For the first four games of the 2007 season the New York Red Bulls did not concede a single goal. Then, late in the fifth game of the season - against struggling Real Salt Lake - the Red Bulls allowed three to the last-place team in the Western Conference.
And although they have still not been on the losing side of a contest this season, the dramatic loss of such a commanding lead so late in the game felt almost as bad to some of the Red Bulls players.
"We were fully in control," said Red Bulls captain Claudio Reyna. "Probably, for 80 minutes we played a very good game, but obviously it's 90 minutes and the last 10 minutes we got very sloppy. They pushed some numbers forward and had nothing to lose. It feels like a loss, to be honest."
For the majority of the match New York head coach Bruce Arena was pleased with the play of his team - excluding the final five minutes or so.
"I thought large segments of the game we played pretty well," said Arena. "Obviously, the last five or six minutes - whatever it was - was a complete disaster."
With a 3-1 lead going into the 90th minute the Red Bulls conceded a penalty that saw Jeff Cunningham score from the spot. Then two minutes into stoppage time Chris Brown hit an incredible shot just inside the upper corner to provide the equalizer in the 3-3 draw.
"In soccer, you always learn from these games," said Reyna. "And, it's good it happened now. I don't think we'll be in a game like this for the rest of the season. It was one of those kind of fluke games that we have to learn from. I think everyone gets a lesson, and you have to learn how to close out games. That's definitely the lesson we take from this game."
Clint Mathis, who contributed to all three Red Bulls goals, places the blame of the late game lapse squarely on the entire team.
"We just made some dumb mistakes and you've got to live by that," said Mathis. "We've got to look past this game. We got a point out of it. We didn't really gain a point -- we lost two points."
Arena, frustrated about how his team didn't hold the game together at the end, suggested that he could learn something from new RSL head coach Jason Kreis.
"I'm going to call and ask him how to play the last five minutes of games," Arena said sarcastically. "Maybe I could learn something from him."
What did go well for the Red Bulls was their combination play in the attacking third. Reyna pointed to that as something positive to take away from the match.
"Going forward we looked very dangerous, and even defensively we controlled the game," said Reyna. "We created many, many chances. All our goals were well-worked goals."
New York opened the scoring in the 12th minute when Mathis sprang Dane Richards loose with a high ball over the defense. The rookie outpaced his defender and easily chipped RSL goalkeeper Chris Seitz for his first goal as a professional.
Mathis continued as the driving force of the Red Bulls attack, scoring two goals to add to his assist to Richards. Reyna sees Mathis, a preseason addition from Colorado, as a perfect fit for Red Bulls.
"He fits in really well to the system we're playing, where he plays off behind the target striker," said Reyna. "He can create a pass and he's also very dangerous scoring. Today he just played in that hole as a free player and that's definitely his strength. It's difficult to mark against, as he plays in front of the back two defenders and behind the midfielder. It causes the (opposing) team problems."
Mathis was a problem that the RSL defense had a hard time solving. His first goal came in the 28th minute. After being on the receiving end of a perfect through ball from Dave van den Bergh, Mathis beat Seitz on the ground with a firmly struck shot into the far side netting.
His next goal was a result of a quality build-up. Reyna sent a neat ball out wide to Dema Kovalenko, who whipped a cross into Mathis. The New York striker beat Seitz to ball at the near post and headed home his third goal of the year. The New York striker credited his teammates for getting him the ball in dangerous spots to score.
"The guys played me great balls," said Mathis. "I should score both of those goals. I think any forward in this league should."
Scoring goals is something Mathis is known for, but something he hasn't been doing in recent years. Since returning to MLS in 2005 he had amassed only five goals total over the last two seasons -- a far cry from the 13-goal season he had with the MetroStars in 2000.
He says that getting back together with familiar things that helped him succeed in the past is what is helping him find his form this year.
"I just wanted to make a change and I came back to a place where I was successful before and to a group of guys I played with - as far as the staff with Bruce - and was successful with on the national team," Mathis said. "I think it brings back a couple memories and tried to make me a little bit younger."
Even playing against his former club wasn't an added motivator on Saturday night. Mathis is just out to do his job: score goals.
"I look at it as another game," said Mathis. "Granted, I get a lot crap out there from the fans but it's part of the game. I've always said that Salt Lake has some of the best fans, and that's good for them. But, at the end of the day it doesn't matter if I'm playing Salt Lake, D.C., Houston -- whoever it is I have to continue to go out there and continue to do my job and put balls in the back of the net."
Scott McAllister is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
