MATCH RECAP
Two second half goals from Damien Perrinelle and Lloyd Sam salvaged a hard-fought point on the road for the Red Bulls as New York drew 2-2 with D.C. United on Saturday night at RFK Stadium in Washington D.C. Perry Kitchen headed home a corner kick in the 26th minute to start the scoring for D.C. in the first half. The midfielder then followed that up with a 67th minute low strike from the top that box that beat New York goalkeeper Luis Robles to make it 2-0. The Red Bulls responded quickly as Perrinelle finished a close range header off a Felipe corner only a minute later for his first MLS goal. Sam then dramatically tapped in an equalizer in the 90th minute for his third goal of the season to tie the game, 2-2. Click here to read the full match recap.
BOX SCORE
Lineups:
- NY: Luis Robles, Chris Duvall, Matt Miazga, Damien Perrinelle, Kemar Lawrence, Dax McCarty (Dane Richards 77'), Felipe, Lloyd Sam, Sacha Kljestan, Mike Grella (Sal Zizzo 65'), Bradley Wright-Phillips
- DC: Bill Hamid, Sean Franklin, Bobby Boswell, Kofi Opare, Taylor Kemp, Michael Farfan (Conor Doyle 65'), Davy Arnaud, Perry Kitchen, Chris Rolfe, Jairo Arrieta (Luis Silva 75'), Chris Pontius (Jared Jeffery 89')
Goals and Assists:
- DC: 26' Perry Kitchen 1 (Taylor Kemp 1)
- DC: 67' Perry Kitchen 2 (Chris Rolfe 2)
- NY: 68' Damien Perrinelle 1 (Felipe 2)
- NY: 90' Lloyd Sam 3
Discipline
- DC: Kemp, Caution, 36'
- NY: Grella, Caution, 45'
- NY: Perrinelle, Caution, 58'
FRANK GIASE
Frank Giase also weighed in on the match in his weekly column: Red Bulls test their mettle in gutsy draw vs. D.C. United
The talk coming into Saturday night’s Red Bulls-D.C. United game in Washington centered around midfield dominance, revenge, high pressure, forcing mistakes and capitalizing on them, and the Atlantic Cup. And while many of those issues factored into the 2-2 result, Red Bulls coach Jesse Marsch found out something else about his team.
In the first gut-check moment of the season, the Red Bulls, without the designated players who were such game-changers last season and who were looked to when all seemed lost, found a way to rally against their hated rival and gain a point in a game that appeared all but over.
This did not come from a bit of magic by Thierry Henry, or the hustle and heading power of Tim Cahill. Rather, the two goals in the final 23 minutes that overcame a 2-0 deficit were the result of a strong, individual effort by defender Damien Perrinelle off a set piece, and the opportunistic nature of midfielder Lloyd Sam.
And that’s the first step toward building a winning team and gaining confidence in the beginning of a long, grueling season.
POST-GAME NOTES
- The Red Bulls remain in second place in the Eastern Conference with eight points after the draw against D.C. New York has a game in hand on D.C., who sit in first place in the East with ten points through five games.
- The Red Bulls' +3 goal differential is the best in the MLS this season.
- Midfielder Lloyd Sam now has three goals in the first four games of 2015. Sam had four goals in 32 starts a season ago for New York.
WATCH THE GOALS
68' - Damien Perrinelle answers immediately for the Red Bulls off a set piece
90' - Lloyd Sam slots home the rebound to even up the score
Locker Room Reaction: Kljestan, Marsch, McCarty, Perrinelle, and Sam speak to the media
SOUND BITES
Lloyd Sam
Sacha Kljestan
Dax McCarty
NEXT UP
The New York Red Bulls head back home to take on the San Jose Earthquakes this Friday, April 17th on Autism Awareness Night at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. EDT and will be broadcasted on UniMas. Click here to purchase tickets.
- Tickets for all Red Bulls home games are available by visiting www.newyorkredbulls.com/tickets.
- For more information on Autism Awareness Night at Red Bull Arena, visit www.newyorkredbulls.com/autismawareness.
- How to watch MLS in English on UniMás or Univision Deportes Network
