Two months after losing to D.C. United at RFK Stadium by the same scoreline, the New York Red Bulls trounced their rivals 4-1 Sunday at Giants Stadium.
The difference? There are many for New York, but a good start would be to look at the starting lineup where three new signings started for the Red Bulls Sunday.
Venezuelan internationals Jorge Rojas and Gabriel Cichero and Argentinean No. 5 Juan Pietravallo all got their first taste of one of the league's fiercest and oldest rivalries and each imposed their will on the game in different ways.
Rojas, who has three assists in three games, was the playmaker in the center of the park and he set up Sinisa Ubiparipovic for the Red Bulls' final goal in the 87th minute. Two minutes later, he was off the field with a left ankle contusion after being fouled by Bryan Namoff, who was the seventh name in referee Shane Moody's book.
In his MLS debut Cichero, who played the second half of Wednesday's international friendly against FC Barcelona, anchored the Red Bulls' three-man backline featuring Kevin Goldthwaite and Jeff Parke.
"I thought I played well," Cichero said. "I tried to organize, speaking a lot. I think the team needed this. I felt good. After playing the football we needed, I think we can play with any team."
Cichero also made his presence known to the reigning MLS MVP, earning a yellow card for a crunching two-footed tackle on Luciano Emilio in the 12th minute.
"We said we wanted somebody that could organize the back, he did that and he also showed some very good distribution, which we have lacked in the past," Osorio said of Cichero. "He was very committed, very good on the ball. If I'm critical I have to say it's too early to get a yellow card, but that was his willingness to compete and show that he really wants to come and contribute for this team."
Two minutes after Cichero was booked, Pietravallo was cautioned for an accumulation of fouls, most against Red Bulls killer Jaime Moreno, who scored in the 16th minute. Rojas would make it a hat trick of sorts with a 76th-minute booking.
Pietravallo provided bite in the midfield and became acclimated with the rivalry right away, getting into a brief shoving contest with Moreno before the game was four minutes old. Although Moreno scored his 23rd career goal against New York, the veteran from Bolivia hobbled off with a sore back and was replaced at halftime by Santino Quaranta.
Concerned about the possibility of Pietravallo seeing a second yellow and a subsequent red, Osorio brought on Carlos Mendes on the hour mark.
"It was a very competitive game as is always the case against D.C.," Osorio said. "Fortunately Juan (Pietravallo) dealt with that yellow card very well and carried it through the game without another."
Rojas, Cichero and Pietravallo are each still getting a feel for MLS, but they are off to a great start based on the early results.
"I said from the beginning that they're going to be very important players for us," Juan Pablo Angel said. "The more they play, the more confident they will get and the more important they'll become. We cannot ask for them to do everything. They have introduced themselves very well to the team. We have welcomed them with open arms and hopefully they will be as important as everyone thinks they're going to be."
Dylan Butler is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
