Role playing is fun.
Not that kind of role playing, get your mind out of the gutter.
On a warm Saturday night at Red Bull Arena, the New York Red Bulls rounded out their last of a three game home stand against the Chicago Fire. Playing the role of firefighter, the New York Red Bulls extinguished the Fire 2-1 to clinch nine points from their three home fixtures to propel them to second in the Eastern Conference.
The high temperatures during the heat of the day served as an omen for the emotions which would flow later that evening with the impending return of Dax McCarty since his trade to the Chicago Fire. What a return to remember…for the Red Bulls atleast.
Tonight's Tito. #NYvCHi pic.twitter.com/Tp7WmECmKT
— Joe Goldstein (@_JoeGoldstein) April 29, 2017
To honor the return of the former captain, the South Ward proudly displayed an “11 of Hearts” card themed tifo with one of the hearts broken. While McCarty’s sudden trade is upsetting, these results will help ease the pain.
New York had its laundry list of starters available for Saturday’s game, save for center back Aurelien Collin who missed the game with an abdominal strain forcing veteran Damien Perrinelle back into the line-up.
Early on, play between the Red Bulls and the Fire seemed very much end to end. With little ability to hang onto the ball, both sides quickly found themselves shifting from offensive to defensive postures. Much of the down and dirty battles took place in the heart of the midfield notably between midfielder Felipe and Chicago’s recently acquired Bastian Schweinsteiger. A nasty, physical affair was spurred on by Schweinsteiger which evidently got under Felipe’s skin. How the ex-German international escaped a caution is beyond reason.
BWP finds the back of the net and puts #RBNY up 1! #NYvCHI #LIUBtogether ?⚽️ pic.twitter.com/MiTkOdV15S
— New York Red Bulls (@NewYorkRedBulls) April 30, 2017
New York would draw first blood late in the first half thanks to the opportune boots of Bradley Wright-Phillips. A fortuitous deflection by Fire midfielder Juninho left the ball at New York winger Daniel Royer’s feet who delivered a perfect ball to BWP. By merely redirecting the ball, Wright-Phillips notched his fourth goal of the 2017 campaign. BWP is rediscovering his form in the 4-2-3-1 as he is able to reprise his role as the lone forward and poacher.
Bramka @niko_nemanja w przegranym 2-1 meczu z @NewYorkRedBulls. #Nikolic #MLS pic.twitter.com/qYrgEgjXs4
— #MoulinKing ? (@Legionista2706) April 30, 2017
The Fire would answer early in the second half via Hungarian striker Nemanja Nikolic. Sloppy defending left McCarty unmarked as he was able to play a sly ball to Nikolic who, from the far left flank of goal, sailed the ball past goalkeeper Luis Robles to level the match. Nikolic’s goal marks the first time New York has conceded at home this season.
Kemar Lawrence slots one in and puts #RBNY up 2-1! #NYvCHI #LIUBtogether pic.twitter.com/tkfScgxGt2
— New York Red Bulls (@NewYorkRedBulls) April 30, 2017
Refusing to be beaten in front of their supporters, the Red Bulls clawed back in the 71st minute to nab a game winning goal. Left back Kemar Lawrence would redeem himself for an earlier botched attempt by picking up a perfectly weighted pass by center back Damien Perrinelle and shooting it from the far left flank past Chicago keeper Jorge Bava. Don’t you just love it when your defenders combine for a goal?
Despite the loss, McCarty lingered on the field long after the conclusion of the match to bid fans and former teammates a final adieu showing why he is so beloved in the hearts and minds of Red Bull fans everywhere.
The Red Bulls return to action on Wednesday, May 3rd when they travel to take on Sporting Kansas City. New York will not return home until they play the Los Angeles Galaxy on Sunday, May 14th.
Scoring Summary:
37′ RBNY: Bradley Wright-Phillips, assisted by Daniel Royer
59′ Fire: Nemanja Nikolic, assisted by Dax McCarty
71′ Kemar Lawrence, assisted by Damien Perrinelle
Disciplinary Summary:
51′ RBNY: Alex Muyl, yellow
61′ RBNY: Connor Lade, yellow
81′ RBNY: Felipe, yellow
87′ RBNY: Fredrik Gulbrandsen, yellow
Starting Lineups:
RBNY: Robles, Lawrence, Perrinelle, Long, Lade, Felipe, Adams, Royer, Kljestan (90′ Davis), Muyl (65′ Veron), Wright-Phillips (78′ Gulbrandsen)
Fire: Bava, Vincent, Meira, Kappelhof, Harrington, McCarty, Juninho (73′ de Leeuw), Accam (79′ Johnson), Schweinsteiger, Solignac (86′ Alvarez), Nikolic
