HARRISON – The New York Red Bulls (1-0-2, 6 pts) drew FC Juárez (1-0-2, 6 pts) in regulation Thursday, but won in penalties, 1 (5) – 1 (3). However, New York was also eliminated from this season’s League Cup following their victory.
The message was clear for the Red Bulls entering Thursday’s Leagues Cup match. They had to win by four or more goals in regulation to have a chance to advance to the quarterfinal round of the tournament.
For the away side in Juárez, a win and they would be a shocking inclusion in the next round of the Leagues Cup. Having proven their worth vs Major League Soccer (MLS) squads in Charlotte FC and FC Cincinnati, “Los Bravos” had a shot vs New York.
One factor in favor of the visiting Mexican side was their excellent scoring output in the first phase of the tournament. With six goals through two matches, Juárez on paper looked like their attack would continue to perform well. However, the Red Bulls’ backline was up to the task, having only allowed one goal in the competition so far.
The first 45 minutes proved to be very uneventful for both sides. While the Red Bulls dominated possession at 56.2 percent, shots were rare for them in the first frame, with only two registered. In the defensive third, however, New York stood their ground and disrupted Juárez’s attack from doing anything.
Just like their first two matches, Red Bulls manager Sandro Schwarz deployed a different rotation. Even with New York needing goals desperately, forward Eric Choupo-Moting and captain Emil Forsberg were on the bench to begin the match. The dynamic duo would eventually be included in the match, subbing on in the 61st minute.
For New York, they needed to go into overdrive to find goals in the second half. With zero goals finding the back of the net in the first half, the pressure was on for the Red Bulls.
Luckily for New York, they started the second frame perfectly. In the 47th minute of the contest, defender Dylan Nealis knocked in a rare goal off a free kick to put New York up 1-0. Defender Marcelo Morales, who made his first team debut Thursday for New York, earned the assist on the goal.
Unfortunately for New York, the rest of the second half proved challenging in terms of goal-scoring opportunities. Juárez, on the other hand, pushed New York’s defense to the limit with a boatload of shots throughout the second 45 minutes. Juárez’s aggressive attack eventually led to them tying the match in the 87th minute with a great header from midfielder Óscar Estupiñán.
Such as the case on Sunday night for the Red Bulls, they headed to penalties again to determine who would earn the extra point. With the Red Bulls making their first four shots of the penalty shootout, Forsberg stepped up to take the fifth and final one.
After not being able to attempt a shot in penalties on Sunday, Forsberg’s heroics appeared again for New York on Thursday. The captain buried the final shot of penalties and earned New York two points.
While New York will not be advancing to the knockout stage, it was a good result as they prepare for a challenging stretch of their schedule. With three matches next week, this win was necessary for New York’s morale.
Evaluating the tournament results, Schwarz was pleased with how his squad performed throughout.
“When I look to these two weeks of all these Leagues Cup games, this is the way we want to play,” Schwarz addressed the media post-match.
The Red Bulls return to regular MLS competition Sunday when they face Real Salt Lake at home. Kickoff for the match is set for 6 p.m. on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+.
