HARRISON, N.J. – Chances were plentiful. Goals? Not so much.
The New York Red Bulls lost, 2-1, to the New England Revolution in an intense first leg of the Eastern Conference Championship on Sunday afternoon, and perhaps the biggest reason for the home setback was a lack of accuracy in front of goal. New York produced 18 total shots in the match compared to New England’s eight, but only managed to score a single goal – and that in controversial fashion on a rebound from forward Bradley Wright-Phillips, who may have been offside on the play.
It wasn’t that New York's opportunities were half chances, either. They had multiple good looks in front of goal, and uncharacteristically failed to put them away, leaving the home side to rue what could have been while facing a hole they'll have to climb out of in Saturday's decisive match (3 pm ET; NBCSN, UDN in the US | TSN2, RDS2 in Canada) without the suspended Wright-Phillips.
“If you look at the stats, it probably shows we could’ve won 4-2,” said midfielder Tim Cahill. “It’s not a lack of respect because this is football. Sometimes you have to say as it is, but they deserve a hell of a lot of credit coming here, scoring two goals and having like three shots.
“You take it on the chin. … But if anyone had to assess the game today, then they would say that we’d come off pretty hard done by.”
From an open close-range header and muffed breakaway from the clinical Wright-Phillips in the first half to an open effort in the second stanza that Lloyd Sam pushed wide, New York just could not find a way to capitalize on their numerous opportunities.
Those misses kept the game level at 1-1 after Teal Bunbury and Wright-Phillips exchanged first-half goals, eventually leaving enough of the door open for the Revolution to snatch a late back-breaking goal on the counterattack via Jermaine Jones.
“It’s a punch to the gut,” said midfielder Dax McCarty. “That’s frustrating, there’s not question about it. I think what we didn’t realize was that even if we get a 1-1 draw at home, it’s not the worst result in the world. Giving up that second goal was a killer.”
The Red Bull's lone bit of solace on Sunday night was that it's only halftime of the series. There is another game to be played at Gillette Stadium, and with it comes a chance to correct those finishing woes and possibly move on to the MLS Cup Final.
Easier said than done, of course, but it’s a chance they will take nonetheless.
“We know what we’re up against,” said goalkeeper Luis Robles. “We know it’s going to take our best game but I’m confident in these guys.”
