By Billy Wood
The New York Red Bulls are finally in a playoff spot for the Major League Soccer (MLS) Cup with four games remaining. After a hard-fought win over Columbus Crew on Saturday evening, the Red Bulls Head Coach Gerhard Struber expressed his thoughts on the victory.
“This means a lot for the team,” he said. “I am very proud of my boys today.”
Red Bulls returned to Lower.com Field in Columbus, where they lost their last game 2-1 on Sept. 14. Despite their loss, the Red Bulls were hoping to keep up their seven-game unbeaten streak.
The game couldn’t have started any better for the Red Bulls, as Cristian Cásseres Jr. scored in the 7th minute. They were only able to take the lead for eleven minutes as the Crew was able to equalize with a goal from Miguel Berry in the 18th minute.
In the second half, the Red Bulls applied pressure on the home team and were given a penalty kick in the 53rd minute. Patryk Klimala shot wide of the goal and gave the Crew a sigh of relief as the Red Bulls had to dig deeper. Klimala was able to redeem himself as he assisted the winning goal for the defender Sean Nealis in the 87th minute, which was his first goal of the season and his second since May 2019.
The win advances their unbeaten run to eight games for the first time since 2013 and moves them to sixth place just ahead of Atlanta United FC.
They will be playing their remaining four games in 12 days. Their next game is away to DC United on Wednesday and will be another tricky fixture as DC is two points behind the Red Bulls for a playoff spot.
The Red Bulls remaining games will see them return home on Saturday with a game against Montreal. Followed by another home game against Atlanta who are pushing for a playoff spot as well. They will finish the regular season on Nov. 7 away against Nashville SC.