The Red Bulls: My take on Reyna

If you're wondering where the Red Bulls coverage has been recently, I will be back on the beat next week. I've spent the past week or so attending to other matters.

I did get a chance to watch the Chivas USA game during the week and it was pretty much as ugly as everyone said it was. What I will say is that as ugly as it was, the 3-0 loss needs to be put in some perspective.

The worst thing any team can do against Chivas USA is give up an early goal because their ability to hold the ball and their speed can wear a team out that is stuck in chase mode. The Red Bulls found themselves in that very position and were terribly equipped for the comeback.

The one thing that I did find somewhat surprising was the unreal uproar over Claudio Reyna's disappointing play. Somehow all the frustrations over the team's loss were aimed at Reyna and the hate has reached a boiling point on the message boards (okay, so maybe that's not THAT much of a surprise.)

As most of you know, I supported Reyna's signing for what he can bring to the team, both on and off the field. What I will also agree with is that using a designated player slot on a holding midfielder who doesn't score goals or sell tickets isn't the wisest move. I also believe that bringing Reyna back in 2008 as a designated player in 2008 would be very tough to justify. Let's all agree on that and get it out of the way.

Has Reyna been disappointing this season? Yes, he has, especially considering he is one of the highest paid players in the league, but that still doesn't erase the fact that he makes the team considerably better when he is on the field. Reyna is on the team now and anyone who honestly believes he can't help the team is crazy, as are any suggestions that the Red Bulls don't need him come playoff time.

I have said it before and I'll say it again. The Red Bulls don't need Reyna to beat weaker teams, but they do need him to beat the likes of DC United and New England. Without him in the middle of the park New England and DC would dominate possession against the Red Bulls and eventually create enough chances to break down a mistake-prone Red Bulls defense. Now, does that mean that Reyna can carry the Red Bulls past the top teams even if the team is playing poorly? Of course not. He isn't going to don a Superman cape and will a team to victory. Here's a secret folks. Not many, if any players in MLS can do that.

What Reyna can do is serve as a key cog to a team that is playing well from front to back. For me, some of the team's best performances this year have been in games where the defense played solid and the attack created good chances courtesy of Reyna playing well in supporting the defense and getting more possession for the attack. These haven't been blowout wins, but some solid wins against Houston early in the season and DC later in the season.

That's why I found the criticism of Reyna following the Chivas USA game a bit misguided. The Red Bulls made three terrible defensive mistakes on three goals, none of which involved Reyna. As for the toothless attack, the Red Bulls played without Jozy Altidore, Dane Richards and Clint Mathis after he left early in the first half. There was no chance the attack was going to score goals without that trio.

I know what some of you are thinking. "Well, if we had Amado Guevara instead of Reyna we could have scored some goals." Can we stop with the talk about what Guevara would have done this year? Guevara spent four seasons with the team and never won a playoff series and with the exception of the first game of the 2005 series against New England, I can't recall many clutch playoff performances by him (He also absolutely disappeared in game two of that same series, leading some teammates to privately point to him as the reason the team collapsed in that game two.) It should be noted that Clint Mathis has enjoyed a solid season so the team hasn't felt Guevara's absence THAT much.

Ultimately, players should be judged by their contributions over a whole season and the story of Reyna's first season has yet to be completed. If he fails to deliver in the post-season and in this stretch run of the regular season then everyone will be well within their rights to call his acquisition a bust. Until then, Red Bulls fans should let the season playout because despite the ugly loss last week and inconstent form, the Red Bulls actually do have a chance of making some noise in the playoffs.

What do you think of the current Red Bulls? Share your thoughts on the team, as well as your thoughts on my post, below.

Comments

[nickmustgo]

No matter how you spin it, Reyna is a disaster and nowhere near worth the money he is receiving. Amado Guevara is by far a better player, bring him back

[Steve W]

Is there a mechanism like the Opta index for MLS? We could objectively define Reyna's contribution then...

[Peter]

I, too, have been a solid Reyna supporter the whole season. I have stated on this blog before that he was starting to play well in the TFC (I know he only played about 25 mins, but they were perhaps his best of the season), NE, and Chi games.

However, he was absolutely awful against Chivas -- and it was in every facet of the game (not the first time it's happened either). He showed no hustle, poor positioning, and gave the ball away WAY too easily. In fact, that's the number one problem I have with Reyna: For a holding midfielder, he turns the ball over far too often.

Some of the criticism Reyna gets from RB fans is unwarranted and clearly based on his salary. But his season has undoubtedly been a disappointment thus far, and, while not being the cancer that some suggest, he is clearly not as important to this team as Jozy, JPA, Dema, even Richards, and Mathis (although I think he sometimes gets a pass from RB fans because he is a Metro legend).

[nickmustgo]

If he was making 13,500 a year he would be sitting on the bench. The fact that he is making so much money is why he should be contributing something and should be criticized for his play

[Tony M]

Ives: What next? You going to defend Osama Bin Laden to a bunch of Southern Baptist Marines?

[konrad]

well ives in tyhe chivas game, we had two DPs on the field so theres a advantage there. OK now Reyna is a holding midfielder correct, so that means he holds the ball and dishes it off, WERE was a pass to JPA that he could of scored on or made a counter attack on THERE WAS NONE, parke was more of a worry then reyna was in that game or even more all season, over all the king of the pass back was a waist of money, he dosnt "hold the ball" or a possession midfielder, he passes the ball back and makes us slow, i dont see any advantage with him on the field

[Elliott]

Ives,

I know stats are flawed tools, but what do you make of this (from Metrofanatic):

"And here are some numbers which might confirm that theory. With Reyna on the field this year, Metro's goal difference is -7. Without him, it's +9, a remarkable difference. Compare that to Kovalenko, whose on-the-field number is +6. Vide is only -4. Stammler, in games he started in midfield, is +6."

http://www.metrofanatic.com/story.jsp?ID=4654

[Eugene]

Amado Guevara is by far a better player than Claudio Reyna?? That's a joke.

