By Billy Wood
The New York Red Bulls journey to win the Major League Soccer (MLS) Cup for the first time came to an end on Nov. 20. They suffered a 1-0 loss to Philadelphia Union at Subaru Park.
The goal came in stoppage time during extra time. Jakob Glesnes scored in the 123rd minute to send Union to the next round of the MLS Playoffs. It was also the latest goal scored in MLS history.
Both teams were on the brink of going to penalties right before Glesnes was able to score a volley late in stoppage time. The Red Bulls were able to dominate possession 55 percent to 45 percent, but Union had 3 shots on target compared to 1 from the Red Bulls.
This was the third consecutive season that the Red Bulls have been eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. In the Red Bulls history, they only made it to the finals once in 2008 when they lost to Columbus Crew 3-1.
Despite the loss, Red Bulls Coach Gerhard Stuber remained upbeat. “I look excited in the future with this team, I think we have made a big step in the season and then right now we are on the level to manage games against the teams like Philadelphia,” he said.
Sean Davis, Red Bulls’ midfielder and captain, believes that even though there is room for improvement, he sees something special being built. “I think the foundation is really strong now,” he said.
The team is already looking ahead to next season when they open the season away to San Jose Quakes on Feb. 26, 2022. They will have their home season opener on Mar. 13 against Minnesota United.