MONTREAL – Goals have been hard to come by so far for the New York Red Bulls, especially on the road.
The lack of offense was in focus in the wake of New York's 1-0 loss at Montreal on Saturday heading into an 11-day break between games for the Red Bulls.
"Yeah, we haven't cut out enough clear-cut chances," said Red Bulls midfielder Sacha Klejstan, who has yet to score this season in 14 games. "We haven't sustained enough possession high up the field, which is difficult for us to carve out those chances, but yeah, we haven't cut out enough chances and we haven't scored enough. You know, we can't all rely on Bradley Wright-Phillips to get 25 goals every season. The rest of us attackers have got to pitch in a little bit more."
Wright-Phillips, who has scored six of New York's 15 goals in 2017, won the MLS Golden Boot for the second time in three years last season when he led the league with 24 goals.
"I mean, in many ways Kemar Lawrence has been our most dangerous guy; that's our left back," Red Bulls coach Jesse Marsch said. "Somehow we've got to find a way to be sharper, have more confidence, be cleaner, put more balls on frame."
The Red Bulls are in sixth place in the Eastern Conference with 20 points in 15 games, including a 1-6-0 record on the road.
"I think we are in the table where we are meant to be right now," Klejstan said. "The table never really lies so I think we're sixth in the East, it's where we belong based on how we've played this season. We haven't scored enough goals and we've given up too many easy goals, so it's where we are. We've got to find a way to figure things out, we've got to find a way to push ourselves a little bit more, but yeah, it's been a frustrating start to the season."
Klejstan, who has six assists, believes the upcoming break is timely for the Red Bulls, who are off until an Open Cup game against New York City FC at Red Bull Arena on June 14; their next next MLS regular season game is at Philadelphia on June 18.
"We've always come back strong and had a strong summer and a strong fall that's led us into a high seed going into the playoffs, so I hope this year is the same," Kljestan said. "I know a lot of guys are heading out for a few days to recharge the batteries, get some relaxation, some rest, get away from each other, get some sun. You know, just a little mini-vacation in the middle of the season to recharge the batteries, and I hope when we come back our mentality's a little bit fresher and everybody's ready to push through the summer."
