The second matchup of the year between the New York Red Bulls and DC United looked a little different than their first. NY wouldn't dominate the game quite the same was as they did in the home opener—but they also wouldn't be denied by a misfiring opponent. Goals from Thierry Henry and Jamison Olave and a strong defensive performance gave RBNY a 2-0 road win, their first of 2013.

FULL HIGHLIGHTS

THE GOOD

Thierry Henry. When the French legend is hungry, the Red Bulls are a different team, and boy, was he ready to feed on a lackluster DC side. His opening goal was an audacious bouncing shot that he made look effortless. Throughout the match he fed the team (like a perfect ball to Tim Cahill, who drilled a point blank header at Bill Hamid) and kept looking for his second (pinging the ball off the post in the second half).

Dax McCarty. In mid-2011, when NY fatefully traded away Dwayne De Rosario for Dax McCarty, the collective groan was huge—a league legend traded away to the team's biggest rivals for what was then considered an unremarkable American midfielder. But with every progressing game between these two sides, the trade looks better and better for NY. Dax's decision making—knowing to not shoot needlessly, and instead lay off to Henry—was what triggered the first goal. He killed DC's attack, repeatedly making Chris Pontius look like a rookie. While DeRo continues to struggle with injury and poor play, McCarty looks like an all-star.

Being done with the away-heavy start to the season. The Red Bulls can rest happy knowing that their somewhat ridiculous schedule to start the season—five out of the first seven games away—is behind them. With the next five of eight at home, the team will be more able to find their rhythm, as Thierry mentioned in his non-complaining complaint earlier this week. A good run in May will do a lot to put the early performances behind them.

THE BAD

The stat sheet. We know possession doesn't win games, but it does make it easier. The Red Bulls only managed 42% possession, which forced them to commit a lot of fouls (13, to DC's 4) and gave DC hope late in the game. "Cynical soccer" is okay when it gets results, but it sure makes killing off the game a little tougher.

Upcoming schedule congestion. The DC games marks the first game of a 3-game week stretch; with upcoming home matches on Wednesday and Saturday, the lineup will undoubtedly need rotation. While the team seems to finally be shaking off the injury bug, the remainder of the week will be a tough test for a team that relies on a lot of aging stars.

THE UGLY

NY's leading scorer is Jamison Olave. We have no quarrel with Olave—he's been the best addition to the team in the offseason, and he was magnificent in keeping United out of the game with fourteen clearances and seven interceptions. But there's something very odd that his goal at RFK—his third for the season, matching his career high at Real Salt Lake—makes him the team leader in scoring. Come on, attacking players— surely you guys can put a few more away than a defender who only gets forward on set pieces?

LOOKING AHEAD

Wednesday brings Sporting Kansas City to town, a team that's a little tough to figure out this year. As with last year, SKC dominates defensively and struggle in the attack—but those attacking struggles may be a little more pronounced this year after loaning Kei Kamara to Norwich City in England. Peter Vermes' side lost at Toronto, and was held to scoreless draws against mediocre Chicago Fire and New England sides. But having won their last two and coming off a bye week, they're not to be trifled with.

POST-MATCH REACTIONS

Coach Mike Petke on changes from last week: "Coming from Chicago last week, we didn’t have the lead, but we were tied 1-1 going into the second half and we didn’t do a very good job at all shutting down the game. And we concentrated on that and talked about that almost the entire week. And we worked on it. So I’m glad these guys took a bit of what we went over and took it to heart that we gave Chicago the game last weekend and we didn’t want to come in here and do that. If we were going to get beat tonight, it was because they were a better team. And I think that we did a good job."

Captain Thierry Henry on Jamison Olave: "He’s been playing well, doing well for us. He’s our top goal scorer at the moment. So, he’s been an asset for us since he has arrived, like Espindola, too. I mean, as I said early on, we had some good games away from home that we didn’t finish well. So hopefully this one can be like a breath of fresh air for us, to see if we can build on it and do better, and as I said early on, try and go on a run."

Defender Brandon Barklage on Thierry's performance: "He's unbelievable. Still is. He's completely integral to our team. He holds the ball up extremely well. He's someone that we need."

Midfielder Dax McCarty on how the team will prepare for a busy week of games: "Take care of your body. Relax and rest. Make sure we feed off this confidence. We know we’re going back to Red Bull Arena. It’s been a tough go in this early stage. I mean, I think Thierry [Henry] said it earlier— five of the last seven games on the road is not easy, and I think we’ve taken some criticism for how we’ve lost results. But lets give the other teams credit. When we play away and other teams play at home, they’re on the front foot, they’re dangerous. So, I think for us, we’re going back to where we know we’re very good, we’re dangerous. We’re playing a very good team in Kansas City, and we’ll be prepared, but for us it’s about getting ready for the next game, taking care of our bodies, and definitely enjoying this win tonight and then moving on."

DC Coach Ben Olsen expressing frustration with his team's performance: "You don’t think we were focused on Thierry Henry tonight? He found ways to get it done, so did Cahill. Their names are circled on the board. We have to stop, it’s time to stop looking for excuses and start getting the job done. If we can’t, I’ll make some moves, because we have get better. We can’t continue down this path."

Next Match: Wednesday, April 17th 7:30 PM, vs Sporting Kansas City (TV: MSG+)