The 2016 MLS season has had plenty of surprises after 13 weeks of action, and several teams have either underperformed (Portland Timbers) while others have turned heads around with their overall play (Colorado Rapids and Philadelphia Union). New York has been no stranger to surprises this season, and while New York City FC has been pretty poor over the past two weeks, their rivals New York Red Bulls appear to be on the way up considering their recent results and, most notably, their play over the past two to three weeks.
Everyone turned heads when the Red Bulls scored seven goals against City in a new version of the Hudson River Derby two weeks ago, and Jesse Marsch’s team proved they are no fluke with a convincing 3-0 win against Toronto FC this past weekend.
New York has some interesting players, as the midfield pairing of Dax McCarty and Felipe Martins has been nothing short of sensational, but the strength of the team relies on what their two most important players can do: Sacha Kljestan and Bradley Wright-Phillips.
Both players have gained plenty of attention of late, and both have been mentioned as probable MVP candidates if they maintain their recent form throughout the entire season. That may be true, but Wright-Phillips might need to show a bit more consistency (five of his eight goals have been scored over the past two weeks) before being mentioned in the same level as more reliable attackers like David Villa, Didier Drogba or Sebastian Giovinco. In any case, what he’s done of late can’t be ignored.
To make things even more interesting, Wright-Phillips managed to get himself into the record books of MLS after scoring the quickest hat trick in league history: he only needed 27 minutes to strike three times against Toronto this past Saturday.
Kljestan, meanwhile, is on another level, and at this point he’s the clear MVP frontrunner with his play for the Red Bulls throughout this year. The former Anderlecht playmaker currently leads the league in assists with 10 in only 14 matches, and he already dazzled last season with 14 helpers in 33 contests. If Kljestan maintains this pace – something highly unlikely, to be honest – he would finish the season with 24 assists in 34 contests.
Kljestan has also been consistent – he’s contributing (either scoring or assisting) in New York’s goals in six of the last eight matches, and he’s delivered four helpers in the last two games alone. He’s dominating the middle of the pitch with his passing accuracy and his creativity to see gaps where no else can see them.
The Red Bulls might not make it to the playoffs as many things can happen in the upcoming 20 matches, but they are clearly playing like a contender right now. And the biggest reason for that is the play of Kljestan and Wright-Phillips, the most deadly duo in MLS over the last month.