With an absolutely incredible atmosphere in Harrison, New Jersey the New York Red Bulls put on a display of heart and guts in the 5-4 Penalty Kick victory against the defending Champions Columbus Crew.
The Red Bulls making waves across Major League Soccer in playing two matches to etch the name of the franchise in folklore as probably one of the most memorable moments in MLS history.
When the match first started the action was immediate between the two sides, as Columbus had a set piece and a shot that went wide of the cage.
Fans are encouraged to give a view to our photo gallery from Red Bull Arena:
Dante Vanzeir made the first attempt with the Red Bulls, getting the crowd all fired up and into the action on the pitch.
The theme of most of the first half was the Red Bull defense, highlighted by Dylan Nealis as he made several highlight reel plays during the course of the match.
Fans are also encouraged to give a listen to the following audio interviews from after the match:
Head Coach Sandro Schwarz:
Daniel Edelman
Dante Vanzeir
Carlos Coronel:
With the crowd in the Arena into every moment, even booing when the Columbus players warmed up and into every whistle and foul that was on the field as well.
Around the 37:42-mark John Tolkin had himself a tremendous opportunity, shortly after Columbus started to swarm the net for a chance.
As both teams headed into the half scoreless, with a buzz and party atmosphere keeping the crowd hyped until the guys resumed play in the Second Half.
During the course of the second half the theme of defense continued as Daniel Edelman, later to be team hero made a huge defensive play for the squad.
Through much back-and-forth action it turned to be Columbus sub-Max Arfsten, making an immediate impact around the 55:38 mark for a 1-0 lead.
With most of the air being sucked from the Arena, it was an exciting play by Dante Vanzeir breathing a new life into a crowd with a wonderful run toward the ball for an eventual goal to tie things up.
Several guys after that moment including team captain Emil Forsberg made motion towards the crowd to get them fired up, as true passion and heart was shown after the guys came through in the clutch.
From there Forsberg helped to lead the way with his play as well eventually getting a PK and burying his opportunity around the 80′.
As time was ticking down to regulation, the referees added 12 minutes of stoppage time from the match, and from there it was all about how the Red Bulls’ were going to keep Columbus from scoring.
Well the defending champs didn’t go down without a fight as they tied things up in extra time.
With the MLS Playoff format the night was decided by PK’s and boy, if anyone wanted to write a Hollywood ending what was experienced at Red Bull Arena was just that.
In a fast-and-furious PK session with Columbus building a 4-2 lead, it was around the time that Elias Manoel scored, and a save by Carlos Coronel that started to turn the tide in favor of the home side.
It was then the Captain Forsberg getting the PK session tied at four to set the stage for what is going to be the most talked about moment in MLS for quite some time.
With Coronel walking towards the net, previously saving two goals prior he readied himself for the next moment and came through with a huge third save in a row.
From there Carlos went to the sidelines put one finger in the air and started to send all of his energy to Edelman, and the Warren, New Jersey-native won the match and sent the team to semis with a sensational goal: sending all of Red Bull Arena and his teammates into a joyful celebration.
For the Red Bulls the victory advances the guys to the Conference Semis for the first time since 2018 and sets up an intriguing matchup, as the team waits FC Cincinnati and or a possible first ever Hudson River Derby Playoff match.
There is going to be a ton of excitement and training that is going to go into the next steps for the Red Bulls as they prepare for the Semifinal match, for now though they are going to enjoy a well-earned victory and the chance they had to win a playoff match in front of the hometown crowd.
For more information on the New York Red Bulls fans are encouraged to click on the link below: