The New York Red Bulls started their 2020 season off with a sizzling 3-2 victory over FC Cincinnati. Kyle Duncan, Kaku and Daniel Royer supplied the goals for New York. Allan Cruz and Jürgen Locadia found their names on the scoresheet for Cincinnati. Florian Valot was sensational, providing assists for the first two goals and dominating the midfield for the Red Bulls. Kyle Duncan also had a standout performance, scoring the first goal, assisting the two others and earning Man of the Match at its conclusion.
The first goal of the match went the way of New York in the 16th minute. Daniel Royer did exceptionally well keeping what should have been an out ball in with a sliding save. The ball then found it’s way to Flo Valot, who squeezed it between the legs of a Cincinnati defender to a streaking Kyle Duncan. Showing fantastic calm and poise, he finished the run off with a chip between a Cincy defender and the goalkeeper.
The second goal also came off an assist from Valot. This time, he found Kaku in the 27th minute with a low cross just inside the box. Sending the keeper the wrong way, he buried the ball in the left corner of the goal to put the Red Bulls up 2 going into the half.
Whatever Cincinnati head coach Yohan Damet said during the halftime team talk, it had an instant effect in the second 45 minutes. Cincinnati’s Greg Garza caught the Red Bulls defense sleeping in the 46th minute with a long ball finding the run of Brandon Vazquez. Catching Bulls defender Amro Tarek wrong footed, Vazquez’s low cross found Allan Cruz, who wasted no time burying past New York’s new keeper, David Jansen.
Any hope Cincinnati had of getting level with the Red Bulls took a sharp blow in the 70th minute. Again, Kyle Duncan has his mark on the goal with a perfectly executed throughball finding Daniel Royer on the left frank. After shaking off one defender and gliding past another, the Austrian found the left side of the net, putting New York up 2 with 20 minutes left in the game.
FC Cincinnati wouldn’t go quietly though. Jürgen Locadia, who was substituted in earlier in the second half, found himself one-on-one with Jansen in the 83rd. The Red Bulls keeper made a great save, only for the ball to go directly back to Locadia who passed it effortlessly into the back of the net.
In the end however, Cincinnati could not find that equalizing goal. The Red Bulls walked away with a hard fought 3 points. Next up for the Bulls is a trip to Utah for a matchup with Real Salt Lake.
Editor Nicholas Sbordone
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