MONTRÉAL, QC – The New York Red Bulls (12-12-7) returned to the win column in a crucial match on Saturday, defeating CF Montréal 2-0. New York earns the season sweep vs Montreal, as well as their second victory on the road this season.
It was a simple goal north of the border for New York on Saturday night, win or put themselves in a worse position for the playoff race. With Chicago Fire FC being the squad they have to keep up with for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, New York had to get serious. Luckily, their opponent was a club who outside of the LA Galaxy has been cited as one of the weaker teams in Major League Soccer this season.
For Red Bulls manager Sandro Schwarz, a flurry of changes were implemented by him for the game’s starting eleven. This included midfielder Gustav Berggren and defender Marcelo Morales getting their first league starts for the club. With other notable inclusion in defender Tim Parker and forward Julian Hall, the changes appeared to work early on.
In the 23rd minute off a corner kick, New York struck first when Tim Parker headed in a goal to give New York the 1-0 lead. The goal was Parker’s first since returning to the club.
“He’s very important for us,” Schwarz told the press about Parker following the match. “He’s very, very important for us, how he’s leading the team in our organization.”
The scoring would continue for New York six minutes later when forward Eric Choupo-Moting added another score to make it 2-0. The goal would be Choupo-Moting’s 16th of the season and notably, a relieving one for him. Entering the match, the talented striker’s last goal before Saturday came versus the Philadelphia Union in the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal round.
But, the man of the match arguably was New York goalkeeper Carlos Coronel. Against an incredible 19 shots from Montreal, Coronel looked focused and strong in net, saving six shots in the process. Coronel’s shutout vs Montreal was his 10th clean sheet of the season, leveling him with Charlotte FC’s goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina for second in MLS.
With three matches remaining, New York’s schedule to finish the season is no easy task. With back-to-back home matches vs New York City FC and FC Cincinnati and an away match at Columbus Crew remaining, it doesn’t get easier for New York.
In terms of the Red Bulls’ next two opponents, NYCFC and Cincinnati have already clinched playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. Should New York earn two more great home victories and Chicago drops results, another season in the postseason may happen.
“We need everyone, that’s clear,” Schwarz told the press Saturday. “We need everyone on Saturday in our stadium, and we need a great atmosphere. We have, first of all, the responsibility on the pitch to bring everything against them [NYCFC]. We need the whole crowd in our stadium, and it starts with warm ups when we arrive in our stadium, and then we have to be ready against them [NYCFC], of course, but with a clear mindset, clear focus, clear concentration in our tactical principles.”
Kickoff for next Saturday’s match vs NYCFC is set for 7:30 p.m. on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
