RED BULLS VS. FC DALLAS – SEPTEMBER 22, 2013 – 5:00 PM ET
BULLETIN BOARD FIRST PLACE RED BULLS TACKLE FC DALLAS Riding a three-game win streak and boasting a three-point lead atop the Eastern Conference, the New York Red Bulls will host FC Dallas at Red Bull Arena on Sunday at 5:00 PM ET (TV: MSG, UniMas; Radio: ESPN Deportes Radio Nueva York 1050 AM). The Red Bulls moved into sole possession of first place with five regular season games remaining following a 2-0 home win over Toronto FC last Saturday at Red Bull Arena. Forwards Thierry Henry and Fabian Espindola each found the back of the net and the defense earned its ninth shutout of the year, as New York surged to its third-consecutive victory. The Red Bulls (14-9-6, 48 points) broke out of a three-way first place tie with their win, as they enter the weekend three points ahead of co-second place teams, Sporting Kansas City and the Montreal Impact.
Espindola was first to it and headed it over Bendik and into the back of the net from an acute angle. New York Red Bulls 2, Toronto FC 0 September 14, 2013 – Red Bull Arena – Harrison, NJ MLS Regular Season Scoring Summary: NY: Thierry Henry 9 (Dax McCarty 3, Michael Bustamante 1) 32’ NY: Fabian Espindola 8 (unassisted) 80’ Disciplinary Summary: NY: Michael Bustamante (caution) 44’ TOR: Steven Caldwell (caution) 58’
FC Dallas is in the midst of the playoff hunt in the Western Conference and currently sits in sixth place with a 10-8-10 record and 40 points – three points shy of the fifth place Portland Timbers. Despite going ahead with a David Ferreira 51st minute goal, FC Dallas fell on the road to the Colorado Rapids, 2-1, at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park last Saturday. Panamanian forward Blas Perez leads FC Dallas with 10 goals while Ferreira has recorded a team-high eight assists.
New York Red Bulls (14-9-6, 48 points) – Luis Robles, Kosuke Kimura, Jamison Olave, Markus Holgersson, David Carney, Eric Alexander, Dax McCarty, Michael Bustamante (Peguy Luyindula 90’), Jonny Steele, Thierry Henry, Bradley Wright-Phillips (Fabian Espindola 79’)
Last season, the Red Bulls opened the season at Toyota Stadium on March 11 and lost the match, 2-1. New York’s goal came from then Red Bull and current FC Dallas forward, Kenny Cooper. In the 78th minute, trailing 2-0, Thierry Henry sailed a pass over Dallas’s back line and Cooper was able to head it home past current Red Bulls goalkeeper Kevin Hartman. New York is 18-17-4 all-time versus FC Dallas and 10-8-2 at home. The Red Bulls are unbeaten (4-0-1) in its last five home contests versus their Western Conference foe, with FC Dallas’ last win coming on May 24, 2006 – a 2-1 victory at Giants Stadium.
Toronto FC (4-14-11, 23 points) – Joe Bendik, Gale Agbossoumonde, Ashtone Morgan, Steven Caldwell, Mark Bloom, Jeremy Hall, Jonathan Osorio, Alvaro Rey (Kyle Bekker 88’), Bobby Convey, Andrew Wiedeman (Bright Dike 75’), Justin Braun (Jonas Elmer 53’)
NEW YORK TOPS TORONTO FC, 2-0 Forwards Thierry Henry and Fabian Espindola each recorded a goal and the defense earned its ninth shutout of the year, as the New York Red Bulls moved into sole possession of first place in the Eastern Conference with a 2-0 win over Toronto FC Saturday night at Red Bull Arena. With 48 points off a 14-9-6 record and five games left in the regular season, the Red Bulls broke out of a three-way tie atop the table and are now three points ahead of the Montreal Impact, which lost earlier in the day to Columbus, 2-1, and the idle Sporting Kansas City. Both teams battled for control of the match and Red Bulls midfielder Dax McCarty had an open look on goal in the 19th minute, hitting a left-footed volley that zipped straight to goalkeeper Joe Bendik. On the other end, Toronto FC forward Andrew Wiedeman headed an Alvaro Rey cross just over the bar. nd
Henry and the Red Bulls drew first blood in the 32 minute. Rookie midfielder Michael Bustamante, making his first MLS start, played a through ball to McCarty, who controlled it and knocked a low pass across the box that was tapped in by Henry. Bendik kept the visitors within one in the 67th minute, going to his right to parry away a Bradley Wright-Phillips header after the English forward was first to a bouncing ball in the box. Four minutes later, WrightPhillips had space from 18 yards and fired it right at Bendik. The Red Bulls doubled their advantage and secured the three points 10 minutes from full time. Following a cleared Henry free kick, David Carney’s deflected cross was flicked by Toronto FC Steven Caldwell.
Substitutes Not Used: Ryan Meara, Marius Obekop, Ibrahim Sekagya, Tim Cahill, Matt Miazga
Substitutes Not Used: Stefan Frei, Darel Russell, Michael Thomas, Reggie Lambe Referee: Edvin Jurisevic Referee’s Assistants: CJ Morgante, Brian Dunn 4th Referee: Kevin Terry Jr. Attendance: 17,236 HENRY MOVES UP THE CHARTS Red Bulls forward Thierry Henry is continuing his climb up the club’s statistical charts. The three-time MLS All-Star notched his team-high ninth goal in New York’s 2-0 win over Toronto FC last Saturday. The goal, his second in as many games, put him in sole possession of third place all-time in regular season goals scored with 40, surpassing Clint Mathis. Henry is in a six-way tie for first place in MLS this season with five game-winning goals. Henry’s eight assists this year have pushed him in sole possession of third place in that category. GOALS SCORED (Regular Season) Player GP Juan Pablo Angel 102 Giovanni Savarese 85 Thierry Henry 88 Clint Mathis 93 Amado Guevara 103
Goals 58 41 40 39 32
ASSISTS (Regular Season) Player Amado Guevara Tab Ramos Thierry Henry Dane Richards Mark Lisi
Assists 36 36 27 26 25
GP 103 112 88 147 89