Real Salt Lake used goals by FW Chris Brown and MF Kyle Beckerman to twice earn leads on the road, but New York Red Bulls forwards Francis Doe and Juan Pablo Angel both scored in the second half, leaving RSL having to settle for a 2-2 draw in front of 15,855 fans at Giants Stadium. While the result pushed Real Salt Lake's season-long undefeated streak to four games (1-0-3), the splitting of the points also officially eliminated the Utah club from the chase for the eighth and final spot in the 2007 MLS Cup Playoffs.
The Red Bulls came out the aggressors, setting the tone just 15 seconds into the match when Doe snapped off a shot from the top of the penalty area that brought RSL GK Nick Rimando into the action early with a routine save. In the seventh minute Rimando's job was a bit tougher, as he went low at his right post to stop an effort by Angel. Red Bulls MF Dema Kovalenko lost his marker twice around the 12th minute, but neither of his opportunities ended with a shot on frame.
Real Salt Lake would begin to even up the proceedings after the quarter-hour mark, and it was soon after that when Brown would put the visitors up. A nice build up down the right side of the field paid dividends in the 22nd minute, when DF Chris Wingert's far-post cross was met at the top of the six-yard box by Brown, who nodded his shot off the turf and inside the left post to give RSL the 1-0 advantage. The goal marked Brown's fourth on the season, tying him for the team's scoring lead alongside FW Robbie Findley.
RSL FW Yura Movsisyan had a golden opportunity to get his first goal in an RSL uniform in the 36th minute, when he was the first to a failed clearance in the corner of the six-yard box, But with only Red Bulls GK Ronald Waterreus to beat Movsisyan would mis-hit the spinning ball over the endline. New York also nearly capitalized on a loose ball in the RSL six-yard box that was initially snagged, then bobbled by Rimando, but the RSL 'keeper recovered in time to knock the ball out of immediate danger. Rimando would come with fine saves on Angel and Kovalenko in the 44th minute to keep the Red Bulls off the board and help the Utah side maintain its first halftime lead on the road this season.
But the RSL lead lasted only four minutes into the second stanza, as Doe made a run into the left side of the area and gained enough space on RSL DF Matías Mantilla to get off a bouncing shot that scooted just inside the far right post to even up the match at 1-1. The young Liberian striker nearly got his second of the match six minutes later, but Rimando guarded his right post well on Doe's 12-yard effort. In the 69th minute it was Red Bulls left back Dave van den Bergh getting into the act with a well-struck shot from 14 yards out that Rimando parried away at his right post to keep the match at 1-1.
Real Salt Lake would take its second lead of the evening in the 75th minute, as Beckerman scored his third goal of the season - and second with RSL - with a first-time effort from 10 yards. RSL FW Alecko Eskandarian would help create the chance by playing second half substitute Fabian Espíndola down to the left endline, where he cut back a pass into space for a charging Beckerman, who deposited the ball into the right side netting to give RSL its second lead of the evening.
But the Red Bulls would keep charging, and soon created a nerve-wrecking stretch for the RSL defense. New York MF Clint Mathis nearly evened the match in the 78th minute when he chipped a ball past Rimando, but a hustling Mantilla raced back to clear the ball off the line before again blocking an Angel effort from long range seconds later. The Red Bulls assault on goal continued a minute later, and this time it was RSL DF Eddie Pope deflecting away a pair of chances before they reached Rimando, but in the ensuing scrum for the ball RSL MF Carey Talley was ruled to have tripped up New York DF Seth Stammler just inside the top of the area, resulting in a penalty kick for the home side. Angel stepped up and buried the spot kick in the upper left corner, tying the match at 2-2 while also breaking New York's all-time single-season scoring record with his 17th of the campaign.
The last five minutes saw both sides fail on quality chances, with Espíndola again creating danger in the 87th minute with a run into the area that was broken up when Wattereus darted 15 yards off his line and slid in to stop the Argentinean's shot from close range. Another RSL substitute, MF Atiba Harris, got the best dead ball chance of the night in the 88th minute, but his nine-yard header off a corner kick missed just wide left of goal. Later that minute it was New York's own substitute, FW Jozy Altidore, creating havoc with a shot from the outer left corner of the penalty area that bounced past a diving Rimando and the right post.
Match Notes
• After going all season without a multiple-assist goal, both of RSL's tallies on the evening were credited with two assists.
• Tonight's match snapped a 14-game streak in which Real Salt Lake had failed to hold a halftime lead on the road.
• Real Salt Lake DF Willis Forko made his first appearance - and start - since June 14 v. FCD, breaking a streak of 16 games without seeing the field for RSL's first-team.
• After going 14 straight contests without a draw, Real Salt Lake has now tied three of its last four games. Tonight marked the fifth draw in the six all-time meetings between RSL and NY.
