New York Red Bulls midfielder Youri Djorkaeff made a promise to his 9-year-old son Oan.
"I made a promise to my son to win the game," the French World Cup winner said. "I'm very happy for the team because we really needed the confidence, for the coach too, for the fans."
And at Giants Stadium on Saturday night, Jean Philippe Peguero helped deliver that pledge, scoring a hat trick to help lift the Red Bulls to a 5-4 win against Chivas USA, New York's first win after an MLS-record five ties in their first six games.
In 90 minutes the Red Bulls matched their total goal count for the previous six games combined.
"It feels very strange," Djorkaeff said. "Maybe in my life it's the first time I'm waiting six games for a win."
The overriding emotion in the Red Bulls locker room afterwards was relief after becoming the last MLS team to secure three points. Yes, there was concern over giving up four goals, twice nearly seeing three-goal leads at home evaporate. But all that is secondary.
"It's just a confidence booster, we've been knocking on the door all year," Seth Stammler said. "To finally hold on in dramatic fashion it is a relief and hopefully we can just go from here and get a good result against Dallas [Wednesday]."
Many aspects of the win had Red Bulls players struggling to reminisce. Like Stammler, who couldn't remember the last time he scored two goals in a game, but he did recall the last time he scored on a header.
"I was on the black team when I was with U-5s," he said. "We were dangerous, we were pretty good."
But it was his first goal that was especially pleasing for Red Bulls head coach Mo Johnston as Stammler had a go from distance, blasting a low, hard shot past Chivas USA goalkeeper Brad Guzan from 36 yards out.
"I see it every day in practice and he doesn't do it in the game," Johnston said. "I look forward to him doing that, and he can strike with both feet. He's very versatile."
Stammler's brace came on the heels of Peguero's first multi-goal performance. In his first time playing with Edson Buddle up front and with Djorkaeff as an attacking midfielder, Peguero exploded for his first MLS hat trick and fourth goal in three games since being traded from the Colorado Rapids.
"Youri is always involved in the game, he's not a guy who's going to stand around," Peguero said. "It really helps us every time we got the ball, he connects together with us and that helped us in the front."
Peguero showed why he was so coveted by Johnston by scoring with his head -- flicking in Chris Henderson's corner kick in the 20th minute -- and with his feet, both in the box and from distance.
"He's 24 years old, he's got a green card, he doesn't make much money," Johnston said. "I had to get him and I'm excited in having him."
The victory also gave the Red Bulls confidence they could win without Amado Guevara, who on Tuesday was slapped with a $4,000 fine and left off the active 18-man roster for Saturday's game. Guevara watched most of the match from his wife's now infamous season-ticket seats.
He wasn't on the field for the Red Bulls' first win because he sat there instead of on the bench with his teammates after being subbed off 10 minutes after halftime in last Saturday's 1-1 tie with Chicago.
Johnston said he would address Guevara's situation early in the week and then decide if he will join his team for Wednesday night's home game against FC Dallas.
"I want to see his mentality," Johnston said. "I asked him to go home, regroup and think about things. If he comes in Tuesday and wants to speak, we'll speak. If he doesn't, then we'll change again."
Dylan Butler is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
