The New York Red Bulls headed to Philadelphia where they picked up three away points on Father’s Day.

The New York Red Bulls headed across the Delaware River Sunday night for a Father’s Day match against the Philadelphia Union. RBNY went into the match in seventh place with 20 points. Philadelphia, on the other hand, stood in 10th place with 16 points. While distant in the standings, these two faced off on May 6, which resulted in a RBNY 3-0 loss.

Noticeable absences from the RBNY lineup were Kemar Lawrence who came off of the bench and Mike Grella who was out due to injury. The team’s back line consisted of Perrinelle, Murillo, Collin, and Long. The midfield Kljestan, Adams, Royer, Muyl and Felipe. The lone striker up front was Bradley Wight-Phillips.

RBNY looked to handle the attacking prowess of CJ Sapong, who currently has eight goals and two assists. Offensively for RBNY, Adams assumed a defensive midfielder role hoping to add to the attack and allow Kljestan to get forward.

Early in the game possession was in RBNY’s favor with just over 55%. Fouls were committed frequently by both sides. A scare for RBNY came in the 22nd minute where Robles clashed with a Union attacker. The medical staff had to come onto to the field out of caution, but after a quick five minutes, Robles was able to continue.

Because of heat conditions during the match, in the 30th minute, a hydration break was called. This also occurred in the 75th minute.

The lone opportunity in the first half came from a ball distributed on the ground by Murillo to Muyl. Muyl received the ball at the top of the 18 where he dribbled to the right corner of the six-yard box. Unfortunately, Union keeper Blake was there to deny the goal scoring opportunity.

Just before halftime Raymon Gaddis crossed the ball into the far post where Chris Pontius met the ball with his head. The shot just went wide giving a fright to the New York Side.

Halftime Statistics:

  • Possession – RBNY 53.8% – Philly- 46.2%
  • Shots- RBNY 4 – Philly 6
  • Shots on goal- RBNY 1 – Philly 3
  • RBNY Substitutions – Kemar Lawrence in for Aaron Long

Bradley Wright-Phillips in the 49th minute was slipped a ball on the left side of the 18 yard box where he tried to slip it passed Blake, but was cleared before it could cross the line. In the 53rd minute, Sacha Kljestan took a corner which found a diving Perrinelle head. Unfortunatley, it veared just over the crossbar.

A red card was issued in the 53rd minute to Derrick Jones for a hard foul on Felipe in midfield. For the rest of the match the Union played with 10 men. Offensive opportunities increased for RBNY throughout the final minutes of the match.

Despite the red card Luis Robles thought the team was playing noticeably well. Certainly RBNY was dominant for most of the game. The red card, however, allowed the team to finish the job. Shortly after Muyl in the 62nd minute got his head on the end of a corner kick which came off of the post.

Felipe, in the 67th minute, drew a foul about 30 yards from goal on a pass from Sacha Kljestan. On the following free kick Kljestan just shot it over the crossbar.

A foul conceded by Collin about 25 yards out on the corner of the 18 almost doomed RBNY’s defensive efforts. Luckily it was missed my inches and headed out of bounds.

Bradley Wright-Phillips in the 87th minute was the late hero as Lawrence played a ground ball across the face of the goal. Rushing toward the net, BWP slotted the ball passed Blake inside the six-yard box.

In stoppage time, Veron crossed a ball to Zizzo on the right side who played a similar ball to BWP waiting in the six-yard box who slotted the ball home. Two goals against the Union by BWP added to his season tally of eight goals and 77 career goals with RBNY.

Tyler Adams added an extra layer to both RBNY’s defense and offense. Sacha Kljestan when asked about Adams contributing to the game and his own play he noted, “Physicality is probably one of his strongest points.” While lauding Tyler Adams he explained that Adams’s defensive talents allows him to push forward into the attack. With experience he claimed Adams will surely add to the depth of the midfield.

Sacha Kljestan while not on the score sheet or an assist contributor for saw noticeable improvement. His passes were performed with confidence and he certainly contributed in both the attack and defense.

An early preview of the US Open Cup match to come saw RBNY victorious by a score of 2-0. With RBNY gaining momentum the upcoming matches against NYCFC and Philadelphia again in the US Open Cup will certainly be games to watch.

Final Match Facts:

  • Final Score: RBNY 2 – Philadelphia 0
  • Possession: RBNY 64.2% – Philadelphia 35.8%
  • Total Shots: RBNY 14 – Philadelphia 7
  • Total Shots on goal: RBNY 3 – Philadelphia 3
  • Announced attendance: 17,720