MLS All-Stars on Penalties After 1-1 Draw
ATLANTA, GA.,– The New York Red Bulls were well represented at the MLS All-Star Game, presented by Target on Wednesday night at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, as Homegrown midfielder Tyler Adams and defenders Michael Amir Murillo and Aaron Long were all named to the Starting XI. Bradley Wright-Phillips played the final 30 minutes of the match, which Juventus won on penalties after a 1-1 draw.
Murillo, fresh off the World Cup with Panama where he faced Belgium and England, started on the back line and played 45 minutes. The Panama City native started at his normal outside back spot, next a familiar face in Long. Long earned the start at center back after being named an All-Star in just his second MLS season. The California native earned an MLS contract ahead of the 2017 season after being named the 2016 USL Defender of the Year.
Adams, a Homegrown player and the first player to graduate from the Red Bulls RDS program, through the academy system and into the professional ranks, started in midfield. Adams was the third-youngest player on the MLS roster, behind Vancouver’s Alphonso Davies and Atlanta’s Ezequiel Barco.
Wright-Phillips, a two-time Golden Boot Winner, earned his second All-Star recognition, with the match coming just a week after he became the fastest player in league history to reach 100 regular season goals, breaking a record held by Taylor Twellman.
It was the first time that the Red Bulls had multiple All-Star representatives since 2014, when Wright-Phillips appeared along with Tim Cahill and Thierry Henry.
Juventus scored first, with Andrea Favilli finding the back of the net in the 21st minute before Atlanta United’s Josef Martinez answered in the 26th minute.
The Red Bulls All-Stars will return home to lead New York against LAFC on Sunday at Red Bull Arena. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET with coverage on FS1, Fox Sports GO, and Red Bulls Radio in English and Spanish.
