Red Bulls leave Los Angeles with a hard fought point

New York Red Bulls, Featured, Professional, Soccer

April 21, 2024

The New York Red Bulls left Los Angeles with a point after a tough battle resulted in a 2-2 draw with Los Angeles FC. Late goals from both sides gave both clubs hope, and no one went home empty-handed.

New York got things started with a one-two pass from Lewis Morgan to Dante Vanzeri, which resulted in a corner kick. Off of the corner, the Red Bulls got the benefit of an own goal (8’) after LAFC’s Eddie Segura, who was defending Sean Nealis. It was the club’s first goal off of a corner this season.

Head Coach Sandro Schwarza spoke on the result of the match.

"The whole game was a great fight," Schwarz said. "I’m very satisfied, I’m proud of this team, of this fight. Unlucky we didn’t get these three points."

LAFC got one back after a VAR-decided penalty against Nealis allowed for a penalty kick in the 67th minute. The black and gold's Denis Bouanga converted the kick to make things square.

New York had another opportunity from a corner kick in the 81st minute. John Tolkin sent the ball into the box, which was then deflected and laid out perfectly for an unmarked Emil Forsberg to finish. The majority of the Red Bulls' chances and both goals came off of set pieces and corners, which the club has greatly improved on.

“It’s good to know that we can score off the corners, off the free kicks, also to have the quality and to have the confidence that we can score in these situations,” Schwarz said.

The Red Bull lead didn’t last long, though, as LAFC tied it once again during added time in the 90th minute with Bouanga’s second goal of the match. New York had another chance following the equalizer, but Elias Manoel shot a bit too high, hitting the crossbar before the final whistle blew.

Despite another potential three-point match that resulted in just one point, the Red Bulls continue to look like a top team in the MLS. Although they have occasionally given up late goals in different matches, players remain positive and don’t harp on the mistakes. However, New York continued their point streak on the road following their loss to Columbus bringing their away record to 2-1-3, earning nine points in six games.

"We're going to keep improving, keep getting better, keep getting more confident in many areas," Emil Forsberg said. "We're not satisfied, we'll keep working hard."

"I'm very satisfied, I'm proud of what I see from the whole team, the whole club, the staff," Schwarz said. "I'm happy with the whole team, the behavior, the mentality."

The Red Bulls head back to Harrison, NJ for their match number 10 against Vancouver. The match will be played at Red Bull Arena on Saturday, April 27th at 7:30 p.m.