This season, the New York Red Bulls have been plagued with unfortunate events. Although this team was already a young squad, they’ve been undermined by injuries, making them even more inferior to talented teams. On Saturday night, the Red Bulls took on the Philadelphia Union and fell short of victory, 1-0, after a controversial ending. The Red Bulls played with high energy and nearly a perfect game, however the officiating crew thought otherwise.
“The frustration is right now on an outstandingly high level,” Red Bulls HC Gerhard Struber stated in the post-game press conference. “10 for 10, I would say. Not only for me but also for my boys. Yeah, again, we can see, we missed a lot in this game. Not ready in the moments when we get the chance, and one time very, very unlucky with a penalty. Yeah, that's a very -- question in my eyes. We had a special time, a tough time. Yeah, it's very, very difficult at the moment.”
During the game, the Red Bulls took 17 shots compared to Union’s three. That said, the Red Bulls got great looks at the net, but were not unable to capitalize on the opportunity. For the majority of the game, the Red Bulls dominated possession and appeared to be the more efficient team. Despite playing a great game, they proved to be unprepared in crucial moments of the game that may have factored into the loss. Struber mentioned that although they played well, the mistakes were costly and need to be more balanced going forward.
“The table never lies and the reality is that we are in the last place in the table, and we make not everything right, especially the results at the moment are very, very bad,” Struber Continued. “… You get not so many chances, but when you come in moments like that, you must be more balanced. You must be more ready for situations like that.”
The Penalty That Changed The Game for the Red Bulls
During the first half, the Red Bulls allowed the Union to score with 31 minutes remaining in the half. Prior to the goal, there was a controversial penalty issued to Red Bulls Defender Dylan Nealis in the penalty area. This resulted in a free kick leaving the Red Bulls goalie Carlos Coronel extremely vulnerable. Union midfielder Dániel Gazdag converted the penalty with a right-footed shot to the bottom left corner.
Dániel Gazdag buries it from the spot to win the match 1-0 for Union.
He has 4 goals and 7 assists in 9 league games so far this season. Leading the MLS in assists, and just outside of the Top 10 in goals. Baller! pic.twitter.com/8a2PZARGfo
— Hungarian Football 🇭🇺 (@HungarianFooty) May 7, 2023
Many were angry with the penalty on Nealis, especially after the referees reviewed the call and still returned with the initial verdict. During the game, it appeared the referees didn’t necessarily make things easier for the already severely plagued Red Bulls team. At the moment, New York is extremely young and lacks guidance, therefore there are moments they lose their composure and poise which ultimately play in effect for losing efforts.
“So, I think that the referee wasn't on the best day today,” Coronel explained. “The player that received the penalty said that he left his body, the decision is with the referee, and he had this problem to solve. I don’t understand why we have two possible penalties, but he couldn't even go to check on the video.”
On Tuesday evening, the Red Bulls are set to face off with D.C United in the U.S. Open Cup. They will gear up to face rivals New York City FC on Saturday in the latest edition of the Hudson Derby.
“The Derby is the Derby, and anything can happen and we’re going to work very hard to win against DC to come full force for the Derby,” Coronel continued.
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