Red Bulls Score Five in a Must Win Match Against D.C. United

New York Red Bulls, Professional, Soccer

September 24, 2023

Five goals, 20 shots (eight shots on goal), and a well-earned three points for the New York Red Bulls in their trip to the nation’s capital. The Red Bulls (8-12-10) shut down D.C. United (9-13-9) at Audi Field in a 5-3 win to claim the Atlantic Cup and move even closer to a playoff spot.

In hurricane-like weather with heavy rains, high winds, and an almost flooded field, New York and D.C. combined for a total of eight goals, 35 shots and 28 fouls.

The first half of the match was as action-packed as it can get. A combined six goals, three penalties (two penalty shots) and 11 combined shots opened up what was an exciting game between the two sides. New York answered first with a goal from midfielder and leading scorer for the Red Bulls, Omir Fernandez. He earned his fifth goal of the season and gave New York a 1-0 lead in the 17th minute.

Just four minutes later, D.C. equalized the game with a goal from striker Christian Benteke. He scored two more goals in the half to earn himself a hat-trick, but New York was able to keep things level with another goal from Fernandez and midfielder Cameron Harper to make it 3-3 at halftime.

The game-winning goal for New York came from defender Sean Nealis after he directed the ball into the bottom left off of a header from a corner kick in the 58th minute. The captain's first goal of the season couldn’t have been any more meaningful in such a crucial game for the Red Bulls.

D.C. had no shortage of chances in the second half to tie it up, but goalkeeper Carlos Coronel was able to shut them down in his 100th career MLS start. Coronel earned himself four saves on the night and another win. Defender John Tolkin put the game away with another goal in added time to make it 5-3. Both of Tolkin’s goals this season came against D.C.

Improvement
Before this match, the Red Bulls had a total of 24 goals in regular season play, one of the lowest totals in the MLS this season. Goal scoring has been a struggle all year for New York and has cost them many wins, considering their defense has been the better half of their play.
The Red Bulls' five goals against D.C. were the largest amount of goals in a match for them since 2017 when they scored five against the San Jose Earthquakes in a 5-1 win. If New York continues to play like this and get the ball in the back of the net this often, they should have no worries about making the playoffs.

What This Means
The Red Bulls entered the game in a must-win situation. With a tight battle for the last playoff spot between six different teams, New York couldn’t afford a loss or even a tie, especially with D.C. as one of the teams they’re competing with. The Red Bulls now have 34 points on the season and are just two points out of the 9th, currently held by D.C. A win in their upcoming match against Chicago Fire FC could potentially put them above D.C. United.

What’s Next
With only four games left in the regular season, the Red Bulls are in a must-win situation for each game. New York will face Chicago on Saturday, September 30 in their next match-up for their second-to-last match at Red Bull Arena. With Chicago as one of the other six teams fighting for that last spot, the Red Bulls have all the more reason to go into Saturday and play the way they did at Audi Field.