Timely progress: Red Bulls enter tough stretch of schedule looking more fluid

4/21/09
red bulls
By Max J. Dickstein

Timely progress: Red Bulls enter tough stretch of schedule looking more fluid

Photo credit: Game Face

Senegalese star Macoumba Kandji, above, is looking comfortable alongside fellow Red Bulls forward Juan Pablo Angel. (Getty Images)

By Andrew Keh

Special to amNewYork

Beginning Thursday night in Kansas City, the Red Bulls will play two games in four days against Kansas City and D.C. United, two Major League Soccer clubs that sit above them in the Eastern Conference standings.

So it was a relief for the Red Bulls (1-2-2) that their offense showed certain vital signs in a 2-0 win against Real Salt Lake on Saturday.

The most obvious improvement was in the forward line, where Macoumba Kandji was successfully paired with Juan Pablo Angel.

Angel, the striker, has an illustrious MLS reputation that now precedes his every move. Throughout the game, he used this fact to his advantage, dropping far into the hole, behind his usual advanced position on the field, to open space ahead for Kandji to exploit.

When Kandji established himself as a threat, he was then able to drop back and return the favor to Angel, creating a seesawing dynamism that resulted in a goal for each player.The forwards’ interplay was particularly important because their midfield teammates are still not quite in rhythm.

Jorge Rojas, for example, appears to have the skill, but not the disposition, to play a central attacking role. He shows his qualities in isolated spurts — a flick here, a sly turn there — but these flourishes rarely add to the flow of offense.

Conversely, Dane Richards showed why, despite his many shortcomings, he continues to be picked to play. What the diminutive winger lacks in decision making and on-the-move passing, he makes up for in enthusiasm, kinetic energy and disruptive force; his speed originated the Red Bulls’ first goal on Saturday.

The mild disappointment thus far in midfield, though, has been partially offset by the encouraging defensive play of the Red Bulls’ new fullbacks, rookie Jeremy Hall and recently signed Alfredo Pacheco.

Hall, who is playing in his first season as a professional out of Maryland, is still something of a work in progress. But Pacheco glided easily up and down the sideline and played a few ambitious balls forward in Saturday’s game, his first with the team, showing why he was so coveted in the offseason by Red Bulls coach Juan Carlos Osorio. Both are capable defenders who itch to get forward.

The return of goalkeeper Jon Conway further solidified the squad. If the Red Bulls continue to improve from their sluggish start to the year, they could make up some valuable ground in the conference in their next two games.

Red Bulls (1-2-2) at Kansas City Wizards (2-2-1), Thursday, 8 p.m. ESPN2

RBNY outlook: The Red Bulls face a Kansas City team that is unbeaten in its past three games. The Wizards’ attack will run through Argentine playmaker Claudio Lopez and American forward Josh Wolff, who earned MLS Player of the Week honors after a two-goal spurt Saturday in Chicago.
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Timely progress: Red Bulls enter tough stretch of schedule looking more fluid

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