The Red Bulls came close to a rare road win but were forced to settle for a point as FC Dallas overcame multiple deficits for a 2-2 draw at Toyota Stadium.
Sacha Kljestan had a goal and an assist offensively, but was abused defensively as Dallas swarmed and consistently got the ball back from him.
It’s as much a testament to how poor the Red Bulls played as how well FC Dallas played that the Texas outfit were able to comeback twice to secure a tie in that game.
It’s worth noting that the Red Bulls were without three of their starting defenders with Kemar Lawrence, Fidel Escobar and Michael Murillo all representing their countries during the international break. The fact that they were able to get anything at all with their 5th, 6th and 7th options at defender is fairly remarkable.
Here are the RBNY player ratings @ FC Dallas:
Luis Robles - 4
Can’t remember the last time we saw Robles get nutmegged...
Sal Zizzo - 3
When Zizzo plays a game like that, do the Red Bulls REALLY have an advantage when they’re “a man up”?
Aaron Long - 6
Nice to see Long get his first MLS goal.
Damien Perrinelle - 3
When you’re a 33-year-old defender being lectured by an 18-year-old on proper defending, it’s either a really bad day or time to re-evaluate career choices.
Connor Lade - 4
Tyler Adams - 8 (Man of the Match)
AmeriKante pulled triple duty on Saturday, doing his own job while doing Sal Zizzo’s and Damien Perrinelle’s too. No fewer than three times did Adams save the team from a sure FCD goal.
Felipe - 7
Sean Davis - 3
A yellow card means Davis is now suspended for the next match against Chicago.
Sacha Kljestan - 6
Offensively, Kljestan was dynamite, scoring a goal and adding an assist. But defensively he was atrocious, getting dispossessed by Dallas constantly.
Alex Muyl - 4
Bradley Wright-Phillips - 6
Subs:
Muhamed Keita - 5
It wasn’t a great debut for Keita, but he showed superb speed and an ability to get on the ball quickly.
Gonzalo Veron - 4
Derrick Etienne Jr. - n/a
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It’s reassuring to see that Muhamed Keita seems ready to get some serious playing time. With Daniel Royer still out for who knows how long and Sean Davis now suspended for the next match, the Red Bulls need all the reinforcements they can get.
With any luck, Taxi, Murillo and Escobar will be back for the next match against the Chicago Fire, and may even be joined by a healthy Aurelien Collin.
Unfortunately, “luck” has been pretty hard to come by this season for the Red Bulls.
With Atlanta, Columbus and Montreal hot on their tail, the Red Bulls can’t afford to drop many more points this season.