New York Red Bulls remain without a win on the road following a 2-1 loss to Nashville SC on Wednesday night at Geodis Park. A fixture that has normally been marked with stout defending gave a scoring output from both sides as they both teams went blow-for-blow. In the end it was the 2022 MLS MVP Hany Mukhtar that decided the game.
Red Bulls started the game with their signature high press. Nashville bent early by falling into the trap of errant passing but were able to recover before giving anything significant to the opposition. Once both teams stabilized, Nashville was able to control the pace and force New York into a defensive shell.
The game’s opening goal came in the 34th minute when Sam Surridge found Patrick Yazbek running in on goal. He split the defense with a shot near the top of the box, beating goalkeeper Carlos Coronel. From there Nashville continued to push, leaving Red Bulls head coach Sandro Schwarz heading into the halfway mark, looking for answers.
Several changes did flip the script for New York as Raheem Edwards came on for Omar Valencia and the team’s shape forced Nashville backwards. Red Bulls found the equalizer in the 56th minute when Cameron Harper’s cross found the head of Eric Choupo-Moting for his seventh goal of the season. The game was poised for an exciting ending as both teams pushed forward for the game-winning goal.
It was Mukhtar who found the winner in the 63rd minute. Former Red Bull Alex Muyl found Mukhtar who buried his chance to give Nashville the lead and their first win over New York. Red Bulls threw everything against the wall late in the game, bringing on Julian Hall and Wiktor Bogacz in an attempt to find the equalizer. However, it didn’t come as the team created chances but were unable to convert.
The loss momentarily keeps New York in eighth place, level on points with NYCFC heading into this weekend’s Hudson River Derby. Red Bulls will remain on the road, hoping to break their winless streak at Citi Field on Saturday afternoon.
New York Red Bulls: Coronel; Harper, S. Nealis, Eile, Valencia (46′ Edwards), Carballo (82′ Bogacz), Edelman (75′ Hack), Carmona (75′ Hall), Forsberg, Sofo (75′ Stroud), Choupo-Moting
Nashville SC: Willis; Najar (63′ Bauer), Maher, Palacios, Lovitz, Tagseth, Yazbek (90′ Acosta, Muyl (64′ Qasem), Mukhtar (89′ Bunbury), Surridge, Shaffelburg (78′ Applewhite)
SCORING SUMMARY:
34′ (Nashville SC) Patrick Yazbek (2) assisted by Sam Surridge & Daniel Lovitz
56′ (New York Red Bulls) Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (7) assisted by Cameron Harper
63′ (Nashville SC) Hany Mukhtar (7) assisted by Alex Muyl & Sam Surridge
DISCIPLINE:
36′ (New York Red Bulls) Omar Valencia – YELLOW CARD
73′ (New York Red Bulls) Cameron Harper – YELLOW CARD
80′ (Nashville SC) Ahmed Qasem – YELLOW CARD
83′ (New York Red Bulls) Raheem Edwards – YELLOW CARD
86′ (Nashville SC) Sam Surridge – YELLOW CARD
90′ (Nashville SC) Daniel Lovitz – YELLOW CARD
photo by Matt Kremkau