Red Bulls roll over NYCFC in Derby rout
New York is cuckoo for “Kaku.”
The Red Bulls’ young Argentine star dazzled Saturday in his first Hudson River Derby, further validating the preseason hype with a goal and two assists as his team, using an early four-minute barrage, suffocated NYCFC to take the first installment, 4-0, at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J.
“He’s been a lot of fun to have here,” Red Bulls coach Jesse Marsch said of Alejandro Romero Gamarra, who goes by the nickname Kaku.
His Red Bulls teammates hummed the same about Kaku, who along with midfielders Florian Valot, Sean Davis and Tyler Adams made NYCFC look like an amateur team, especially in the first half.
Kaku’s first punch in the rivalry came in the second minute, when he finished Bradley Wright-Phillips’ saved shot to beat Sean Johnson for his third goal of the year. The opening stunner shocked NYCFC — MLS’ best team at 6-1-2 (20 points) entering Saturday — before luck had its way two minutes later when Valot scored after his shot deflected off defender Alexander Callens.
NYCFC controlled 54 percent of possession in the opening half, but were held too deep in their own half due to the high press of the Red Bulls (5-3-0, 15 points), which forced wingers Jesus Medina and Jo Inge Berget to track back. That also successfully shuttered NYCFC’s midfield and kept its backline uncomfortable.
“We won the battle in the midfield,” Marsch said. “We pressed them better, We picked them off in possession more.”
The dream-like first half for the Red Bulls only got better when Wright-Phillips added his 11th Hudson River Derby score when he knocked in a header off Kaku’s beautifully floated cross.
“If I had the chance to change all the ten players on the field, I [was] going to do it at halftime,” said NYCFC coach Patrick Vieira, who said he was appalled by his team’s lack of desire and conviction in the match.
Wright-Phillips and the Red Bulls made NYCFC star David Villa seem like an afterthought. Villa, who was coming off a historic 400th goal last game against FC Dallas, had zero shots and was subbed off in the 66th minute — a clear sign Vieira was waving the white flag with his team down 3-0.
NYCFC came with out more punch in the second half, mostly trying to create the overload on the right side of the field, but to no avail since the Red Bulls wouldn’t allow NYCFC to penetrate centrally.
“We know the truth: This was a s--t game from us,” NYCFC midfielder Alex Ring said. “We deserved to lose.”
Red Bulls substitute Derrick Etienne got the final blow in the 79th minute when he drilled in the fourth goal in front of a bopping South Ward supporting section giving the Red Bulls a 61-3 all-time record in the series.
“We were the team that used to get the better of them,” Wright-Phillips said. “They see now that it’s difficult to play when a team’s frustrated, losing, angry and all riled up. It showed today from the start.”