By Michael Lewis - NEW YORK, NY (Aug 8, 2011) US Soccer Players -- So, why can't the Red Bulls win? On paper, they have arguably the best starting XI, if not the most expensive, in all of Major League Soccer. After all, how can you go wrong with the likes of former French captain and striker Thierry Henry, Mexican international captain and defender Rafa Marquez, and several other National Team players from across the globe?
The Red Bulls enter the final third of the season needing to get three points from games, something that's becoming increasingly difficult for this squad. After their latest debacle - a 3-0 loss at Real Salt Lake on Saturday night - the Red Bulls find themselves on a five-game winless streak (0-3-2) with a less than mediocre 6-6-12 record and 30 points. A few more draws and losses this month, and the Red Bulls could find themselves struggling to reach the playoffs.
Pretty incredible for a team that keeps spending.
Yes, the Red Bulls were decimated by the CONCACAF Gold Cup in June, losing four regulars and yes, the Red Bulls had to take not one, not two, but three west coast trips over six weeks (someone give the MLS schedule maker a red card on that one). Yet we've known this was the case since the schedule was released, and we have a Red Bulls team unable to take advantage in the best of situations. There were problems prior to June, and the schedule should only make things worse.
As clichéd as it may sound, it takes any entire team to win, not just the 11 starters. Which leads us to the #1 problem… depth. Two trades involving the same player eroded away some important depth in the midfield and defense.
Quite appropriately, on April Fools' Day the Red Bulls dealt promising midfielder Tony Tchani and utility man Danleigh Borman to Toronto FC for Canadian international midfielder Dwayne De Rosario. De Ro was hailed as the missing piece to the puzzle - the man who could turn the Red Bulls from contenders to champions.
Apparently, it wasn't meant to be. While he tried, we never did see the true Dwayne De Rosario. De Ro is the type of player who has to "own" a team, just look at what he's doing in DC these days. In New York, the team belongs to Henry. Rightly so, all things considered. Yet New York still made the trade.
If only there were people employed by New York who knew the ups and downs and odds and sods of De Rosario. Maybe long-time and respected assistant coaches Richie Williams and Des McAleenan. Perhaps, they would have told coach Hans Backe and general manager and sporting director Erik Soler about De Ro's history and reasonable expectations for him on a team that already has at least two superstars. Unfortunately, Williams and McAleenan were fired several weeks prior to the season leaving the team without experienced coaches who knew this League inside and out.
We'll never know how much the Red Bulls truly lost without that duo to give their opinions and advice, Williams as a player and a coach in MLS since day one and McAleenan as a goalkeeper coach through seven head coaches since 2002. It's called institutional memory, and removing it has disrupted lots of organizations.
On June 27th, the Red Bulls sent De Rosario packing to DC United for Dax McCarty, regarded as a better all-around midfielder but certainly not someone in the same attacking class as De Rosario. So, essentially, the trade was McCarty for De Ro, Tchani and Borman.
In Tchani the Red Bulls had a promising star of the future. The problem was, they wanted to win now and could not wait. In Borman, they had a solid performer and good cover on the left side of defense and midfield. These are exactly the types of players good MLS teams covet.
Several weeks later on July 18th, the Red Bulls dealt midfielder Austin da Luz to their newest best friends United. This time, they got an international player slot so they could add German goalkeeper Frank Rost to their roster. Again, they gave up depth in the exchange.
In the Red Bulls' 2-2 draw with FC Dallas on July 23rd, Backe used only one substitute - Chris Albright for Mehdi Ballouchy - on a hot night where fatigue was an issue. When asked why he did not use any substitutes late in the match, Backe replied, "We don't have the depth on the bench."
A damning comment, for sure. New York's bench that night was Stephen Keel, Carlos Mendes, John Rooney, Matt Kassel, and Corey Hertzog. How do you think those players felt after seeing their coach's remarks?
When Rooney replaced an ailing Jan Gunnar Solli in the 69th minute on Saturday night, it was the first time in 11 games - since a 1-1 tie at the Vancouver Whitecaps on May 28th - that the Red Bulls used three substitutions in an MLS match. According to Peter Hirdt of the Elias Sports Bureau, that was not an MLS record. The single season record is 13 games by the old Tampa Bay Mutiny in 1996. The overall mark is 14 games, set by the old San Jose Earthquakes during the 2002-2003 seasons.
But back to that last trade. Rost in goal was supposed to be the final piece to the puzzle to stop a leaky defense from, well, leaking.
For all their offensive might, the Red Bulls have become a highlight reel on how not to defend goals on set pieces. Of their 33 goals allowed, a league-high 14 have come via corner kicks or free kicks. And while the team became quite good at talking about their problems, they struggled to turn their words into actions to limit the damage. Their solution was to bring in a new keeper.
Bouna Coundoul, who was coming off his best MLS season, skipped the first week of pre-season when he was called up for an international friendly with the Senegal National Team. That put him into Backe's doghouse, starting a soccer version of musical chairs.
Greg Sutton got the starting job until he suffered a concussion in practice. Rookie Alex Horwath was thrown into the deep side of the pool during an international weekend in which the Red Bulls were decimated by National Team call-ups (including Coundoul playing for Senegal).
Horwath acquitted himself well in a scoreless draw in Columbus, but was back to the bench as Coundoul took over the starting role. Coundoul had problems, and Sutton was returned to the top spot on the depth chart. That didn't work as well as expected, and it was back to Coundoul as the starter. Do we even need to say what it does to a goalkeeper's confidence when their coach keeps playing hot potato with such a vital position?
The Red Bulls then targeted Rost, a veteran of almost two decades in Europe and the Bundesliga. Rost brought a ton of experience, but the jury is still out on him. That's what happens when you lose 4-1 to Colorado with your new keeper in goal. And wouldn't you know it, Rost exited in the first-half of Saturday's game with an injury and Coundoul was back in goal.
If this reads like a desperate team to you, it should. New York is built to win now. They're in the tough position of needing to justify not only money to bring in an elite squad, but that new $200 million stadium where they're not selling out many games. They want to win. They need to win. Henry and Marquez are not getting any younger.
Should New York flounder in the playoffs or miss them entirely, we're in for bigger changes with this club. What we've seen so far is tinkering, especially considering the Red Bulls organization doesn't always adhere to American tradition in soccer. Who knows what they might do next?
One thing is certain, the team that once fired Bruce Arena for not winning MLS Cup won't wait. Red Bull has the money and the motivation, and all involved are probably beginning to wonder loudly why this season is at risk of spinning away from them. It's a good question in search of a better answer than this team is currently providing.
Michael Lewis, who is the editor of BigAppleSoccer.com and TropiGol.com, can be reached at SoccerWriter516@aol.com.
