Red Bulls Saturday night’s 3-1 victory over FC Cincinnati
HARRISON, N.J. (July 20, 2024) – The New York Red Bulls Saturday night’s 3-1 victory over FC Cincinnati the final became before that break put the Red Bulls at 41 for the season, thus ensuring that they held on to the No. 4 spot in the Eastern Conference following an extended stretch that featured notable absences from key players such as midfielder Emil Forsberg (injury), forward Lewis Morgan, defender John Tolkin, and goalkeeper Carlos Coronel (international duty).
Morgan opened the scoring in the seventh minute. In the second half, rather than let their opponents hang around as they did on Wednesday night against Montreal, the Red Bulls put the game to bed. Kyle Duncan and Morgan scored within seven minutes of each other to give the Red Bulls a 3-0 lead that would not be relinquished.
This is what we need. Not only to play a period of a game, 15 minutes, 20 minutes. You have to play a whole game… To have the focus on the next situation, the next run, the next pass, that was what we needed. For me, this was a very good example after the Montreal game to show another phase to them.”
Schwarz’s men will take a couple days to rest before ramping up their preparations for the Leagues Cup, which features group-stage matches against Toronto FC on Saturday and Mexican side Pachuca on July 30.
“Leagues Cup, this is the shortest way to win a title,” Schwarz said. “Normally you have to fight one year for a title. Now with this Leagues Cup, you have a chance to win in three-and-a-half weeks.”
Since Pat Noonan took over as head coach, FC Cincinnati’s made routine work of celebrating on-field accomplishments firsts” and “never before”-type achievements. But there was little to be proud of when the first three-match losing streak of the Noonan era was confirmed against New York Red Bulls.
Playing in the final MLS regular-season game before the monthlong pause in league play for the Leagues Cup in-season tournament, FC Cincinnati dropped its third straight match Saturday in a 3-1 loss to the Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena.
Cincinnati went behind in the seventh minute on a New York counterattack that ended with the first of Lewis Morgan’s two goals on the night. Kyle Duncan scored in the 52nd minute, and Morgan tapped in the third goal with about a half-hour remaining.
Corey Baird got FC Cincinnati on the board with his second goal of 2024. He and Aaron Boupendza teamed up on the tally in the 68th minute, but that was the sum total of FCC’s riposte.
The loss meant that the Red Bulls would sweep the regular-season series from Cincinnati for the first time since 2019. FCC also fell to 15-7-3, with the seventh loss already standing as two more defeats than the club had in 2023.
Noonan wasn’t present for the match as he served the suspension for a red card he received Wednesday against Chicago Fire. In his place, assistant coach Dominic Kinnear served as acting head coach for the second time in two years.
FC Cincinnati’s next regular-season match will be a pivotal away game at Inter Miami CF, which swelled its lead in the Supporters’ Shield race over second-place FCC. But that match won’t arrive until Aug. 24.
In the meantime, FC Cincinnati will have to navigate Leagues Cup, which could take on added importance compared to last year. In 2023, Leagues Cup arrived with FCC dominating the race for the Shield, and winning the trophy and all that came with it was a much simpler task. Now, success in Leagues cup might be required in order for Cincinnati to achieve some of its goals for 2024, like clinching CONCACAF Champions Cup inclusion for the second consecutive year.
