Aaron Boupendza scored a second-half equalizer and FC Cincinnati eliminated the New York Red Bulls 8-7 in a 10-round penalty shootout after the two clubs drew 1-1 on Saturday night.
After the Red Bulls lost the opening game 3-0, there was another game that decided the series. Neither team scored until unassisted Tom Barlow found the net in the 45th minute to give the eighth-seeded Red Bulls the lead at half-time.
Cincinnati, the top seed in the Eastern Conference and winner of the Supporter’s Shield, even equalized when Boupendza took a pass from Luciano Acosta and scored in the 75th minute. Acosta had a goal disallowed by VAR in the eighth minute of second-half stoppage time. Due to the new MLS rules, the tie had to be decided by a penalty shootout.
John Tolkin, Serge Ngoma and Andrés Reyes all missed penalties for the Red Bulls. Santiago Arias and Yerson Mosquera failed for Cincinnati.
“This group had to make a decision,” Red Bulls head coach Troy Lesesne told reporters after the loss. “They had a choice when our situation was the worst in the league. We were at the bottom of the table and the players had to make a decision; We can stay in this position or fight. And every step of the way from May 8th to where we are today, even towards the end of that game and the shootout, there is no giving up in this group. And that’s something you have to respect.”
Skip the newsletter advertising
Register for Football with Jonathan Wilson
Jonathan Wilson brings expert analysis on the biggest stories in European football
“,”newsletterId”:”soccer-with-jonathan-wilson”,”successDescription”:”Jonathan Wilson brings expert analysis on the biggest stories in European soccer”}” config=”{“renderingTarget”:”Web”,”darkModeAvailable “:false}”>Data protection: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertisements and content sponsored by external parties. Further information can be found in our data protection declaration. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
after newsletter advertising
The Red Bulls clinched a spot in the postseason in the final minutes of MLS Decision Day, the final day of the regular season, before falling to the league leaders in a best-of-three series.
Cincinnati has won four times and drawn three times in its last seven away games against New York in all competitions. It is the club’s longest unbeaten streak against an opponent.
New York has seven wins, eight losses and no ties in its last 15 home playoff games since 2011. They haven’t won a playoff game since 2018.
Cincinnati will advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals where they will face either the Philadelphia Union or New England Revolution.
Comments are closed.