Union can’t hold on, fall to Red Bulls 2-0
Red card on Derrick Jones hurts Philly
For 30-some minutes, the Philadelphia Union absorbed the pressure piled on by the Red Bulls with a man disadvantage and looked to do enough to get a result.
But Bradley Wright-Phillips had other ideas.
The English hitman struck twice in five minutes off mirror-image goals as the Red Bulls downed the Union, 2-0.
The game was transformed in the 53rd minute when Derrick Jones got his marching orders for a high tackle on Felipe.
It’s just the second road win for the Red Bulls (7-72, 23 points) this season. They had just three points in their previous three road jaunts.
The Union (4-7-4, 16 points) were three minutes from their sixth clean sheet of the season, but instead settle for a third straight setback.
The goals were simple in execution but impossible for the Union to stop. The first, in the 87th, featured a low, driven cross by Kemar Lawrence from the left wing that Wright-Phillips directed home after splitting the center backs.
In the second minute of stoppage time, with the Union subbing off right back Ray Gaddis and pressing for an equalizer, the defense was stretched and Wright-Phillips touched home a feed from Sal Zizzo down the right channel for his eight of the season.
Not much happened in the first half outside a pair of sensation saves. New York’s Luis Robles produced the more spectacular of the two, at a full stretch to get one hand and nudge a Chris Pontius shot wide of the post after Pontius dominated an aerial duel with Aaron Long.
Andre Blake’s first-half save wasn’t as difficult, but vital nonetheless when Alex Muyl gained a step on the defense. The move started with Daniel Royer shouldering Fabinho off possession near midfield. The fall filtered to Muyl down the left channel, but Blake got low to deny him a path to goal.
The game pivoted on Jones’ straight red card in the 53rd, for a clumsy rather than malicious challenge on Felipe. Whether or not he crashed into the Brazilian with intent, he went over the ball with studs showing, and referee Allen Chapman, whose grasp on proceedings was tenuous at best most times, had no choice but to reach for his back pocket. It’s the Union’s first red card of the season.
The chances cascaded shortly thereafter. Blake fought off a low drive by halftime sub Lawrence, pawing it wide of the post. On the ensuing corner, the Union left Muyl all by himself for a header that bounced off the post and found its way out of trouble.