Red Bulls vs Philadelphia Union: 3 things we learned
By Harvey Cruz
2. Kaku and BWP had a rare off-night
Get this: This was just the second game all season in which both Kaku and Wright-Phillips have neither scored or assisted in a game. The other was a 1-0 shutout loss at Real Salt Lake, which goes to show how prolific this duo has been so far.
It’s incredible, and all credit goes to Union and Blake whose defense were able to come through when it mattered most. Wright-Phillips had his share of shots on goal, but couldn’t convert, which ends his month of May with two goals in three games.
Kaku, on the other hand, didn’t have nearly the same influence as his English teammate. While he was always looking for space in-between the lines, his biggest problem was creating chances via the final ball.
He still leads the league with nine assists, no other player has more than six. If there is something other teams can take from watching Kaku Saturday night, it’s to close him down once he receives the ball. It won’t always be successful as he’s got a quick turn in his repertoire, but being able to muscle him off the ball will work more times than not.
The Red Bulls will hope this was just a rare off-night and that either one or both can produce the good in the next game. But for now, plaudits belong to Philadelphia, whose game-plan worked in shutting down the most prolific duo in MLS.