Bulls crush Cosmos

All week the Red Bulls talked about getting revenge for the U.S. Open Cup beating they took last year at the hands of the Cosmos — and Wednesday they got it done. They rolled their NASL rival 41, and rolled into the quarterfinals against Philadelphia.

The Cosmos, 505 in the NASL, had been undefeated this year.

“Our mentality was so strong, we weren’t going to lose no matter what happened,’’ captain Dax McCarty said.

After the Cosmos had eliminated the Red Bulls from the Open Cup last year and New York City FC this year, they’d styled themselves as the city’s top team. But with the Red Bulls sweeping both league clashes with NYCFC and Wednesday’s Open Cup tilt against the Cosmos, they own that title.

“We did mention for the pride of the organization we wanted to avenge last year’s loss and we were able to do so in convincing fashion,’’ said goalkeeper Luis Robles.

Before a Red Bull Arena crowd of 11,442 — including Carmelo Anthony — the Red Bulls attacked a right side missing the injured Ayoze. They torched backup Hunter Gorskie. They jumped ahead early on a fifthminute goal when Sal Zizzo lost Hunter Freeman and headed home a Lloyd Sam cross, and they never let up.

Cosmos striker Lucky Mkosana tied it in the 16th but the Red Bulls quickly untied it when Anatole Abang outjumped Freeman to head home Kljestan’s 42ndminute corner.

The Cosmos brought Raul on in desperation at the break, despite the venerable Spaniard being bothered by a foot injury. But it hardly mattered — the Red Bulls wearing them down and added two more in the second half.

Right back Chris Duvall outran Gorskie to a loose ball and got barged over by the overmatched defender for a penalty that Kljestan buried in the 54th. And after the Cosmos saw Raul hit the crossbar and Lucky the post in one sequence, Grella abused Gorskie for the late exclamation point.