RECAP: Late Collapse Stings Red Bulls, Lose to FC Cincinnati, 2-1

photo by Matt Kremkau

by Garry Redman

HARRISON, NJ - Two late goals, one coming from a penalty, the other on a botched save, allowed FC Cincinnati to come from behind to defeat the Red Bulls 2-1.

After defeating New England Revolution 2-1 three days ago, despite the match being mired in controversy from a disallowed goal scored by the visitors, the Red Bulls continue to climb the table but now just sit outside the playoff line.

Meanwhile, FC Cincinnati is having a spectacular season thus far, finding themselves on top of the table, both in the conference and the league. The last time these two sides met, FC Cincinnati were the victors as they knocked the Red Bulls out  in the Round of 16 of this season's U.S. Open Cup.

The two teams battled once more in a midweek matchup on a warm and muggy evening in Northern New Jersey. 

The Red Bulls got on the scoreboard thanks to a penalty conceded by the visitors in the 26th minute as the referee spotted and called a handball on Nick Hagglund in the penalty area. Replays showed that the ball hit Hagglund's shoulder, but that didn't stop Omir Fernandez from cooly converting the penalty kick two minutes later. 

Red Bulls pressed the attack looking to double their advantage nine minutes later. Midfielder Cameron Harper drove the ball down the pitch, saw an opening in the FC Cincinnati defense, and took a shot from outside the box, but the ball sliced over to his left, missing the post by inches. 

Red Bulls started the second half with their patented press, pushing FC Cincinnati firmly in their defensive end, but they were able to dribble out of it to earn a corner, which was negated by a foul in the box, ending the threat for the moment. 

Luciano Acosta got behind the New York defense and took a shot from the left side of the box, but Carlos Coronel was there with the easy save. 

just missing the onrushing Luciano Acosta.

However, VAR saw a foul in the box, and the visitors were awarded a chance to equalize the match, which Luciano Acosta did just that shortly afterward. 

FC Cincinnati took the lead three minutes in stoppage time. Off a corner, the ball somehow evaded the New York defense only to find the feet of Obinna Nwobodo, who took a blistering shot that Carlos Coronel couldn't handle as it went into the net, stunning the home supporters into complete silence, while the small contingent of FC Cincinnati supporters roared in delight as their team stolen a well-earned victory in Red Bull Arena. 

For the Red Bulls, this is a disturbing theme, taking a  lead in the match only to let it slip through their fingers, dropping points in front of the home supporters who voiced their displeasure as they slowly trudged off he field. 

Starting Lineups:

New York Red Bulls: Carlos Coronel, Sean Nealis, Hassan Ndam, Kyle Duncan, Cameron Harper (Matthew Nocita 64’), Daniel Edelman, Frankie Amaya, Omir Fernandez, Luquinhas, Tom Barlow (Wiki Carmona 72’), Dante Vanzeir

FC Cincinnati: Roman Celentano, Alvas Powell, Nick Hagglund, Yerson Mosquera, Rayman Gaddis (Santiago Arias 61’), Alvaro Barreal (Bret Halsey 90’ +3’), Obinna Nwobodo, Marco Angulo (Sergio Santos 61’), Luciano Acosta, Malik Pinto (Junior Moreno 46’), Quimi Ordonez (Ben Stitz 73’)

Scoring Summary:

28' - New York Red Bulls - Omir Fernandez - Converted Penalty

80' - FC Cincinnati - Luciano Acosta - Converted Penalty

90+3' - FC Cincinnati - Obinna Nwobodo - Unassisted

Disciplinary Summary:

3' - New York Red Bulls - Hassan Ndam - Yellow Card

18' - FC Cincinnati - Malik Pinto - Yellow Card

45+1' - New York Red Bulls - Daniel Edelman - Yellow Card

62' - FC Cincinnati - Sergio Santos - Yellow Card

64' - New York Red Bulls - Dante Vanzier - Yellow Card

71' - FC Cincinnati - Quimi Ordonezb - Yellow Card