Chris Armas
AP Photo

New York Red Bulls’ Omir Fernandez found the net in the MLS Homegrown Game and highlighted Chris Armas’ tendency to keep him on the bench.

You would think because it’s the All-Star break, you won’t hear many claims that New York Red Bulls head coach Chris Armas hasn’t been doing his job well.

Well, that’s not the case. Even when teams are “on vacation,” there are still tweets flying around about how Armas is mishandling the team.

RBNY 20-year-old midfielder Omir Fernandez scored the opener of the MLS Homegrown Team’s match versus Chivas Guadalajara U-20 on Tuesday evening at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.

MLS’ Homegrown Team won the match 3-0 in penalty kicks after a 2-2 draw. The Bronx native found the net in the second minute to put the young MLSers up, 1-0. Fernandez scored with a simple unmarked, left-footed shot on top of the six-yard box.

Red Bulls supporters have been voicing their frustration with how Armas is coaching the team.

Fernandez has been one of the most promising rookies in the league, but he only played in 28 minutes of New York’s last six games.

The Bronx native’s goal in the Homegrown Game is another reason for the fans to jump on Armas.

During the regular season, Fernandez scored in two consecutive games against F.C. Cincinnati and Real Salt Lake despite the fact that he only played in 11 minutes in both matches.

He also scored against Club Santos Laguna in the CONCACAF Champions League’s quarterfinals. To add to his goals, the midfielder racked up two assists in the MLS as well.

In mid-January, MLS contributor Charles Boehm put Fernandez in his list of the top early candidates for MLS Rookie of the Year.

Even before the Homegrown Game, fans were openly calling for Armas to give the young star more time on the field.

New York’s next match is against Toronto F.C. on Saturday home at the Red Bull Arena at 6 p.m. Then we’ll see if Armas will bring Fernandez back home.

Originally from Haiti, Ralph 'Onz' Chery started his writing career as a City College of New York student with The Campus. He also wrote for First Touch, the Cosmopolitan Soccer League and other local leagues. After graduating, Onz started covering the New York Red Bulls for ESNY and joined Haitian Times.