On the second, Jan Gunnar Solli and Keel were too easily shrugged away before the rookie Connor Lade botched a clearance.

WSJ: Not Bullish on Defense

And this week, the Red Bulls are also without Roy Miller, Solli and Keel, who was ruled out for three weeks with a stress fracture in his back.

WSJ: Not Bullish on Defense

Gone are the likes of Estonian midfielder Joel Lindpere, Teemu Tainio, of Finland, Norway's Jan Gunnar Solli, and even Rafa Marquez, the former Barcelona defender, who endured a turbulent two-and-a-half-year spell here.

WSJ: Red Bulls Try to Build an MLS Team��Not a European One