Reyna may not be adding much to the offense, but Guevara was laughable last season. What's the point in bringing Guevara back when there are far better players available in the world?

[Chris]

"I have said it before and I'll say it again. The Red Bulls don't need Reyna to beat weaker teams, but they do need him to beat the likes of DC United and New England."

Well, against the top four teams in the league right now (DC, New England, Houston, Chivas), New York is 2-6 with Reyna.

"but that still doesn't erase the fact that he makes the team considerably better when he is on the field."

Really? With Reyna on the field this year, Metro's goal difference is -7. Without him, it's +9. I don't know about that Sir Ives.

Courtesy of MetroFanatic

[Michael F.]

Correct me if I'm wrong but Reyna is a defensive holding midfielder, right? I mean that's where he ends up doing most of his work as our defense requires it. And Guevara is an offensive midfield. So why do people insist on looking at them as an either or decision. It's not. Would Guevara help? Definitely. Will he end up in NY? Probably not...

[Joe B.]

No, Claudio isn't the Claudio of the Wolfsburg days, but let's give him a break. I mean, Beckham couldn't turn around the Galaxy either. At least with Reyna he might play badly in some games with those silly side passes, but he won't pout for three quarters of the whole game if a call doesn't go his way like some other ex-MLS player everyone's clamoring for. Personally I think his presence—if not on the field, makes The Red Bulls better...

[kpugs]

I 100% agree with this post. Let's face it...sports fans in this area are constantly looking for a scapegoat. Happens in every sport, so it doesn't surprise me that it's happening with RBNY.

[VictorM]

Ives,

The man simply has been a bust! Period! I fail to see why you continue to defend the guy and call us crazy.

The man makes one forward pass for every 9 passes back to his defenders. He doesn't play hard like Dema or Vide. He has a better touch than most but seldom shows it.

And the notion that NYRB is better with him than without is simply false.

[Moibus]

Ives-- Great piece. And as I'm sure you know, it can be lonely being the grown-up in the room, but keep plugging away.

BTW, to anyone publicly advocating Guevara-instead-of-Reyna: it's like wearing a sign that says "I only know soccer from video games".

[A.S.]

Fair enough. Let's see how he does down the stretch.

However, Ives also says: "I also believe that bringing Reyna back in 2008 as a designated player in 2008 would be very tough to justify."

Um, doesn't he have a contract for next year? As long as he doesn't retire, he's going to be a D.P. again, no?

[Lawrence]

I think Reyna has found himself on a team that does not compliment his strengths at all. When he had top notch players working very smart for him, he was doing well at Man City. Some need to realize that Reyna is the brain of a team, not the strength and speed. Enless he has quality players who are capable of playing well around him, he can't dictate the tempo and syle of play.

Don't give me that GD bs! with Angel on the field, we're -2!

That -7 is because he has played in only 11 games, and 2 that he played in he had shite teams on the field with him! In that houston loss (4-0) we had dipshits Waterous and Schoop, and no altidore and Dane Richards! And we all know that whoever took the field, even a quality player like Angel, was left for dead vs Chivas, without Mathis, Altidore, Richards, no Kova until the end. Plus he was stuck at RM???? As if that plays to his strengths?! Right there thats a -7 GD.

You guys need to point finger to blame, and Reyna is it.

The ironic part, is that you guys say on one hand that he is always injured and never plays. Then you say he's to blame for their season. IF HE'S MISSED THAT MANY GAMES, HOW COULD HIS PLAY EFFECTED THE SEASON LIKE YOU SAY?

[Tony M]

Ives:

Either that is an extraordinarily deadpan reply (in which case it’s very funny) or you completely missed my joke. That’s the problem with the ‘net. If we were in a bar somewhere, we’d both know what each other meant.

But just in case…I was making fun of the passion of the Reyna hatred and the fact that you have all but taken your life in your hands defending him to this crowd.

[Ives]

Tony, what reply are you talking about?

[Ives]

Tony, somebody else replied to your Osama comment using my name. I've been lucky on this board to not have people try and pull the fake Ives reply trick but in this came someone felt the need to. I'll find it who it was and out them shortly.

[Tony M]

How do I know you're the real Ives now?

I better just withdraw completely...

[JP]

Even at the peak of his career, I always thought Claudio Reyna was just an ordinary player.

Recently, he's been terrible.

[Ives]

The person who pretended to be me in that response was Alex, a pretty regular contributor to the blog. I will chalk it up as a mistake but for future reference if people attempt to pretend to be me I will be forced to ban them from the blog (and by ban I mean adding your IP address to the no access list).

[shirteesdotnet]

Can someone put up W-L with and without Reyna? That would tell the story. But I think the MetroFanatic stats clearly says it all.

[Alex]

Okay, i don't know if I can still post here but there are actually two people who use this computer, read your blog and post under the name Alex. I'm very sorry for what happened and I will speak to the other person about it. Ives, be sure it wont happen again.

Again, very, very sorry.

[Alex]

Looks like I can post again.

That was very immature, and again I apologize. Please email me if you feel you need to speak with me Ives.