New York Red Bulls faced a gritty challenge in week one against newly revamped FC Cincinnati, falling 1-0 due to a late second half goal. Despite the team’s long stretches of possession and danger in front of goal, they were unable to score a much needed goal, setting up early-season worries given the fact that newly minted striker Eric Choupo-Moting made his first start for the club. Still, head coach Sandro Schwarz wasn’t worried and was, in fact, satisfied with his team’s performance.
“I would say I’m satisfied with the performance,” said Schwarz following the game. “We were very active. We had good situations with the ball. I would say we had our chances to score the first goal but in the end we are disappointed about the result.”
Red Bulls did have moments where they looked to be the better team, especially through stretches of the second half. The team’s best chance to score came in the first half when the ball found Choupo-Moting in the box, forcing him to make a back heel effort and captain Emil Forsberg hitting the crossbar. Wingers Cameron Harper and Omar Valencia played key roles in disrupting FC Cincinnati’s defense by carrying the ball down the wings with intent.
In the end, it was a ball over the top and a temporary lapse in concentration that cost Red Bulls the game. New striker Kevin Denkey was able to beat the defense off the shoulder and head an effort past goalkeeper Carlos Coronel.
“You want to start the season on a positive note,” said striker Lewis Morgan. “There’s positives to take and there’s obviously things we need to do better. In fairness to Cincinnati they did create some chances towards the end and it was a good battle.”
Red Bulls will return home for the first time since the second game against Columbus Crew in last year’s playoffs on March 1st. They’ll host Nashville SC with the hopes of kickstarting their season with the first win on the trot. Players like Choupo-Moting will hope to find the scoreboard and give the fans something to cheer for as they will raise their Eastern Conference championship banner on a cold March night.
photo by Matt Kremkau