Credit: New York Red Bulls
Coronel, Edelman Shock Columbus Crew, Red Bulls Advance to Eastern Conference Semifinals on PKs, 5-4
Published: Sunday, November 3, 2024
by Brian Henderson
The champs have been dethroned.
The New York Red Bulls swept the reigning MLS Cup Champion Columbus Crew, 2-0, in the best-of-three series.
Sunday evening's deciding game two might have well been the match of the year, with New York prevailing 5-4 in penalty kicks after being deadlocked at 2-2 in regulation.
The Red Bulls and the Crew spent the first 45 minutes in a stalemate, with neither squad able to give themselves a great chance to strike first. Columbus was making some progress towards the end of the first half, which they promptly capitalized on just five minutes into the second. 30 seconds after he had checked in for DeJuan Jones, Columbus’s Max Arfsten snuck the first goal past Coronel to make it 1-0.
Though not on the brink of elimination, you could sense it was desperation time for the Red Bulls, who had to play from behind against one of the top teams in the MLS this season. New York had to lean on its stars, and they shined in the second half.
Captain Emil Forsberg found a sprinting Dante Vanzeir off of a counterattack in the 64th minute, and Vanzeir stuck New York’s first goal past Columbus keeper Patrick Schulte. Forsberg’s busy night wasn’t over, as he converted an 80th-minute penalty kick to give the Red Bulls their first lead of the match.
When the referees announced there would be 12 minutes of stoppage time, the Red Bull fans were outraged. That feeling only multiplied after a late Columbus goal.
Christian Ramirez netted the Crew the equalizer in the 95th minute; the Red Bulls found themselves on the ropes, but managed to hang on until all 102 minutes of play had finished. When Columbus opened up the penalty shootout converting their first four in a row, New York needed a hero – and Carlos Coronel answered the call.
Like an MLB pitcher, Coronel sat down Columbus in order – saving back-to-back-to-back penalty attempts from Yevhen Cheberko, Max Arfsten, and Alexandru Mățan.
But Coronel could only do so much. The Red Bulls needed to convert their fifth penalty kick if they wanted to find themselves in the semifinals. Playing at home in Red Bull Arena, a place they have dominated all season, it was the hometown kid Daniel Edelman, with the game-winning kick, who sent the home crowd into a frenzy.
New York’s win marks their first appearance in the Eastern Conference semifinals since 2018, and they will play the winner of the NYCFC vs. FC Cincinnati series.
Spirits are high in Harrison, New Jersey, and head coach Sandro Schwarz said it best in his post-game press conference:
Brian Henderson is an Assistant News Director at WSOU and can be reached at brian.henderson1@student.shu.edu“The best message is, for all of us here who are in the club and outside of the club, the season is not over.”
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