HANOVER, N.J. – It was a decision that turned some heads on Saturday night: the Red Bulls’ Best XI left back starting on the bench. Kemar Lawrence has had a hard time finding a rhythm in 2019 with nagging injuries and national team call-ups, but Saturday didn’t fall under either category.
Instead, Lawrence was present and healthy enough to sub out Amro Tarek – who started at left back one week after assuming the position in Orlando when Lawrence didn’t travel – in the 67th minute. The strategy, it seems, was to introduce the Jamaican international’s two-way ability – his capabilities to push forward and recover defensively – in a match that had just been equalized at 2-all with a Daniel Royer penalty in minute 63.