After an 18-day layoff, the Red Bulls found themselves down 2-0 at home entering the second half. Goals from Dante Vanzeir and Cameron Harper sparked a comeback and earned New York a hard-fought point at Red Bull Arena.
A first-half brace from Ben Bender left the Red Bulls and the crowd at Red Bull Arena shellshocked, but it was a tale of two halves, and the match ended 2-2.
"The first half -- I just said this to the group -- is unacceptable from us," Head Coach Troy Lesesne said after the match. "The energy, the mentality, the match plan, I think everything that we wanted to do in a really important game, the first game in this next six matches to kick everything off, again, we have to take accountability for that performance, and we put ourselves if a really bad position."
New York scored their first of the match in the 53rd minute from halftime substitute Vanzeir. Vanzeir’s goal was his second of the season in MLS play, his third across all competitions.
In the 58th minute, New York leveled the match thanks to captain Sean Nealis heading the ball to Harper, who was able to find the back of the net from ten yards out.
"I was very direct with the group at halftime," Lesesne said. "We made a couple changes and I think that had something to do with giving a little bit more life and energy. ... It was a collective effort that wasn't good enough. I give a lot of credit to the group in terms of the way we played in the second half. But that's what I expect, that's the standard that I expect us to have all the time, and it wasn't there in the first half. I think we let a great opportunity slip away today, and we only came away with a point."
The goal from Harper was his first on the season and his third career goal with New York. It was his first goal since July 24, 2022, against Austin FC.
Manoel’s assist on Vanzeir’s goal was his first of the season and the second of his career with New York. Manoel has recorded three goals and one assist in three career appearances against Charlotte FC.
The assist on the Harper goal from Nealis was his first of the season and the fifth of his professional career. It was his first assist since October 2, 2021 against FC Cincinnati.
"We had a lot more movement, a lot more speed in our game, and I think that's what makes us strong," Vanzeir said. "We can create chances and destabilize the opponent. We have the abilities to definitely score more than one goal in the game -- and it's up to us to improve this task and our ambition. I'm sure that the next games, if we can keep up this momentum, we will have some great games."
With the draw, New York is tied with Seattle Sounders FC for the most points earned at home since 2010 with 437. The Red Bulls have earned a result at Red Bull Arena in nine of their last 11 MLS matches at the venue.
"Our character was top class," Hassan Ndam said. "We saw Dante come in, we saw all the subs coming in, they worked hard to help us come back in the game. The Omir [Fernandez] shot was very unlucky to not go in the back of the net, but the character was very tough -- with the coaching staff and the whole group pushing ourselves on the field to make sure that we are coming back to the game, to make sure that we are looking forward. Unfortunately, we couldn’t win the game, but everybody was on top in the second half to make sure that we had a good performance, a good mindset, and a good mentality to get something out of this game."
New York will face Atlanta United on June 24 for Pride Night with a kickoff time set for 7:30 p.m. ET at Red Bull Arena. Coverage will be on Apple TV+, and New York Red Bulls Radio in English and Spanish via TuneIn, the New York Red Bulls app and NewYorkRedBulls.com.
