Three Things: Coachella Invitational Match Day 1
The first game in the desert shows signs of progress and new ideas
The New York Red Bulls picked up where they left off claiming another preseason victory to kick off the 3 game slate in California. Fielding, a team that was about 70–80% full strength and matched up against a similarly strong Minnesota United Team, the New York Red Bulls put on a strong defensive performance limiting Minnesota to a hand full of shots all game.
Four triple two part 2?
For fans who have followed this team since Jesse Marsch took over the 4–2–2–2 formation has often been the tale of the offseason. Year after year it was the new plan only to see it fail as the team never had the right personnel to play with 2 strikers. Despite the checkered history the game vs Minnesota felt different. From the attack to the defense, the shape felt balanced. More importantly, when the team did play fast and vertically, the strikers had a partner who could play off of them and win second balls or occupy covering defenders. This is a big change from last year which often saw the striker on an island. The team also showed patience when the break wasn’t on or broke down. One pattern that occurred a few times included a wide attacker cutting inside and knocking it back to Frankie Amaya who quickly hit a ball in the air back where it came from to the overlapping left back who was beyond Minnesota’s right back and in a position to cross the ball. Moments like this may appear small but are important in unbalancing a defense with numbers behind the ball. The graphic provides a rough idea of this pattern.
Patterns such as the one above are a positive sign that the team is adding elements to how they play. A similar build-up used an overlapping run as a decoy and found Cristian Casseres Jr open at the top of the box with time to get a shot off.
After a full 90 Frankie Amaya had this to say on the formation and new patterns of play
“I think we have a team that can adjust to multiple formations. So I think we’re very comfortable with that one(4–2–2–2) and I think we’re doing well in it.”
“I think sometimes we get a little rushed and we always try to go forward and sometimes we got to calm it down and keep possession and get a little hold of the game. That is what we’re trying to implement a little bit more this year”.
Sean Nealis leader of the line:
A big question entering preseason was who would fill the leadership void left by Aaron Long’s departure. The easy answer is Sean Nealis, who showed it today with a commanding 90-minute performance. Partnered with Andres Reyes in the first and Matt Nocita in the second Nealis hardly put a foot wrong lined up at left center-back. It was the type of confident display that you expect from a player who has been with the club since 2019. Nealis was vocal throughout, quick to back up teammates in the multiple skirmishes that broke out, and full of praise for his teammates after the game.
When asked about developing his partnership with Andres Reyes Nealis had this to say, “Andres is a great player. He almost scored one in that first half. I think he’ll continue to get better throughout this preseason and we’re happy to have him healthy this year. Playing alongside him is great and we’re only going to grow together as a partnership.”
Coming out of this game Nealis was happy to have gotten a full 90 in deceptively tough conditions with the blazing desert sun directly overhead. For Nealis, building fitness is what preseason is about and the win is a nice confidence boost.
“We want to push minutes on guys and just continue to close out these games and get victories here and give us more confidence going into the regular season.”
Nocita enjoying first preseason:
Matt Nocita, an LA native, shook off the nerves and put on a solid 45-minute display in front of friends and family. Nocita, the 6–8 center-back from Navy, is in a position to earn a spot high on the depth chart with the departure of Aaron Long. His athleticism showed as he made strong sliding tackles closing down attackers from behind. He also was quick to react to 50–50 balls. Nocita has work to do on his positioning at times getting too close to attackers and getting turned.
After the game, Nocita had this to say about his 45 and building chemistry with his teammates.
“I shook off the nerves pretty quickly. It’s just good to be out there. Real supportive group. So you know all the people in the backline and the keeper always talking to each other helps you settle down and get into the flow of the game real quick, even as a sub, I thought the 45 was good, I got some stuff I can clean up always, always looking to improve. But I was happy with the performance.”
