Magnifique!
Since arriving in New York, Peguy Luyindula had been slandered for his errant finishing and dismissed as little more than Thierry Henry’s French friend. But in the Red Bulls’ Supporters’ Shield-clinching rout of Chicago on Sunday, he was nothing short of sublime. He was the Man of the Match in the biggest game of the season – and the biggest win in Red Bulls history.
“Yeah, it’s huge. I already felt this kind of thing with Lyon because the club never had won something in the Premier League and we were the first to win the championship and it was a great feeling,’’ said Luyindula, who helped Lyon win their first three Ligue 1 titles in Franc and led the Red Bulls to their first silverware.
“To feel that was huge. I heard a lot of things about it and everybody was talking about it. … To win this, to give it to the fans was something huge, because now we are part of history.’’
Coach Mike Petke handed Luyindula, normally a striker, a rare start in central midfield and the Red Bulls erupted for a season-high five goals. And he was the architect of the onslaught with three assists, the most by any Red Bull all season.
“Over the last three, four weeks in practice, Peguy’s been consistently the best player,’’ Petke said. “He’s really retooled certain things. He knows we’re looking at him more as a midfielder because of his ability to hold the ball for us and his vision. I think his days as a forward [are over]. It’s a very different league than what he’s used to.
“He’s so comfortable on the ball and his vision is so good. … That’s what we’re looking for. His experience and [vision] potentially spring Thierry and Tim [Cahill] up front.’’
The 34-year-old Luyindula has struggled to assimilate to MLS, which isn’t at all uncommon for foreign players — especially one who had to shake off the rust of essentially two years of inactivity at the French club PSG.
Red Bull Head of Global Soccer Gerard Houllier — who took over Lyon in 2005, the year after Luyindula was sold, and who coached in the French youth setup while Luyindula was coming through the ranks – had seen more than enough to be willing to offer him a low-risk, $80,000 contract.
He earned that and then some down the stretch on Sunday. His seven assists are second on the team, despite having logged just 863 minutes, essentially a third of a season. For perspective, Henry has seven assists in 2,519 minutes, Jonny Steele six in 2,665.
Luyindula readily acknowledged he wasn’t at his best earlier in the season and had to play his way back into shape.
“I got some minutes even with second team, so it helps me a lot to get my form back and get my shape back,’’ Luyindula admitted. “I need that, because I’m the type of player who runs a lot. When I’m not in shape, I cannot use my technique as I want to.’’
He ran Chicago ragged on Sunday, showing good ball control in midfield, quickly turning and initiating attack after attack.
“Peguy is a good player, that’s all there is to it,’’ Henry said. “He’s always trying to go forward, and obviously sometimes you lose the ball because you’re trying to go forward. But [Sunday], most of the time he was able to find someone.”
Luyindula found Henry, his former French national teammate, in the 24th minute with the Red Bulls trailing 1-0. He chipped a longball over the defense that Henry chested down and ripped upper 90 for an equalizer. That opened the floodgates. The Red Bulls scored three times in the second half, and Luyindula set up two of them.
“He’s a brilliant player,’’ said Dax McCarty, who opened the game playing alongside Luyindula in central midfield.
After the Red Bulls took a 2-1 lead in the 49th minute, Cahill slid back to partner with McCarty and Luyindula moved up into a support striker role.
“At the end, it was an amazing win, probably the best on one of the biggest occasions,’’ Cahill said.
That’s all Luyindula cared about in the end, getting the victory.
“Because at the end of the day what matters is the title,’’ Luyindula said. “I’m not the kind of player who is just focused on the goals scored and just ending the game with two goals if the team loses. It doesn’t matter, it’s useless to me. I’d rather have three assists and make the team win. That’s the most important thing.
“I’m a sort of player, I love football. I like to play football in every part of the field. It was good to play even in the midfield. I was from a midfielder when I was young — it’s just back to basics, you could say. It’s a great feeling to give goals to my partners, to hold the ball for them when they’re busy or tired. I know I can do it. I know I can pass, and I know I can score. … I have a feeling I did good [Sunday].”