HARRISON, NJ — The New York Red Bulls recorded only one shot on goal in the first half of Wednesday’s match and quickly fell behind 2-0. It looked like their winless streak, which stretched back into May, would continue in ugly fashion.
Instead, the Red Bulls’ stars led a five-goal second-half barrage for the team’s most goals in a match since May 10. The outburst led New York past New England, 5-3, at Sports Illustrated Stadium, keeping it in Wild-Card contention in the Eastern Conference.
“I think they kind of got complacent in the second half until the game was over,” midfielder Daniel Edelman said. “[In the second half], we were just playing free, not worrying about mistakes, and then they were getting tired, we were building off the momentum.”
The Red Bulls’ (9-6-8) two offensive leaders endured a challenging first half filled with miscues, but fueled the resurgence with a pair of scores each.
Emil Forsberg, who came in tied for the team lead with five assists, struck a penalty kick down the middle to cap the run in the 88th minute. The midfielder also spun outside the box in the 72nd minute before firing a strike to give New York a lead two minutes after Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting scored.
Choupo-Moting, the team-leader with 13 goals, dribbled to his left near the goal circle and drilled a shot near the corner of the cage to even the match. The forward added another score with a low shot in the 83rd minute.
“Coach told us also in the halftime that we should not panic, and especially in the last 15 minutes, 20 minutes in the first half, also, it was already better, but still 2-0,” Choupo-Moting said. “But we said to ourselves, ‘Listen, we have to focus on ourselves. We know that we can beat, I think, any team in the league, at home, especially, and that was our goal.’”
Neither of the stars began the comeback, though.
It was Edelman who broke through at the onset of the second half for his first goal of the season when his shot ricocheted off a defender’s leg into the corner of the net. That came off a first half in which only one of the Red Bulls’ 11 shots went on goal, also courtesy of the 22 year old.
In the opening half, New York struggled to penetrate the ball into the middle of the Revolution’s (6-7-9) defense, which entered tied for third-fewest goals allowed in the Eastern Conference.
Choupo-Moting was stripped in the box, and Forsberg dished a pass, expecting a cutter, to nobody. Forsberg motioned his hands up in visible frustration after the play as goalkeeper Aljaz Ivacic was almost never forced to leave the cage in the first half.
Meanwhile, the Red Bulls conceded two goals within the first 30 minutes for the second-straight game, the latter of which came on an own-goal after a shot ricocheted off the post.
Goalkeeper Carlos Coronel settled in, though, allowing his only other score in extra time. His defense forced shots from wider angles as the match progressed, and New York dictated nearly 60% of the time of possession.
The Red Bulls capitalized on their chances in the second half, using patient passing to create numerous looks near the box. It came after a first half in which New York, who was averaging one goal over its five-match winless streak, looked to be in major danger of its first loss at Sports Illustrated Stadium since Apr. 19.
Instead, it closed with its most goals in a half this season en route to a comfortable victory.
“Five goals in the second half is pretty cool,” Edelman said. “Something that doesn’t happen for us often.”
