Red Bulls choose grit over glamour as new blueprint for success

 

The New York Red Bulls beat New York City FC 2-0 on Sunday, marking the third time this season that big brother beat its little-brother expansion team. What this latest result in the Hudson Derby confirmed is that, even in these days of high-profile contracts and marquee names, the way to success in Major League Soccer lies in a blueprint, not in star power.

The two teams are headed in opposite directions with vastly differing approaches to building a team. NYCFC has come into MLS this year full of bluster and billions of dollars at their disposal, claiming to be New York City's team with a roster filled with some of the most recognizable names in the sport. But results haven't followed the bravado, even with the mid-summer additions of Frank Lampard and Andrea Pirlo, as City has only won three of its last four games and currently sits four points out of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

The Red Bulls' regular-season sweep of NYCFC comes against conventional wisdom. Gone this year are Thierry Henry and Tim Cahill, among the global stars to put on the Red Bulls crest. In their place are a bunch of yeomen who have turned first-year head coach Jesse Marsch's pressing-style into a second-place standing in the East.

Marsch's system asks his wide players to press and harass the opposition to create giveaways and negate any buildup out of the backline. The game plan does come with risks – a solid counterattack and a well-placed long ball can be lethal – but so far this season, Marsch and his men have continued to execute it to achieve results. Sunday saw three players from the club's academy all feature in the match as the Red Bulls have gone younger as well as getting less recognizable.

It just took 20 years for the Red Bulls to learn that winning in MLS isn't all about the stars. Truthfully, the team does not have a single world-class player. For a franchise that since 1996 has almost always had some big name on the roster, it is a dramatic culture shift. But while the stars have failed to bring home a championship, this year's squad is fighting and battling for every point.

And before a sold-out Red Bull Arena on Sunday, it was Marsch's gritty and gutsy side that forced Lampard and Pirlo to play a game of back passes and hopeful long balls. The European legends were taken out by a total team effort.

"I can't take credit for that. We have a fearless team. I mean, we've talked about being fearless from the beginning, not being afraid, stepping on the field and playing for each other," Marsch said after the match. "That was a personal challenge from those guys in the middle of the field. We emphasized some things tactically we wanted to do to take care of them.

"I do think those guys wanted to prove a point. They wanted to go in there and play against world class and show that they're up to the task. And show the way we play and how we play and what is still going to make us successful."

Last year, with the likes of Henry and Cahill and a season removed from the Supporters' Shield, the Red Bulls struggled to find consistency in the regular season. They made a playoff run, only to fall a game short of MLS Cup 2014.

This year, they are 10-6-6 on 35 points and second place in the East. Last year, their 10th win of the season didn't come until Sept. 10. Yes, the results are coming along, as the Red Bulls have quickly moved from rebuilding in the post-Henry years to contending.

As Marsch walked off the field in a black suit with a white shirt and a red tie, fans yelled and screamed for a man who has rebuilt a franchise once founded on names well past their prime. He has changed the philosophy and created a well-oiled machine of gritty, gutty players. He looked up into the stands as he exited the field and burst into a smile.

"We're not done!" he yelled. "We're not done yet!"fc