HARRISON, N.J. – Five second half goals helped New York Red Bulls overcome a 2-0 halftime deficit at Sports Illustrated Stadium to win 5-2 on a humid Wednesday night. Star players Emil Forsberg and Eric Choupo-Moting provided to the spark, scoring three of the four goals to conquer the New England Revolution in a game that had playoff vibes considering the home team’s recent form.
Not much went well in the first half as Caleb Porter’s visiting Revolution, controlled the game by pressuring a slow and listless Red Bulls team. Leo Campana lifted the away team in just the fifth minute, scoring and pushing New York into a defensive pattern that took them nearly the entire half to recover from. The continued pressure paid off for the Revs as another effort from Campana in the 30th minute deflected off of Kyle Duncan to double the lead.
Head coach Sandro Schwarz made significant changes in the second half, bringing on players like Wiktor Bogacz, Julian Hall and Dennis Genjaar to alter the team’s state of play. Instead of looking unsure on the ball, the team turned into an offensive powerhouse, first scoring in the 56th minute when Daniel Edelman notched his first effort of the season, followed by goals from Choupo-Moting and Emil Forsberg in the 70th and 72nd minute.
Red Bulls capped off a brilliant offensive display in the 83rd minute with yet another goal from Choupo-Moting, his 14th of the campaign, and a penalty conversion from Forsberg to give both designated players two goals in the contest.
The win moves Red Bulls up to seventh place and stops a recent skid, punctuated by poor road performances. Sports Illustrated Stadium continues to be a fortress as the club has only lost once in front of their home fans and garnering eight of their nine wins in Harrison.
Next will be a difficult task as Inter Miami comes to SI Stadium, where the Red Bulls will be expected to defend their home and continue their push to solidify a playoff spot.
STARTING XI:
New York Red Bulls: Coronel; Duncan (62′ Hack), S. Nealis, Eile, Valencia (71′ Edwards), Edelman (62′ Bogacz), Donkor, Sofo (71′ Gjengaar), Forsberg, Carmona (62′ Hall), Choupo-Moting
New England Revolution: Ivacic; Bye (73′ Feingold), Ceballos (62′ Omsberg), Hughes, Beason (80′ Espinoza), Polster, Yusuf, Langoni (73′ Chancalay), Gil, Miller (46′ Sands), Campana
SCORING SUMMARY:
5′ (New England Revolution) Leo Campana (4) unassisted
30′ (New England Revolution) Kyle Duncan – OG
56′ (New York Red Bulls) Daniel Edelman (1) unassisted
70′ (New York Red Bulls) Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (13) assisted by Emil Forsberg
72′ (New York Red Bulls) Emil Forsberg (8) assisted by Dennis Gjengaar
83′ (New York Red Bulls) Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (14) assisted by Ronald Donkor
88′ (New York Red Bulls) Emil Forsberg (9) – PK
DISCIPLINE:
45′ (New England Revolution) Leo Campana – YELLOW CARD
54′ (New York Red Bulls) Wiki Carmona – YELLOW CARD
61′ (New England Revolution) Brayan Ceballos – YELLOW CARD
76′ (New England Revolution) Noah Eile – YELLOW CARD
87′ (New England Revolution) Keegan Hughes – YELLOW CARD
90′ (New England Revolution) Luis Diaz Espinoza – YELLOW CARD
photo by Matt Kremkau