Saturday is the start of the final stretch of the season. The last seven matches for San Diego FC and every single one is crucial as SDFC tries to get into playoff position. San Diego needs wins and with 21 points possible, they will need as many points as they possibly can get. First off is the New York Red Bulls as San Diego FC makes another cross-country trip. The New York Red Bulls are currently in playoff position themselves with 33 points and a -17 goal differential. This is the first season under head coach Michael Bradley, who had 151 caps for the U.S. Men’s National Team. Bradley’s goal is not only to develop the young players on the staff to be better for the New York Red Bulls, but also to have them be players for selection to the U.S. Men’s National Team.
Attack
The New York Red Bulls have 34 goals this season, which ties them for 25th in the league. Their expected goals is higher at 45.77 xG, making the Red Bulls one of the unluckiest teams in MLS with a -11.22 actual goals versus xG. The Red Bulls are just not a great team at converting their shots, as they have a 9.69% chance of converting their shots on target to actual goals. How New York wants to attack is by being direct and getting the ball through in the central area. The Red Bulls are 6th in forward passing completion at 34.6% and have the 4th most successful final third passes with 3,120. Since the World Cup break, the New York Red Bulls have been averaging 0.8 goals per match. When the Red Bulls have scored since the break, they have scored just one goal in each of their six matches out of the seven scored. The other match was against Orlando City, where the team scored 3 goals for a 3-2 victory back in August. This also means the Red Bulls have gone scoreless in 5 other matches since the break.
Defense
Defensively, the Red Bulls have allowed the 5th most goals in the league with 51, and they have the second-highest xG allowed with 56.20. The Red Bulls have allowed the 6th most shots on target with 152. On set pieces, the Red Bulls have been scored on 13 times, which is tied for second most in the league, and have the highest xG with 12.14. There are not many areas where the Red Bulls are particularly good defensively. The Red Bulls do have the 4th most recoveries in the league with 1,379, but are the worst team in ground duels with a 45.8% win percentage. The Red Bulls will press with 328 pressed sequences logged and can create turnovers from those pressing sequences and score with 5 goals from pressing. But since the World Cup break, the Red Bulls have allowed 1.6 goals per match and even 2 goals per match on average at home. In 7 of their last 12 matches, the Red Bulls have been scored on by two or more goals and by three goals in 3 of those 7 matches. The Red Bulls goalkeeper has a save percentage of 64.6% with 4.3 goals saved this season. If San Diego FC wants to win this match, being on the front foot for the entire match will be crucial, as well as scoring multiple goals on this team that allows so many.
Key Players
Julian Hall: The New York Red Bulls are playing the kids, and they have a very young one who could be a potential stud not just for the Red Bulls, but for the U.S. Men’s National Team. Julian Hall turned 18 years old back on March 24th. He played in his first senior Red Bulls match back when he was 15 years old against the Chicago Fire. This season back on May 13th, Hall became the youngest player to ever score a hat trick in the league. This season in league play, Hall has 10 goals and three assists. Overall this year for club and country, Hall has 16 goals and 4 assists. That includes his recent form with the USMNT during international play, where he scored a goal in each match against Peru, Chile, and Mexico in three straight matches. Within the league, Hall has the 6th highest xG of 14.08. Hall is also 5th in fast break shots and has the highest xG on fast breaks with 3.90. Hall is a dangerous player and will be on the receiving end of any long ball as he will try to score once he gets inside the final third.
Cade Cowell: The other player that seems to have been around for a while in MLS, but is just 22 years old, is Cade Cowell. Cowell came through the San Jose Earthquakes system and made his debut at 15 years old back in 2019. For his Earthquakes career, Cowell scored 12 goals and had 11 assists in 5 seasons. He was then transferred over to Chivas Guadalajara in Liga MX, and in three seasons with Chivas had 11 goals and 4 assists. This is Cowell’s first season with the Red Bulls, as he was loaned to New York with an option for a permanent transfer at the end of the loan. Cowell has 2 goals and 6 assists this season across all competitions for the Red Bulls. Amongst all players in the league, Cowell ranks 7th in expected assists with 5.46 in open play. Cowell also is tied for the 6th most crosses in the league with 77. Cowell is a chance creator through his carries and by passing, as he is looking for Hall at the other end. Cowell and Hall have connected for 3 out of Hall’s 10 goals.
Leave a Reply