Red Bulls Unbeaten Streak Extends To 14 With Win Over Union
HARRISON, NJ (October 1, 2016) – The New York Red Bulls have struggled to earn wins over that same stretch, but haven’t lost a game since July 3rd. Having secured a playoff birth with a 1-0 win over Montreal Impact last week, could look to the final three games as a chance to build momentum and aim for a top two finish and a first round playoff bye.
Philadelphia Union came out with an intensity rarely seen from them at Red Bull Arena and controlled the attack through the first fifteen minutes leading to a goal from Fabian Herbers. The rookie winger took a soft shot through traffic at the top of the box that slipped through Louis Robles fingers.
The goal woke the Red Bulls up and they dominated the first half. In spite of the dominating possession, they did not turn many chances into dangerous shots. Mike Grella, getting the start for an injured Daniel Royer, had the best chance to level the game in the 43rd minute. His left-footed drive was destined for the upper-90, but Andre Blake got a paw to it saving the Union.
The Red Bulls were able to get on the board a minute later thanks to Sacha Kljestan. Kljestan and Felipe played a short corner, Felipe served the ball back into Kljestan. Sacha needed just one touch to score his third goal against the Union this season. The strike came just before halftime.
The first half included a scary moment for rookie Joshua Yaro. The rookie center back took a shot in the air while attempting to defend Aurelien Collin. Yaro ended up sandwiched between Collin and Andre Blake. Yaro became unconscious and it took him several minutes to come around. As reported by Jim Curtin, “Yeah, not good. Wasn’t really responsive when he came off on the stretcher when I went over to him. It’s going to be obviously some form of a concussion. I don’t want to speculate”.
New York started the second half flying, scoring their second goal just a minute into the half. Dax McCarty played a well-placed ball over the top to Bradley Wright-Phillips. The striker hammered the ball past Andre Blake for his 21st goal and to give the Red Bulls a 2-1 lead. The lead would evaporate less than ten minutes later when Chris Pontius equalized on a header at the back post.
The Red Bulls found the eventual winner in the 66th minute when Dax McCarty headed home a Sacha Kljestan free kick. The diminutive midfielder had a banner night for the Red Bulls scoring the winner and assisting on each of the Red Bull’s other goals on the night.
The win means NY extends their unbeaten streak to 14 games and are once again first place in the East. Red Bulls have the weekend off thanks to the international window and will resume play against Columbus Crew the following weekend at home. With results falling the right way for the Bulls, the possibility to clinch 1st place in the East is on the table with another home win.
