Harrison, NJ (March 1, 2018) – The New York Red Bulls rode goals by Bradley Wright-Phillips and Sean Davis into the quarterfinals of the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League, eliminating CD Olimpia of Honduras by an aggregate score of 3-1.
The Red Bulls entered the match with an away goal in their back pocket, but the match was never really in question. The Red Bulls move on to face Club Tijuana in the next round of play.
It was a rainy Thursday night at Red Bull Arena, but the weather wouldn’t keep Wright-Phillips from opening his 2018 account. He brought in a ball that pinballed, took it to the top of the box and shot a hard low ball that skipped past Olimpia keeper Donis Escober. Sean Davis added his first tally of the year on another ball outside the 18-yard box. The shot deflected off the back of a CD Olimpia defender to find the back of the net.
While Red Bulls keeper Luis Robles was there when Olimpia threatened, the real story of the match was New York’s attack. The Red Bulls took 15 shots, 6 on frame, and forcing CD Olimpia defenders to block 4 shots. Midfielder Marc Rzatkowski stood out as the engine that drove much of the attack, redeeming himself from a poor performance in the first leg. On defense, Aaron Long featured as New York’s best defender with 4 clearances, 3 interceptions.
Additionally, the match featured the first minutes of Alejandro Romero “Kaku” Gamarra. Kaku was subbed on in the 65′ minute for Alex Muyl.
The Red Bulls begin their MLS schedule at home against the Portland Timbers on March 10th. New York continues their CONCACAF Champions League schedule on March 6th facing Liga MX’s Club Tijuana.
