The New York Red Bulls didn’t need long on Sunday to show just how serious they are about winning the MLS Supporters Shield.
Seven seconds to be exact.
That’s how long Tim Cahill took to deliver a record-setting opening salvo, scoring the fastest goal in MLS history and setting the tone for a 3-0 Red Bulls romp over the Houston Dynamo at BBVA Compass Stadium on Sunday.
The victory marked the second romp in Houston for a Red Bulls side that is now one win away from lifting the team’s first major trophy. A victory on Sunday vs. the Chicago Fire would give them the MLS Supporters Shield and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
Cahill races onto a long Dax McCarty pass, chesting it forward and blasting a shot past Tally Hall just seven seconds after the match kicked off.
“We went out there and we enjoyed the game and you can tell in the end with the result and how hard we worked for each other,” Cahill said. “It’s a big moment for us to be in this situation.”
Houston failed to break through the Red Bulls defense as the Dynamo searched for an equalizer, and Ibrahim Sekagya headed home a Peguy Luyindola pass close to goal to make it 2-0 in the 65th minute.
Before the Dynamo could respond, the Red Bulls made it 3-0 just 10 minutes later when a Jermaine Taylor clearance attempt blasted off his own teammate and into the path of a wide-open Bradley Wright-Phillips, who finished the chance to secure the victory.
The loss keeps the Dynamo in sixth place in the Eastern Conference heading into the final weekend of the regular season. Houston needs a victory in their regular season finale vs. D.C. United, and a loss from either Montreal, New England or the Chicago Fire to secure a place in the post-season.
Here are the match highlights: