Tyler Adams’ giveaway led to Chivas’s goal. (Photo by Keith Furman)
GUADALAJARA — Despite his defensive midfielder giving away the ball that led to the lone goal of the match, Red Bulls head coach Jesse Marsch defended Tyler Adams.
Adams’s pass was intercepted by Rodolfo Pizarro, who fed Isaac Brizuela for the 26th-minute score in New York’s 1-0 loss in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League semifinals against Chivas at Estadio Akron.
“Tyler is a great player and has a great future ahead of him and it’s normal that young players make little mistakes,” Marsch said at a post-game press conference, “but for the most part he was a very important player for us tonight and will continue to be a very important player for us this year.
“When you coach young players, you have to have patience at times. You have to understand that they’re not going to make every decision perfectly, they’re not going to make every play perfectly.
“But Tyler is a big player for us and I guarantee you that he’ll respond in the second leg in a big way.”
The second leg is at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J. Tuesday.
“If you were to follow our team over the years at Red Bull Arena our record is very good, our goal differential is very good,” Marsch saod.
“It’s a place we love to play. We know there’ll be a lot of Chivas fans there. Obviously we would’ve liked to get a road goal, but this is halftime.”
