
It's a difficult time for us because we started the season with two losses and two ties. I think we started this game off well, we had the ball, but we get one against us early on and it made the difference. After the goal, we continued to play possession but eventually the game levelled off. After the red, it became more difficult for us.
Relevant Stats
| Impact | Statistic | Red Bulls |
| 14 | Attempts on Goal | 16 |
| 5 | Corners | 5 |
| 13 | Fouls | 18 |
| 3 | Crosses | 20 |
| 81% | Passing Accuracy | 82% |
| 42% | Possession | 58% |