Sports

Olave leads Red Bulls 1-0 shutout of Galaxy

There was a time when Jamison Olave was the best defender in MLS, and the Red Bulls are convinced he still is. The Colombian centerback played like it yesterday, almost single-handedly smothering Galaxy stars Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane, and helping the Red Bulls to a 1-0 shutout victory.

“It was a hard fought match, we knew what (Los Angeles) wanted to do; they’re a team that controls the ball so well, they have very smart players up top and are dangerous on the counterattack. But I thought we did a good job on them and we countered what they wanted to do,’’ said Olave, the 2010 MLS Defender of the Year acquired this offseason from Real Salt Lake.

“Without a doubt it’s an important result, we didn’t play well at times. We still managed to earn three points and that will be an important building block the rest of the week… It’s an important win for us, we beat a great team and we continue to win, earning points and consolidating our spot amongst the top of the table and it gives us a sense of calmness for the rest of the week.’’

It was important enough to run the Red Bulls’ record to 5-0-1 in their last six games, taking 16 of a possible 18 points to pull into a tie with FC Dallas atop the Supporters’ Shield standings. And they did it today thanks to an effort by Olave that had coach Mike Petke crowing that there was no better defender in MLS.

“Defensively? No, not at all. The biggest reason we brought him here is for what he’s been doing,’’ said Petke. “We don’t expect him to be the play man building out of the back. I could care less if the ball winds up at his feet once, to be honest with you. The way he hunts the ball, the way he reads the game, his catch up speed is unbelievable and he’s a guy who makes a difference.

“From the first moment, the first tackle he gets into, he’s somebody that a forward is going to be looking over his shoulder for the rest of the game. He doesn’t do it dirty, he does it very timed, and he does it well.’’

Tim Cahill agreed, saying the Galaxy wanted no part of the imposing Colombian.

“He’s been amazing since he signed here; and that’s why I talk about that our results come from consistency, defense. If we don’t concede we win,’’ said Cahill. “These guys in the back are doing this week in and week out and you know, because we are playing (LA) Galaxy it gets noticed.

“Olave can speak for himself, he’s been class. When I don’t win the header he wins it in the box when we’re defending, and when I win it he’s behind me. He’s a nice guy to have in your team, someone who wins every challenge. You know they don’t want to get near him, and that’s the way it should be every game. I’m buzzing for him because he deserves it.’’

The Red Bulls were shaky defensively early, the Galaxy’s well-timed runs off the ball giving them fits. But after holding just 48.5 percent possession in the first half, and needing Olave to repeatedly bail them out in the first half with sliding tackles, they settled down in the second.

“We should be capable of playing much better; we have the players to play better. Today in my opinion we didn’t play too well but we fought all game, but it was that type of game for us,’’ said Olave.

“I was a lot more vocal in the second half… I was more vocal because we were making some mistakes, we were giving them too much space and it needed to be addressed, those mistakes needed to be fixed so we could finish off strong in the second half.’’

Captain Thierry Henry added “I know you always talk about the guys that score, but Olave and (Markus) Holgerson and the defense were outstanding. Without them we could’ve lost two or three-nil….At one point we were all over the place and they kept us in the game.’’