Bradley Wright-Phillips hit a brace to lead a heroic three-goal fightback and the New York Red Bulls advanced to their first U.S. Open Cup Final since 2003 with a 3-2 win extra-time semifinal victory over FC Cincinnati on Tuesday night.
To win their first ever USOC title, the Red Bulls will have to pull off more road magic in the final against Sporting Kansas City at Children's Mercy Park on Sept. 20.
Substitute Gonzalo Veron began the comeback with an opportunistic 75th-minute goal to cut New York's deficit to 2-1. Wright-Phillips then went to work in the air, leveling off Tyler Adams' cross in the 78th minute before sending his looping header off Sal Zizzo's cross inside goalkeeper Mitch Hildebrandt's far post 11 minutes into extra time.
Only moment's after Wright-Phillips' second, Adams made a game-saving block of Marco Dominguez on the goal line after the FCC substitute had gotten around Red Bulls 'keeper Ryan Meara.
Corben Bone put Cincinnati ahead in the 31st minute and Austin Berry doubled the lead with a header off a corner kick in the 62nd before a raucous crowd of 33,250 at Nippert Stadium. But the goals from the pair of former Chicago Fire men weren't enough to make Cincy just the fourth lower-division side to reach the US Open Cup Final since MLS teams began competing in 1996.
Goals
- 31' – CIN – Corben Bone Watch
- 62' – CIN – Austin Berry Watch
- 75' – NY – Gonzalo Veron Watch
- 78' – NY – Bradley Wright-Phillips Watch
- 101' – NY – Bradley Wright-Phillips Watch
Up Next
- Friday, Aug. 18 at Portland Timbers (10 pm ET | FS1, MLS LIVE in Canada)
