Previewing Houston Dynamo at New York Red Bulls with Eric Friedlander
(image via New York Red Bulls/Twitter)
The Houston Dynamo are back on the east coast this weekend with a trip to New Jersey to take on the New York Red Bulls. We talked to our friend Eric Friedlander to get some insight on the Red Bulls ahead of Saturday night’s match.
The big news about the Red Bulls this week is around Dante Vanzeir and the incident at last weekend's game. What is the general feeling around the fanbase about what went on and how does the team handle this going forward?
The general feeling is very poor at the moment. Red Bulls don’t have the largest fanbase but it’s a very passionate one. Of the most passionate fan, there is a lot of pain and anger directed toward Dante Vanzeir and Gerhard Struber. While not everyone believes that Struber and Vanzeir should be out of the club, it appears the majority see that as the only way forward. The statements that have been put out have not done much to help the club’s case.
With the Red Bulls in the Eastern Conference, the Dynamo don't play them as much. Who are some players to look for that Dynamo fans may not be as familiar with?
The player to watch is Andres Reyes. On his day he is a top 5 center back in MLS in my opinion. He has allowed the defense to be more aggressive and is a big reason why the team has not allowed more than 1 goal in a game since the season began. Reyes is dominant in the air and strong defending in space. He is a hand full for any striker to match up against.
Another player to watch is Cameron Harper. A former Celtic youth product by way of California, he has done everything for New York playing right back, right wing, and now left back and left wing-back in a five in the back formation. He is a very direct player always looking to run at defenders and get crosses in.
RBNY have not had a clean sheet in their last 5 matches. What has been the reason for the instability on defense?
While they haven’t had a clean sheet, the defense is not really an issue. Ultimately, when the team cannot score or create much offense, it puts tremendous pressure on the defense to be perfect, which is a very tough task for even the best defense.
The “Red Bull way” is well known with pressing and not having much of the ball. Does this team play that way and what can we expect from them when they do have the ball in the attack?
Yes, this team is very press reliant. For this game, I would expect them to press out of a 4222 formation, though a 3421 formation is also a possibility. What you can expect from this team is a lot of long balls forward and a very direct approach. They don’t find overlaps often and don’t really look like they know what to do when they have possession for an extended period of time.
How is the health of the roster and do you expect anyone to be unavailable Saturday?
The team is not very healthy so if my other answers have not made it clear, the team is in a bit of a shambles at the moment. Currently Lewis Morgan, John Tolkin, and Luquinhas all look likely to miss this game. Those are three big players missing and will make scoring goals tough once again.
Predicted lineup and prediction for the match?
Carlos Coronel
Kyle Duncan - Sean Nealis - Andres Reyes - Dylan Nealis -Cameron Harper
Frankie Amaya - Daniel Edelman
Cristian Casseres Omir Fernandez
Corey Burke
Match prediction, a silent stadium if Struber still in charge and another 1-1 tie.
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We want to thank Eric for his time and wish our friends in New York and New Jersey the best of luck tomorrow.
