Red Bulls captain McCarty takes blame for 'embarrassing' loss to D.C. United
New York Red Bulls captain Dax McCarty took full responsibility for his team's lackluster performance in a 2-0 loss against bitter rivals D.C. United, labeling he and his teammates' efforts as "embarrassing" and issuing an apology to the team's fans.
The Red Bulls dropped yet another result on Friday night - the team's seventh loss in 11 matches this season - leaving Jesse Marsch's 2015 Supporters' Shield-winning side in something of a slump.
For it, McCarty has no explanation:
"First off, I just need to apologize to the fans for that performance; it was one of the most embarrassing performances I've been a part of since I've been at this club," McCarty said after the match, according to MLSsoccer.com. "It's no excuse for stepping on the field and playing in the first half the way that we did. It's tough to put into words. There's no excuse for it."
This latest loss stings just a bit more since the two teams share a rivalry that harkens back to the early days of MLS, and, McCarty says, the one thing fans expect in a derby match - physicality, energy, drive - was completely lacking from his team.
"It's sad, in a rivalry game, to let them off the hook like that and not be up for the challenge ... not only did we not match it - we just don't even show up," McCarty said.
"I have to look at myself first. I have to take responsibility because it starts with me, as a captain. I didn't step on the field in the right way. It showed in how I played and I didn't have the energy, the physicality and the desire, when I stepped on the field, to lead by example. That's one thing captains always do."
The Red Bulls have a chance at reversing their poor form against last-placed Chicago Fire on Wednesday, a chance McCarty says his team has to take.
"We have to move on quickly," he said. "The only way to correct it is to step out onto the field and prove to our fans that we care, and that we're ready to fight and scrap and claw to never let a performance like that happen again."