By cracking in a swerving volley off the far post to spark a 2-0 victory over Nashville on Friday night, Fábio Gomes Netto was able to get the monkey off the back of not only himself but his team’s entire approach to attacking so far in 2021.
After a stuttered start to the era where the New York Red Bulls have committed more than they ever have to footballing philosophies set out by their corporate umbrella, results are starting to show under former Salzburg academy maven Gerhard Struber. The clean sheet win over previously-undefeated Nashville was perhaps the most emphatic moment yet of the Austrian’s tenure, with Fábio’s opener a precise example of his utilitarian use of strikers that has emerged as one of the more famous - or infamous - aspects of Struber’s young tenure.