Recap: Red Bulls Fall to Union on Star Wars Night 1-0

Date: May 10, 2023

By: Ryan Henry

This article was originally written on May 7, 2023

Image via Philadelphia Union

The force was in the air tonight, but it did not fall on the Red Bulls’ side as New York fell to the Philadelphia Union 1-0.

The game was part of Star Wars Night for the Red Bulls as they had special attractions and graphics to celebrate the occasion.

New York had multiple chances early in the first half. They had a corner in the second minute, but one of their best chances all night came in the 10th minute. John Tolkin made a beautiful move to set up a look on net, but Union goalie Andre Blake punched the ball out of bounds to keep the game tied.

What. A. Save.#DOOP | @Allstate pic.twitter.com/X3adxWDoDK

— Philadelphia Union (@PhilaUnion) May 7, 2023

Mistakes cost the Red Bulls halfway into the first. Andrés Reyes received a yellow card in the 25th minute which gave the Union possession in their attacking third. A minute later, Julián Carranza drew a penalty on Dylan Nealis. Philadelphia was awarded a penalty kick and Dániel Gazdag scored a goal in the 31st minute.

Red Bulls players were frustrated with the foul call with Dru Yearwood giving a cheeky response to a question about it after the game.

“I don’t want to get in trouble, but without getting into it too much I think it’s a soft pen,” Yearwood said.

New York had a couple of more opportunities at the end of the half to score the equalizer but couldn’t execute. Cory Burke had a wide-open net after a Cameron Harper cross, but his header sailed wide.

Coming out of the half, the Union had a great chance to extend the lead to two goals. Coming off a corner, Nathan Harriel had a point-blank shot, but Carlos Coronel was able to react in time to make the save.

BIG STOP by Carlos Coronel

Watch the match on #MLSSeasonPass: https://t.co/gQCPWIXMLG https://t.co/9tno2tZXei pic.twitter.com/RycmcNMcI9

— New York Red Bulls (@NewYorkRedBulls) May 7, 2023

The teams would trade possession until the 64th minute when Tom Barlow checked in for Elias Manoel. With Barlow checking in, it marked his 100th career appearance in the MLS.

The substitution gave New York some much needed momentum, but once again they failed to capitalize. Burke had another great look off a cross from Harper, but the header couldn’t connect.

Five days after signing a four-year contract with the organization, Ronald Donkor would check in and make his MLS debut. Donkor didn’t do much in his limited minutes, but tonight was the first step towards solidifying himself at the professional level.

At the end of the match there was a controversial no-call in favor of the Union. New York was attacking and moved the ball into the Union’s third. After a cross from Cristian Cásseres Jr., there was a scramble inside the box that may have resulted in a Union defender committing a handball. No call was made, and Coach Struber was so irate that he picked up a yellow card.

With the win, Philadelphia improves to 4-4-2 with 14 points and New York falls to 1-4-6 with nine points. The Red Bulls will have a quick turnaround as they played D.C. United on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. as part of the U.S. Open Cup.

Ryan Henry is the News Director at WSOU and can be reached at ryan.henry@student.shu.edu.

Posted in: Sports, MLS