Johnson bags hat trick as Wizards down short-handed Red Bulls
Clint Mathis got an unwarranted red card and Jeff Parke left the match at half-time. Those two events helped the Wizards slice and dice the Red Bulls defense like a Japanese chef. Eddie Johnson netted a hat-trick but the story was the Wizards ability to pick apart the Red Bulls.
Is it panic time in Red Bulls land? What Saturday showed us is that not even Bruce Arena can find a a way to win missing three of four defenders, his goalkeeper and play a man down against one of the league's best.
The match also showed that the team needs to add some speed on defense. The Red Bulls need to sign Chris Leitch yesterday and plug him in at right back so they can move Dema Kovalenko back into a defensive midfield role. whether it's Kovalenko or Stammler, the Red Bulls need destroyer in the middle, especially with such a vulnerable back-line.
I know I dwelled on Clint Mathis' red card quite a bit during the running commentary but the reality is that even if Mathis hadn't come out the Red Bulls would have still had serious issues with the Wizards speed once Jeff Parke left the match.
We can begin to speculate immediately. Who does Bruce Arena unload to bring in Leitch or whatever other defender the team brings in?
How about Graham for Leitch?
Posted by: IamMetro | June 02, 2007 at 10:49 PM
The Red Bulls are more important than my fantasy team, but I must say something.
I spent 15 million on Twellman. EJ is 11m. I envy you Ives.;-)
Come on Fred!!!
So I had Boyens last week and he didn't play, I got rid of him this week and he gets about 60 points. Just my luck.
Posted by: JHJG89 | June 02, 2007 at 11:19 PM
"The match also showed that the team needs to add some speed on defense."
Maybe they can find a way to pry Marvel Wynne away from Tronto?
Posted by: Tony M | June 03, 2007 at 12:29 AM
Mathis is a loose cannon. He must control his emotions/attitude or follow Guevara out the door.
He cost the team 3 points.
Posted by: Marathon Runner | June 03, 2007 at 02:58 AM
I had EJ earlier this season, then I think KC was off one week and I dropped him. Keep forgetting to add him back!
I don't think Leitch will help much though I agree that Kovalenko can help more in central midfield. But this is why MLS needs 20 man senior rosters. Teams need 2 proven players at each position!
I'm getting the feeling refs don't like Mathis. This is at least the 3rd time in the last couple years he's been sent off on weak calls (the worst was when with RSL a ref sent him off for not correctly positioning the ball on a free kick). On this one I can see how the ref thought it was red worthy, even if not intentional.
Posted by: undrafted | June 03, 2007 at 03:20 AM
KC looks good and deserved the win.
The call on Mathis was awful and then no card on Dema for a hard tackle. I thought the league was investing on officiating? The league clearly needs to do more because it is impacting the product's quality.
I expected Reyna to do more in this match. Was he double or triple teamed? If so VDB and Richards need to step their games up. If not, where was Reyna?
Freeman, Dunivant and Parke need to get better ASAP.
Red Bulls need to find another central defender for depth.
Posted by: Tim | June 03, 2007 at 09:42 AM
Is it too early to speculate about EJ leaving MLS when the season is over? It seems to me that with regular service he's a potent goal scorer.
Also, isn't nice to see the fans in KC waking up to the fact they've got a good team? Perhaps a good run for the MLS Cup will pique futher interest in a stadium.
Posted by: Nic | June 03, 2007 at 06:11 PM
The red bulls and their defense turn to crap in one game. Are they really that bad or was kc that good?
Posted by: tex | June 04, 2007 at 10:00 AM
Maybe the league can use the Beckham rule to bring Graham Poll over on a free transfer. It's a rarity to see an MLS game without at least one embarassingly poor decision.
Posted by: Ryan | June 04, 2007 at 03:38 PM
Sorry, the Mathis card looked warranted to me. It looked like an intentional "unintentional" elbow to the man's face. Yeah elbows fly around inadvertently, but he was clearly thrusting his elbow up and back which isn't exactly a natural movement. Try to look at it from a non-RBNY fan view.
FIFA and the league have made cracking down on high elbows a priority the last couple of years and this is a product of that move.
Posted by: papa bear | June 05, 2007 at 08:14 PM