New York Red Bulls Mid-Season Grades: Forwards

Carlos Rivas

Joseph Steen- RATING: D- Rivas started off his RBNY career well when he scored 2 goals in the season opener, but hasn’t done much since then. He made two more starts after that and then was loaned down to NYRB II where he didn’t make much of an impact either. He was loaned out earlier this week to Colombian side Atletico Nacional and maybe he’ll rediscover himself there.

Kyle Debelak- RATING: D He scored two goals against Portland. That was it, and now he’s on loan in Colombia for the next year. Unlikely to play again for New York.

Roy Emanuel- RATING: C Not expected for much other than depth this season, Carlos Rivas has been underwhelming during his short time at Red Bull Arena. He will spend the rest of the season on-loan with Colombian side Atlético Nacional.

Paul Vernick- RATING: D+ He barely gets a D due to his about average performance at Minnesota where he scored twice. But the rest of the time up to his loan to Atletico Nacional, was lackluster and proved to be poor return from the Kljestan transaction.

OVERALL RATING: D+

Bradley Wright-Phillips

Bill Twomey- RATING: A+ I am not sure where this team would be without BWP. It seems like he just keeps getting better and better. He’s a thrill to watch, I don’t see him slowing down anytime soon. I consider him to be the best striker in MLS.

Liam Pettit- RATING: A+ Year in and year out the Red Bulls rely on Bradley Wright-Phillips to deliver goals, but what has made this season different is his 5 assists. So far this season, BWP delivered 5 assists just two away from his career high in New York’s 2015 Supporters Shield winning season. Even at age 33 Bradley Wright-Phillips’ game is still evolving, and it seems like he’s greatly improved his aerial abilities in 2018. Against Atlanta on May 20th, BWP had his best game of this season scoring two high difficulty headers.

OVERALL RATING: A+

Derrick Etienne Jr.

Bill Twomey- RATING: B I’ve been a fan of Etienne since he was on NYRB II. He played great in the 2016 where NYRB II won the USL Cup and he’s been improving ever since. He’s a proven himself to be a great super sub.

Joe Goldstein- RATING: B- Derrick is having his best season as a consistent player with the first team. His finishing still needs to improve if he is to find more starting minutes.

Steve Toto- RATING: B It’s always tough to get playing time when you are behind possibly the best goal scorer in MLS history. Many of Etienne’s appearances has been as a substitute, so the amount he has scored has been great for the team. He has a 0.64 g/90, which is good for 16th in the league, for the amount of time he’s played.

OVERALL RATING: B

Photo by Bill Twomey

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