The New York Red Bulls ended their last home match of the regular season in a 0-0 draw with rivals, DC United. New York won the Atlantic Cup with the result and have one game to play to finalize where they will end up in the table. DC currently sits in fourth with 49 points, one point ahead of the Red Bulls. With a win next week against Montreal and a tie/loss by United to Cincinnati, the Red Bulls will jump to fourth and have at least one home game in the playoffs.
The last time these two clubs met, both sides saw red cards. While again a cantankerous meeting between the two, with 36 total fouls in the 90 minutes, the two teams managed to keep their heads and finish with only one yellow card a piece.
The Red Bulls’ Luis Robles had one of his quieter nights of the season. DC, finishing with seven total shots, ended the match without a shot on target. DC United keeper Bill Hamid was forced to make two saves, including a brilliant block which looked like something out of the Matrix.
The first half began and ended with both sides seemingly waiting for the other to make a mistake, which never came. The result was lethargic play with no real sense of urgency.
The second half started and whatever the coaches said in the locker room instantly resonated on the pitch. The Red Bulls looked ultra aggressive from the very beginning.
They created chances and had DC on their heels for most of the last 45.
Daniel Royer had one of the best chances in the game to break the deadlock. In the 59th minute, a Marc Rzatkowski free kick found the forehead of an unmarked Royer but it was blocked off the line by DC’s Frédéric Brillant.
Two minutes later came the Hamid save Keanu Reeves’ “Neo” would’ve been proud of. Off a corner kick, Cristian Cásseres Jr connected and hit a high-hopper which the DC keeper belatedly saw and barely got a hand on. It was just enough to send the ball over the crossbar.
The game ended all level at zero a piece, with DC seemingly happy with the result. New York, on the other hand, may as well feel they let three vital points slip away. The Red Bulls will travel to Canada next week for the last game of their regular season against the Impact. With the playoffs clinched, all that’s left to determine now is seeding. Results in next week’s game will determine if the boys in red can get that coveted home field playoff game.
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