MAKESHIFT WIN Using backups, Red Bulls blank Fire, 3-0
Jozy Altidore, a forward who played midfield Thursday night, scored the quickest goal in Red Bulls history, scoring 55 seconds into the 3-0 win over Chicago. Linda Cuttone/Sports Vue Images
By Michael Lewis
BigAppleSoccer.com Editor
East Rutherford, N.J. -- It doesn't matter who Red Bulls coach Bruce Arena puts out there these days.
Despite using a makeshift defense and several players playing out of position, the Red Bulls demonstrated their depth in a 3-0 MLS victory over the Chicago Fire Thursday night.
It certainly wasn't the prettiest of games as the Red Bulls (5-1-2, 17 points) struggled at times before a Giants Stadium crowd of 9,357 , but it was good enough to move into a first-place tie with the idle New England Revolution (5-1-2, 17) in the Eastern Conference.
The fourth-place Fire, which has allowed 11 goals in its past four games, dropped to 3-4-1.
“You get lucky once in a while,” Arena said. "We got a clean sheet and we're not playing our best."
There was some skill involved as the Bulls grabbed a 2-0 lead in the opening three minutes behind goals by Jozy Altidore and Juan Pablo Angel (two goals), tying a league record for the quickest goals from the kickoff.
Due to injuries to Hunter Freeman and Todd Dunivant, Arena was forced to use two midfielders -- Dema Kovalenko and Dave van den Bergh -- at right and left fullback, respectively.
Dunivant suffered a left thigh injury in practice Wednesday, so van den Bergh, who last played defense while at Rayo Vallecano (Spain) seven years ago, said he could fill in.
“We did that halfway in training when Todd felt like he couldn’t go today,” Arena said. “We had to decide real quick who could play left back. . . . We decided to do that rather than move a whole lot of people around.”
Central defender Carlos Mendes wound up as the only backline regular after Jeff Parke (left hamstring strain) was replaced by Taylor Graham at halftime.
"Carlos Mendes, Jon Conway and Seth Stammler did a very good job in putting me in good positions and keeping me put," van den Bergh said. "Especially in the second half, I saw all that space in front of me and I just felt like, 'I want to go, I want to go, I want to go.' Sometimes you have to think differently as a defender."
The defense bent, but never snapped as backup goalkeeper Jon Conway made a personal-best 10 saves en route to the Bulls' sixth shutout in eight games.
"We had to piece together a lineup," Arena said. "We are struggling. Some of the injuries take away the continuity of the team and it doesn't allow us to have the flow of the game that we'd like to have."
After dominating the match early, the Red Bulls had to hold off the Fire for the final 20 minutes of the first half and opening 15 minutes of the second half.
"We took everything Chicago could throw at us," Arena said. "We were able to weather the storm and hang in there. It said some good things about us."
Altidore, 17, playing midfield for the first time, scored the quickest goal in franchise history 55 seconds into the match from 16 yards.
“Really? I didn’t know it was that fast,” he said. “Wolyniec had his back to the goal and I figured I could hammer it in.”
Altidore admitted he got tired at midfield.
"I have new respect for midfielders,” he said. “My God, there's a lot of running.
"On a scale from one to 10, it’s definitely 9.999. It’s hard, man. You‘re running back and forth, defending, but it was nice to help out the team that way. I‘m not used to running back and forth.”
Slightly more than a minute later, Angel intercepted a C.J. Brown clearance in the third minute and converted from seven yards.
“I was probably in the right position at the right time,” Angel said. “He made a mistake and it hit my head. I wasn’t looking for it.”
His second goal -- a six-yard effort in the 68th minute came after he trapped a Graham feed with his right foot and scored with his left
"The third goal was all class," Arena said. "I sat on the bench and said, 'He's done that before.' "
