Sports

Bickering Red Bull defense a hot mess

The Red Bulls’ $4.6 million centerback is being booed by fans and ripping his teammates. Their rising U.S. centerback is in a sophomore slump and making silly mistakes. Their right back is defending like the midfielder he is, and their left back has been injured for weeks. In short, their defense is a hot mess.

And this is the state they find themselves in coming into Saturday’s must-win game against Portland. Wednesday’s shambolic 3-1 loss to Real Salt Lake let Portland leapfrog them for the final wild card spot with five games left, and Saturday’s tilt vs. the expansion Timbers may determine if they make the playoffs.

“I think everyone is now aware it is a must-win. It is not enough with a tie; we must win. That’s the consequence; on Saturday you need to win,’’ said coach Hans Backe, who has an interesting decision to make. After star defender Rafa Marquez ripped his teammates, does he start him in a game they clearly have to have?

“We need to pick up wins, that’s for sure. I think it’s good for us to play the playoff teams now so we really know what we have to do. (We need) probably three or four wins out of five to make the playoffs.’’

Backe _ who could well find his job in danger if they don’t _ actually wasn’t that critical of their overall play Wednesday, when they coughed up three goals in the first 21 minutes. He claimed it was individual mistakes that allowed those scores _ which sounds conspicuously like coach-speak for Not My Fault.

“It was more about the individual mistakes,’’ said Backe. “I don’t think we played poor or anything, but it’s frustrating with that kind of individual mistake. It kills the first half definitely, and the game.’’

The most glaring of the lot was committed by second-year centerback Tim Ream, who took a backpass from right back Jan Gunnar Solli and tried to play it to keeper Frank Rost rather than simply clearing the ball. He played it too softly, and it turned into a gift-wrapped goal for Fabian Espindola.

Rost said later “We didn’t play the easy way; we chose the difficult way,’’ and summed up the performance as a “(crap) first half.” Hey, it’s a family blog.

Afterward, Marquez and Backe both chastised the play, although Marquez did it with smarmy hubris thrown in as well.

“The kind of side-pass by Ream, that was individual decision-making,’’ Backe told the Post. “You just need to clear it. That short pass, you can’t try to play out like that. So it’s about individual mistakes.’’

Marquez was far less charitable, saying the rest of the back four simply wasn’t up to his level. The Post detailed those ill-advised comments here. Then he was later quoted further in the Empire of Soccer blog as saying “Tim is still a young player with a lot to learn. He still has quite a lot to learn, and well, he has committed errors that are very infantile and cost us goals.”

Granted, the mistake was sophomoric. But it should be noted that Ream is, well, a sophomore. He’s an unheralded 2010 second-round draft pick making $55,125 who has exceeded all reasonable expectations, except perhaps his own and those of his immediate family.

Marquez has captained the Mexican National Team _ for whom he still regularly starts, and exhibits at least some work rate, it should be noted _ and earns $4.6 million expressly BECAUSE he is better than the rest of the back four, BECAUSE he is meant to lead and mentor and teach. But with his recent petulance, the Red Bulls had better be careful exactly what he’s teaching.