CINCINNATI, OHIO – The New York Red Bulls (1-0-1, 4 pts) drew C.F. Monterrey (0-1-1, 2 pts) Sunday, but fell in penalties 1 (5) – 1 (3). It was both sides’ second phase one match of this season’s Leagues Cup.
After only two days of preparation, the Red Bulls returned to the pitch Sunday in arguably their best form in weeks. Coming off a sensational victory vs Chivas de Guadalajara, New York traveled to “the Buckeye State” to face a desperate Monterrey club. Going into the matchup, if Monterrey lost, their Leagues Cup hopes would be shattered as a loss would eliminate them from advancing to the quarterfinals.
The Red Bulls’ starting eleven rotated once again as many changes were implemented by manager Sandro Schwarz. Captain Emil Forsberg started after subbing on for Thursday’s match, while forward Eric Choupo-Moting was not listed in Sunday’s squad. This allowed for youngster Julian Hall to start up top again and he made his mark early.
In the 19th minute, after a beautiful pass from midfielder Daniel Edelman, Hall dashed past the Monterrey backline and put New York up 1-0. Among the defenders on Monterrey’s back-three, former Real Madrid center-back Sergio Ramos was one of them.
With Monterrey down for a second straight match in Leagues Cup play, the pressure was on them to equalize. They would receive good fortunes at the 38th minute when midfielder Sergio Canales leveled the match at one. The goal came right after a great save by New York’s goalkeeper Carlos Coronel, who returned to the starting eleven after sitting out Thursday’s match.
The second half to start saw numerous chances from both squads, but neither could convert on their scoring opportunities. The physicality of the match ramped up as well both squads were shown yellow cards on four different occasions. Within the first 25 minutes of the second frame, the Red Bulls were shown a yellow three times compared to Monterrey’s one.
But when the 80th minute arrived, both Monterrey and New York had perfect chances to take the lead. First, Monterrey’s Joaquin Moxica had a brilliant shot denied by Coronel at the 80th minute. Then minutes later in the 83rd minute after a bad Monterrey giveaway, midfielder Mohammed Sofo earned possession of the ball, but then his shot hit the post.
With no one adding to the scoreboard, the match headed to penalties to determine who would earn two points. Right from the start of penalties, Monterrey converted on four straight shots and all hope was seemingly lost for New York.
However, Coronel denied Monterrey’s Luis Reyes on the fifth penalty and it appeared Forsberg was ready to take the kick for New York. Unfortunately for the Red Bulls, Coronel left his line early, resulting in the kick needing to be retaken. Given another opportunity, Reyes found the back of the net and gave Monterrey two huge points.
Even with the result, Schwarz was still content with his squad’s performance on Sunday night.
“Really, really good performance,” Schwarz told the media after the match. “PK, okay, was unlucky in this moment, but from the performance side, I’m really, really satisfied with the guys, how they played, and how they defend all together.”
After earning a point, the Red Bulls travel back to Harrison Thursday to make the most out of their remaining chances when they face FC Juárez. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+.
