New York Red Bulls 3, Orlando City 2 | 2016 MLS Match Recap

Benjamin Baer

The New York Red Bulls' nightmare of a start looks to be over.

Bradley Wright-Phillips got his first goals of 2016 to lead the Red Bulls to a 3-2 win against Orlando City on Sunday night. Mike Grella also found the back of the net for New York after Cyle Larin opened the scoring early for Orlando City in his return to the starting lineup.

It looked like it would be another goalless night for the Red Bulls, as they continually created quality chances but could not get the ball past Orlando goalkeeper Joe Bendik in the first half. Grella finally got the equalizer in the 65th minute after Sacha Kljestan threaded a pass through Orlando defender Tommy Redding's legs, and the floodgates opened from there.

Box Score

3' - ORL - Cyle Larin (Rafael Ramos, Julio Baptista)
65' - NY - Mike Grella (Sacha Kljestan, Lloyd Sam)
69' - NY - Bradley Wright-Phillips (Mike Grella, Dax McCarty)
75' - NY - Bradley Wright-Phillips (Lloyd Sam, Sacha Kljestan)
84' - ORL - Karl Ouimette (OG)
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Three Things

BWP BREAKS DUCK: It's been a tough season for Bradley Wright-Phillips. He's had a wealth of chances to score but just couldn't get his name on the scoresheet. That ended on Sunday night when he got a foot on a Mike Grella shot that likely would have found its way into the net anyway. Wright-Phillips got his second goal thanks to a Lloyd Sam cross.
LARIN CAUSES PROBLEMS: Cyle Larin loves playing in New York. He proved that yet again after he scored just three minutes into the match against the Red Bulls. He also had a breakaway in the 63rd minute that Orlando argued should have led to a Karl Ouimette red card and a penalty kick. Professional Referees Organization general manager Peter Walton agrees on the red card portion, according to a report by FS1, which carried the match.
CENTER BACK ISSUES: It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows for the Red Bulls. They are still clearly hurting at the back with the departure of Matt Miazga and the injuries to Gideon Baah and Damien Perrinelle. Ronald Zubar and Ouimette had trouble dealing with the power and pace of Larin, while also struggling to deal with Orlando's movement off the ball.