D.C. United drop 2-1 setback to New York Red Bulls
D.C. United hosted the New York Red Bulls on Wednesday night at a packed Audi Field as part of MLS rivalry week. The historic rivalry’s latest chapter was a thriller but D.C. United came up on the losing end of the Atlantic Cup bout 2-1 with some controversial calls.
Once dominating the league out of the gates, the Black and Red have struggled and now are in the fifth spot in the Eastern Conference with 39 points and a 10-9=9 record. The Red Bulls just leapfrogged them for fourth place and lead by two points.
Kaku put the Red Bulls ahead 1-0 in the sixth minute after a misplay and some miscommunication by the D.C. United defense. That would be the score entering the half.
Things began to get really chippy, as it always does during this historic rivalry that has dated all the way back to 1996. In the 24th minute Wayne Rooney appeared to elbow Cristian Casseres Jr. just before a corner. The ref gave Rooney a red card and ejected him from the match.
It became 10 vs. 10 in stoppage time at the end of the first half with Amro Tarek getting red carded for his second yellow card with unsporting behavior. Newcomer Ola Kmara who made his debut for the Black and Red tied the game in the 55th minute.
Three minutes later there was a controversial penalty that rewarded the Red Bulls to the dismay of D.C. United supporters. Michael Murillo drew a foul from Lucas Rodriguez and Daniel Royner converted the PK for the 2-1 lead. That would be all they needed.
D.C. United will be without Rooney and will embark on a brutal three-game road trip beginning this Saturday in Philadelphia against the Union. The Black and Red will look to avenge a 4-1 home loss.
Photo: @JayyBird15 on Twitter
