The New York Red Bulls are home at Giants Stadium tonight, looking to record their first win of the season against a strong Real Salt Lake team. The tilt is a rematch of last season's Western Conference final, won by New York.
The Red Bulls will welcome newcomer Alfredo Pacheco to the fold. The Salvadoran defender will make his debut for the club after a prolonged process to be loaned to the club.
I will be providing commentary of the match throughout the night. Please feel free to follow along and, as always, feel free to share your own thoughts and opinions in the comments section below.
Enjoy the action.
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FINAL– Tonight's lineup was closer to what Juan Carlos Osorio had in mind when he was putting this team together and it must be said that this group looked very good. With Albert Celades still working his way into full health, the Red Bulls still might be a dangerous team in the Eastern Conference this season.
Tonight's win was no fluke or lucky bounce, but rather a thorough performance against a solid opponent.
What did you think of tonight's match? Share your thoughts below.
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FINAL- Red Bulls 2, Real Salt Lake 0. An impressive performance on all fronts. The attack created chances, the defense limited chances and Jon Conway impressed in his first match since returning from suspension. A lot to be optimistic about now after a terrible first four matches.
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92nd minute– Rojas has had a decent game but he has to stop these turnovers in the defensive third.
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91st minute– Three minutes of stoppage time, but there's little reason to think RSL will get any closer here. Red Bulls are playing well despite being a man down.
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90th minute– Dane Ricahrds pours on the speed on a breakaway, but then hits a meek shot right to Rimando.
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89th minute– SAVE CONWAY!!!! One-handed save on a Will Johnson shot. RSL corner.
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87th minute– This is Wolyniec's first appearance of the season.
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87th minute– Borman's turnover turns into a quick RSL counter and now a RSL corner. John Wolyniec in for Dane Richards.
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83rd minute– RSL is pushing hard, but Conway and the Red Bulls are holding on to this two-goal cushion.
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81st minute– The Red Bulls defense has been solid, and it must be said that Goldthwaite and Mendes have enjoyed a stellar game tonight.
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78th minute– Andy Williams is in for Robbie Findley now.
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76th minute– The Red Bulls have withstood RSL's strong and you wonder how much Real Salt Lake has left.
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74th minute– SAVE CONWAY!!! Great stop on a Movsisyan shot.
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74th minute– Danleigh Borman will be coming into this match, probably for Khano Smith.
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72nd minute– Tonight's attendance is 8,508. Yuck.
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71st minute– Dane Richards pours on the speed on a breakaway, but then hits a meek shot right to Rimando.
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68th minute– Things could get VERY interesting now that the Red Bulls are a man down. RSL has the high-powered attack to find two goals here.
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65th minute– RED CARD!! Jeremy Hall gets a questionable red card for a late challenge on Will Johnson. Not sure how that's a red, but Ricardo Salazar must have felt it was a malicious challenge. Hall wasn't the last defender and it wasn't a tackle from behind.
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65th minute– Luis Miguel Escalada is coming in for David Horst for RSL. Escalada is making his MLS debut.
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62nd minute– Luke Sassano comes on for Juan Pablo Angel. Not a bad sub for a few reasons. First, Angel has been nursing a sore back, and secondly the Red Bulls have a Thursday game.
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59th minute– The Red Bulls attack has looked more lively all match long and on that goal we saw what Kandji and Angel can do together. Kandji is making it look easy tonight.
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57th minute- GOAL RED BULLS!!!!! Angel with the finish off a beautiful combination sequence with Mac Kandji. What a goal and what a combo Kandji and Angel are making.
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56th minute– Angel heads one just wide off a Richards corner kick.
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55th minute– Red Bulls with a corner kick here. RSL is vulnerable on these with Olave missing. Can Rojas get a good ball in?
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53rd minute– Khano Smith has gone into turnover mode here in the second half.
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52nd minute– Morales with the pass on that play. He's stepping it up and the Red Bulls better be careful.
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50th minute– SAVE GOLDTHWAITE!!!! Clears a Movsisyan shot off the line. WOW.
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49th minute– Robbie Russell with a yellow card after scything down Richards. Good free kick chance for the Red Bulls here.
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47th minute– There is Morales drawing a foul. He should be much more involved in the second half. And Kandji should know not to try back-heels in his own half of the field.
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HALFTIME– Here are the second half drinking games for this match: RSL dives, bad Khano Smith crosses and any backpasses to the goalkeeper of 10 yards or more and you drink.
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HALFTIME – RSL should come out firing here at the start of the second half.
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HALFTIME– No changes for either team at halftime.
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HALFTIME– Red Bulls 1, Real Salt Lake 0. Much better from the Red Bulls today. They have moved the ball with purpose, and have defended well. RSL has had some possession, but has failed to create dangerous chances. I have a feeling RSL will step things up in the second half, but so might New York, which looks like it could find at least one more goal.
Pacheco's first game has gone well so far. he has gotten forward, delivered some good crosses, and drawn a few fouls in possession. He appears to be having a good impact on Khano Smith on the left flank as well.
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45th minute– Apologies for the lack of a drinking game in the first half. The action has been pretty steady so I couldn't come up with one. I'll have some for the second half.
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39th minute– Several Red Bulls have played well who came in having disappointing seasons. Richards, Rojas and Smith have looked good early on here. Maybe there's hope for this bunch afer all.
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32nd minute– RSL has moved the ball around but Javier Morales hasn't gotten enough of the ball. He's the key to RSL's chances today and he's more than capable of unlocking the Red Bulls defense with a sharp pass.
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30th minute– Hall with a great ball in to Angel, who forces a good save from Rimando. There has been some great service from the Red Bulls flanks today.
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28th minute– Mathis with a nice run through midfield. Red Bulls fans should know that Mathis has had a pretty good season for Real Salt Lake and still has some gas in the tank.
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27th minute– Apologies for the late start folks. I'm locked in now and the Red Bulls and RSL are going back and forth in a wide-open game. I don't see this one finishing 1-0.
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23rd minute– Here is RSL's starting lineup:
——–Movsisyan—-Findley———–
——————Morales—————–
Johnson—————————Mathis
—————-Beckerman—————-
Wingert—-Borchers–Horst—–Russell
——————Rimando—————–
BENCH– Reynish, Beltran, Alexandre, Cox, Grabavoy, Williams, Escalada
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21st minute– With Olave out, second-year defender David Horst is starting. He is seeing his first minutes of the season. Kandji and Angel aren't upset about that at all.
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20th minute– Real Salt Lake is without Colombian defender Jamison Olave for tonight's match. RSL is keeping Olave off the turf because his knees are apparently bad. It has nothing to do with being afraid that Juan Pablo Angel will embarrass him like he did here last season.
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18th minute– Rojas hits the frame with a 30-yard free kick. He's looked very active tonight and apparently isn't ready to give up his starting job.
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15th minute– Here is the Red Bulls starting lineup:
————Angel——–Kandji————
Smith————Rojas————richards
——————Stammler—————-
Pacheco—-Goldthwaite- Mendes—Hall
——————-Conway—————–
BENCH– Cepero, Petke, Borman, Sassano, Ubiparipovic, Oduro, Wolyniec
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13th minute– Alfredo Pacheco delivers a perfect ball that creates a great chance for Kandji. He's looking sharp so far.
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10th minute– The Red Bulls scored in the second minute courtesy of a Macoumba Kandji finish of a deflected Dane Richards cross. That was the first goal of the season for a Red Bull. Red Bulls 1, Real Salt Lake 0.