For the 15th consecutive season, the Red Bulls qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs, hoping to make their mark in the postseason instead of being the usual victim of being knocked out in the first round. Club captain Emil Forsberg had an air of confidence going into this match. While he acknowledged that the Columbus Crew was an excellent side, he felt good about his team’s chances.
The Red Bulls finished the regular season on a whimper, dropping to seventh place in the Eastern Conference after flirting with fourth place before the Leagues Cup break. Since then, they have won one of 10 matches, finishing with a 3-2 defeat to the Crew, in which Forsberg scored a brace.
So, two of the original ten MLS franchises clash in this best-of-three series to earn the right to move on to the quarterfinals; for one, it’s about maintaining supremacy, and for the other, it’s about survival.
Red Bulls had a chance seven minutes in the match as Emil Forsberg, on a break on the counter, struck the ball solidly inside the box, but Columbus defender Cherberko was there, blocking the shot.
The Red Bulls got on the scoreboard first after a set-piece in the 25th minute. Emil Forsberg delivered a great ball from the corner, was headed back across the goal by Lewis Morgan, then headed again by Dylan Nealis until it found the feet of Felipe Carballo, and he did not miss from close range for his first goal with the club.
New York survived a scare in the 30th minute when Juan Hernández took a shot that was initially cleared by the Red Bulls defense, but the ball rebounded off a Columbus attacker, and it fell to the feet of Evgen Cherberko, but he pulled his shot wide to his left.
Red Bulls nearly had a two-goal advantage in the 37th minute when Forsberg initiated a counter-attack and played the ball through Morgan, who darted down the sideline, made his way to the box, trying to curl his shot into the top corner, fortunately for the Crew, his poor finish made his effort a wasteful one.
The first half ended with the Red Bulls with a slim one-goal lead, despite seeing only 25% of the ball, but they attempted six shots, one more than the hosts. But the defending champions are not known to panic and have a deep bench to erase any momentum.
Columbus began the second half looking to equalize the match, as Christian Ramirez found himself open in front of the net, but he headed the ball right to the waiting hands of Carlos Coronel in the 50th minute.
The Red Bulls threatened once again in the 59th minute. This time, Lewis Morgan forced a diving save by Patrick Shulte.
Columbus countered and screamed for a penalty as Dylan Nealis blocked the shot, but the ball struck his leg first as he slid, then his hand. The referee waved off the supposed penalty call, and the play continued.
Lewis Morgan had yet another chance to double the lead for the Red Bulls in the 66th minute, and with only the keeper to beat, he tried to go around him but went too wide, but he managed to get the ball back in front of the keeper, who made the easy save.
With the Crew knocking on the door in the 84th minute, DeJuan Jones had a great look to bring his side level, but Carlos Coronel was there with probably the biggest save of the night.
The Red Bulls, looking calm and composed down the stretch, staved off challenge after challenge by the Crew until the final whistle, sealing a huge win as the scene now shifts to Harrison, where they can knock off the defending champs.
Starting Lineups:
Columbus Crew SC: Patrick Shulte, Steven Moreira (Dylan Chambost 73′), Rudy Camacho (Marcelo Herrera 84′), Evgen Cheberko, Mohamed Farsi, Darlington Nagbe, Sean Zawadzki, Max Arfsten (DeJuan Jones 72′), Juan Hernández, Alexandru Matan (Aziel Jackson 60′), Christian Ramirez (Jacen Russel-rowe 60′)
New York Red Bulls: Carlos Coronel, John Tolkin, Sean Nealis, Andres Reyes, Dylan Nealis (Noah Eile 88′), Felipe Carballo (25′)(Ronald Donkor 88′), Daniel Edleman, Cameron Harper, Emil Forsberg (Peter Stroud 88′), Lewis Morgan (Elias Manoel 90+7′), Dante Vanzeir (Wiki Carmona 74′)
Scoring Summary:
25′ – New York Red Bulls – Felipe Carballo, assisted by Dylan Nealis
Disciplinary Summary:
45+1′ – New York Red Bulls – Daniel Edelman – Yellow Card
57′ – Columbus Crew SC – Max Arfsten – Yellow Card
90+3′ – New York Red Bulls – Noah Eile – Yellow Card
Final Thoughts:
One down, one to go. The result was a huge one. Sandro Schwartz and his team should be praised for this masterful performance on the road. Keeping a team that scored 72 goals during the regular season scoreless is not easy, especially at their home ground. But now, with the defending champs seemingly on the ropes, look for them to come out swinging in game two on Sunday.