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Recap: New York Red Bulls Tie 10-Men DC United 2-2

Published: Sunday, June 30, 2024

by Brian Henderson

The New York Red Bulls (9-8-4) kept alive their undefeated record at home against DC United (4-8-9), but it’s hard to feel like they did not leave some points on the table last night.

While the 2-2 draw was a better outcome than their previous result against DC (losing 4-1 in the nation’s capital), New York could not fully prevail even while having the upper hand for the majority of the match. Although they went down 1-0 in the sixth minute from a goal courtesy of former Red Bull Jared Stroud, New York was quickly presented with a golden opportunity. 

In the 14th minute, DC forward Cristián Dájome picked up a yellow card before quickly getting another just six minutes later. This put DC down a man for the remaining 70 minutes – and that was before additional stoppage time. Things predictably began to fall New York’s way after another costly penalty from DC put Elias Manoel in the box for a penalty kick. He buried it in the back of the net to even the match at one apiece.  

From there, however, the Red Bulls went quiet. While they had no problem taking shots throughout the match (23), getting them on goal (4) was where they struggled. It appeared that the match would head into the break knotted up at one, until the fourth minute of stoppage time brought DC a free kick from just outside the penalty box. Pedro Santos did it all himself, scoring on the free kick and giving DC the 2-1 lead at halftime.  

The first 25 minutes of the second half mirrored the final 20 minutes of the first. The Red Bulls would have constant opportunities but could never take advantage of them. The second half did mark the return of their leading goal scorer, Lewis Morgan, who returned to New York after competing for Scotland in the European Championship. There was no doubt that his presence helped the team towards the end of the match, when things were finally starting to click. In the 78th minute, Kyle Duncan passed the ball back for Cameron Harper, who slotted it just under DC goalie Tyler Miller for the equalizer. 

Harper's fifth goal of the season proved to be the final one of the match, giving New York their eighth draw of the season. While still happy to get a point and remain unbeaten at home, settling for a draw when the team had an 11-on-10 advantage for over an hour still stings like a loss. Sean Nealis echoed this sentiment post-game...

“It’s a little deflating, a little disappointing… early on we got punched in the mouth, and it was kind of tough to claw back.”  

But it’s on to the next for the Red Bulls, who still have sole possession of third place in the Eastern Conference. They return to play on July 6 on the road against the Philadelphia Union.  

 
Brian Henderson is an Assistant News Director at WSOU and can be reached at brian.henderson1@student.shu.edu

Posted in: sports, new york red bulls