Two impressive strikes, a shutout, and a slump-snapping win. It was a job well done by the New York Red Bulls.
The Red Bulls put a halt to a four-game winless run on Wednesday night, using a goal on each side of halftime to defeat Orlando City, 2-0, at Red Bull Arena. Connor Lade scored the game-winner with his first career MLS goal in the 39th minute, and Felipe doubled the advantage just before the hour-mark with a well-taken free kick.
Due to varying reasons, both sides fielded less-than-at-strength lineups. New York dealt with their absences best, winning the possession battle and having the better of the game's chances.
The win improves the Red Bulls to 8-9-3 and moves them to third place in the Eastern Conference while dropping eighth-placed Orlando City to 4-5-9
Box Score
- 39' -- NY -- Connor Lade (Bradley Wright-Phillips, Alex Muyl)
- 59 -- NY -- Felipe
- Full box score
- Stats
Three Things
- WINNING PERFORMANCE: Connor Lade scored the decisive goal in the Eastern Conference bout late in the first half with a splendid strike that gave him his first career goal in MLS, but he also contributed to the Red Bulls' cleansheet with some solid defensive work. Lade's 90-minute shift also saw him get up and down the flank well, serving as an outlet for the midfielders and keeping Orlando City's wide right players on their toes.
- DEAD-BALL MASTERS: New York are known for being dangerous on set pieces, but they decided to remind everyone anyway. The winning goal came after a corner kick from the left fell to Lade at the top of the penalty area, and the insurance tally came via a well-struck free kick from Felipe. Regular set-piece taker Sacha Kljestan was rested for the night, but you could not tell by the Red Bulls' success on dead-ball situations.
- OFFENSIVE TROUBLES: Missing Kaka and choosing to leave Cyle Larin on the bench to start the game, Orlando City was always going to need someone to step up and create some offense to win this. No one did, however, and the Lions were forced to finish scoreless for the third straight match (all losses).
Next Up
- NY: Sunday, July 17 at Philadelphia Union (7 pm ET, FS1)
- ORL: Saturday, July 16 at Vancouver Whitecaps (10 pm ET, TSN1 in Canada and MLS LIVE in the US)
