HARRISON, N.J. — Corey Hertzog and John Rooney scored their first goals as Red Bulls in the second half on Tuesday, propelling the MLS side to a 2-1 win over FC New York at Red Bull Arena in the third round of the US Open Cup.
Using mostly reserve players, the Red Bulls turned overwhelming possession and chances into a hard-fought win against the determined and upset-minded USL side. The Red Bulls advance to the quarterfinals of the Open Cup where they'll play the Chicago Fire, who beat Rochester 1-0 on Tuesday night.
The game-winner was scored by Rooney, who was making his first start for the Red Bulls. After Tim Ream dished a pass to the Englishman, Rooney put his head down and drove 10 yards towards the penalty area, looking up to fire a low shot just past the fingertips of goalkeeper Steve Diaz. The ball tucked just inside the left post for the go-ahead goal and a 2-1 lead for the Red Bulls.
Sitting on 14 points off of 13 matches and in fourth place in the USL Pro’s National Division, FC New York predictably played a defensive minded match against their glamorous neighbors. Despite their defensive mentality, FCNY grabbed an early lead off a 56th-minute goal by Owen Morrison. Collecting the ball in the final third, the Northern Ireland native fired a 30-yard strike that blasted into the top of the goal, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead and a reward for their gritty team defense.
Throughout the match, the Red Bulls had plenty of possession and opportunities in the final third but found it difficult to crack FC New York’s compact back line. The Red Bulls had several opportunities, including a Marcos Paullo shot in the fourth minute that was parried away by Diaz and another Paullo effort in the 20th minute that went just inches over the crossbar. Then again Paullo, who was active all night, went close in the 40th minute, his right footed shot from just outside the area whistling inches past Diaz’s left post.
Perhaps the best chance of the first half for the Red Bulls came in the 43rd minute when Juan Agudelo drove from the left side of the penalty area and fired a shot from six yards away that forced a sprawling Diaz into a save.
Even after FC New York went up via the Morrison goal, the home side was patient in possession even if they lacked the killer instinct in the attacking third. The Red Bulls grabbed their equalizer after a poor clearance from FCNY’s Karsten Smith was popped straight into the air and headed by Agudelo onto the path of Hertzog. The Red Bulls rookie carried the ball towards goal and fired a low shot past Diaz to level the score at 1-1.
The Red Bulls travel to Northern California this Saturday to play the San Earthquakes at Stanford Stadium and are looking to reverse a trend that has seen them win just once in the last 10 games.
Scoring Summary:
FCNY: Owen Morrison 1 (Don Smart 1) 56’
NY: Corey Hertzog 1 (Juan Agudelo 1) 58’
NY: John Rooney 1 (Tim Ream 1) 65’
Disciplinary Summary:
FCNY: Mike Aquino (caution) 34’
NY: Tim Ream (caution) 38’
FCNY: Karsten Smith (caution) 60’
Lineups:
New York Red Bulls – Greg Sutton (GK), Mike Jones, Tim Ream, Stephen Keel (Sacir Hot 46’), Matt Kassel, Teddy Schneider (Tyler Lassiter 66’), John Rooney, Austin da Luz, Corey Hertzog, Marcos Paullo, Juan Agudelo
Substitutes Not Used: Alex Horwath (GK)
FC New York – Steve Diaz (GK), Troy Cole, Karsten Smith, Kyle Hoffer, Josiah Snelgrove (David Reed 65’), Gary Boughton (Don Smart 54’), Qwame Holder, Mike Aquino, Tadeu Terra, Bradley Welch (Owen Morrison 46’), Johnny Arteaga
Substitutes Not Used: Derby Carillo (GK), Stephen Roche
Referee: Jose Carlos Rivero
Referee’s Assistants: Brian Dunn, Thomas Zabloci
4th Referee: Dan Caron
Attendance: 2,074
