Competition for playing time has madethis week of practice has been the Red Bulls’ most intense in years according to coach Hans Backe and midfielder Dax McCarty. Every single player – from EPL vets like Tim Cahill and Teemu Tainio to millionaire DPs like Rafa Marquez – has to fight for playing time, creating an edge that McCarty admits was lacking last year.
“Which is very good; I’m happy with that,’’ said Backe. “I have four good central midfielders. We also know that Dax McCarty can start in a wide position and do a very good job, and Rafa is not ready for 90 minutes, Teemu is a question mark.’’
Granted, Marquez may only be fit for 20 or 25 minutes Saturday against Columbus, and Tainio is still working his way back to being 100 percent. But if both are healthy and fit by the playoffs, Backe will have some tough decision to make regarding some expensive players – and their egos.
“I have no problem with that. I love it. That is just part of the game. The Best XI starts. Final,’’ said Backe. When asked if he’d have any hesitation benching Marquez, who is MLS’ second-highest paid player at $4 million, he replied “No, not at all. I am too old for that.’’
Even considering the fact McCarty can play wide, and Marquez can play centerback, the fact is the central midfield has four talented players to shoehorn into two spots.
Cahill was an Everton team legend before arriving this summer for a $1.5 million transfer fee, Taino has played at Tottenham and Marquez started alongside Thierry Henry at Barcelona. But McCarty says that competition just makes him – and the Red Bulls as a team – better.
“Guys that are in my position are tremendous players, and they’re guys that I’ve learned a lot from. They’re guys that make me a better player,’’ said McCarty. “The main job of a central midfielder is to make the guys around them better and that’s what all of us try to do. It’s coming down to one thing, and that’s who Hans thinks is going to help this team win is going to be on the field.
“It’s not secret – it’s not just the central midfielders – there are going to be five, six, seven, eight unhappy guys who aren’t starting. But when it’s all said and done, its Hans’ job to put the team on the field that gives us the best chance to win, and it’s the players’ job to go out and win the game. For me, the competition is fantastic: It makes our team better.’’
And not just physically. The knowledge that Backe and GM Erik Soler are so committed to winning that they’ll put the best player on the field, not just the best-paid – and at $4.6 million, Marquez is MLS’ second-highest paid player – is something that helps raise morale. It’s also something McCarty admits was missing during last year’s disappointing and disjointed campaign.
“It shows the younger guys the guys…that it doesn’t matter what the salaries are, or who has done what,’’ said McCarty. “It shows that whoever is going to help the team…is going to play. I think that’s important for the team mindset. You can’t have guys that’re trying to play thinking that they don’t have any chance to play. I think that was a little bit of our problem last year.
“The guys on the bench, Nos. 12 through 20, maybe they felt like no matter how well they did they never had a chance to play. That’s important. That’s definitely changed this year. There are numerous examples: Connor Lade, Brandon Barklage; these guys have gotten significant minutes in positions you’d think they have no chance to play. That’s important for the team mindset, for the mentality.
“It makes practice that much more interesting every day, when guys truly believe they have a chance to get on the field. Even the older guys, Teemu, Jan (Gunnar) Solli, even Rafa, for them to know in the back of their heads that they have competition makes them better. These are guys that played at the highest level for 12, 14 years…Hans has stuck true to that sentiment all year, and that’s ultimately going to make us successful if we make a deep run in MLS Cup.’’