HARRISON, N.J. – New York Red Bulls remain unbeaten at home, following a 3-0 win over Toronto FC on a weather-delayed Saturday night. Goals from Elias Manoel, Dennis Gjengaar and Cameron Harper were enough to beat a toothless Toronto team that were outmatched from the near start.
The game’s start was anti-climactic as a storm delayed the game for nearly two hours. The game had barely scratched the 10th minute when officials were forced to put a hold on the proceedings. When they retook the field, New York showed their superiority. While not controlling possession, Red Bulls had the better of play and created dangerous chances.
That hard work paid off in the 30th minute when Noah Eile found Manoel from the backfield with a precise pass. The Brazilian fired a rocket past the Toronto keeper to open the scoring and relieve head coach Sandro Schwarz who saw his team chase the game just days earlier in Montreal.
Red Bulls continued to press at the start of the second half and found the second goal when a pass from Wiki Carmona found the foot of a diving Gjengaar. It was the young player’s first MLS goal and allowed Red Bulls to play comfortably for the remainder of the fixture. The freedom to push forward didn’t stop from New York. Substitute Cameron Harper was able to find the game’s third goal and put an exclamation point on a big win for the club.
The unbeaten run for Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena continues as the club has turned the Harrison, NJ stadium into a fortress. The win pushes New York solidly into third place, two points ahead of Charlotte FC. Next will be a rivalry game against DC United and former head coach Troy Lesesne next Saturday.
STARTING XI:
New York Red Bulls: Meara; D. Nealis, S. Nealis, Eile, Tolkin, Gjengaar (65′ Harper), Edelman, Amaya (87′ Donkor), Carmona (78′ Duncan), Manoel (78′ Hall), Vanzeir (87′ Burke)
Toronto FC: Gavran; Rosted, Long (70′ Mabika), Gomis, Bernadeschi, Coello (39′ Thompson), Flores, Etienne Jr., Longstaff, Insigne (70′ Marshall-Rutty), Owusu (81′ Kerr)
SCORING SUMMARY:
30′ (New York Red Bulls) Elias Manoel (4) assisted by Noah Eile (3)
46′ (New York Red Bulls) Dennis Gjengaar (1) assisted by Wiki Carmona (2)
75′ (New York Red Bulls) Cameron Harper (4) assisted by Dylan Nealis (2)
DISCIPLINE:
54′ (Toronto FC) Matty Longstaff – YELLOW CARD
68′ (New York Red Bulls) Daniel Edelman – YELLOW CARD
87′ (Toronto FC) Deybi Flores – YELLOW CARD
90′ (New York Red Bulls) Noah Eile – YELLOW CARD
photo by Matt Kremkau