Red Bulls' Continue to Struggle in Loss Against New England

New York Red Bulls, Professional, Soccer

August 31, 2023

The New York Red Bulls' offensive struggle to find the back of the net continue to be an issue. The Red Bulls suffered their second straight loss at hands of the New England Revolution in a 1-0 match in Foxborough, MA and dropped to a 7-8-11 record. Forward Giacomo Vrioni’s lone goal assisted by midfielder Mark-Anthony Kaye in the 30th minute was the deciding factor.
Although there was no lack of attempts as New York had 10 shots (two shots on goal), they still can’t seem to finish as much as they should be.
Red Bulls captain Sean Nealis commented on the loss.

“They have a lot of skilled players, experienced players to kind of win ugly like it was kind of there,” Nealis said. “They had that one big chance in the first half and they capitalized on and I think that's the story of our season. We just, we just let one chance slip and teams bury us.”
In their three matches played since returning from the Leagues Cup, the Red Bulls have only scored one goal in a combined nine shots on goal. This was also their second straight game without scoring, though against a tough New England team.
New York had most of the possession throughout the match, but not by much.

It was turnovers that cost the Red Bulls many potential chances. The frustration could be sensed as New York drew 16 fouls against the Revolution, including one yellow card given to midfielder Frankie Amaya.

A Tough Team To Beat
Coming into the game, the Red Bulls were unbeaten in their last four matches against New England across all competitions including three straight wins. But the Revolution were on a streak of their own. New England has gone 13 games unbeaten at Gillette Stadium (10-0-3,) which they extended to 14 on Wednesday night. The Revolution has been one of the tougher teams to face in the MLS this season as they currently sit third in the Eastern Conference.

A Bright Spot
One bright spot on the night for New York was the emergence of midfielder Ibrahim Kasule from the Red Bulls II squad. The 19-year old got his first MLS minutes after subbing in for Dru Yearwood in the 64th minute. Kasule, who is on a short term agreement with the club, appeared in 23 matches with the Red Bulls II where he scored 15 goals which ties the club record for most goals in a season.
Red Bulls head coach Troy Lesesne was excited to see Kasule make his debut and is eager for more.

“... We suffered a couple losses from the Miami match and then even in training in Cory Burke and Elias [Manoel] so both those guys weren't available tonight,” Lesesne said. “... that opened up an opportunity for Ibrahim Kasule to come on. I was really happy for him to get his first appearance with the team. He's earned that, he's on 15 goals with the second team. The second team just clinched the playoffs and credit to Ibra and his staff they've worked incredibly hard.”

What’s Next
The Red Bulls will travel to Philadelphia on Sunday, September 3 for the second game of their three-game road trip to face the second place Philadelphia Union. New York has been unable to beat Philadelphia in their last five matches as they hold a 0-3-2 record but look to change that.
New York’s chances for a wild card spot are still alive after the Chicago Fire FC lost to the Vancouver Whitecaps. The Red Bulls are still just three points out of a wild card spot, but need to start winning, and to do that they need to start scoring more goals.

“We’ve got eight games left. It's a big opportunity for us to get as many points as we can, you know, it's 24 points on the board. And it's kind of a last push here, especially with a big game on the weekend,” Nealis said.