What a difference a week has made for the New York Red Bulls. Unpopular coach Gerhard Struber was replaced by Troy Lesesne and they beat their two strong rivals with a goal from Omir Fernandez.
A persistent performance of patience, determination and discipline against New York City FC was rewarded on Saturday night in the 76th minute when Fernandez fired a superbly controlled long-range shot beyond Luis Barraza and sent the Red Bull Arena into an uproar.
It’s three points that will push the Red Bulls from last place in the Eastern Conference and breathe new life into a team that just a week ago was desperately stuck under Struber and had a restless fan base.
The Red Bulls had to be patient and didn’t offer much attacking power in front of Fernandez’s goal despite it being a derby. But New York City also struggled to scare the defense with a sluggish performance and the game was decided by a superb goal from the Bronx-born attacker.
“Omir, coming from the Bronx, these games mean a little more to him,” said a jubilant Lesesne after the game. “I think he’s underrated in a lot of ways, almost like an outsider.” But I don’t underestimate him, I think he can do great things. He has a lot of potential and I hope to see more of those moments.”
Omir Fernandez’s stunning strike gave the New York Red Bulls a crucial win over NYCFC
Fernandez leads the celebrations after his sensational goal broke the deadlock late
Fernandez’s goals against DC United and now NYCFC have given the Red Bulls renewed hope
Early signs suggest the 24-year-old is enjoying life under Lesesne, building on his US Open Cup goal against DC United this week. He will certainly continue to play a key role as this new Red Bulls team takes shape in the coming weeks.
“It means a lot to me, I talk to my friends and family about these games all the time,” Rodriguez said. “To score a goal and make the difference was really cool.”
“I think Troy has his own ideas and we’re behind them.” In the little time we’ve spent with him, we’re trying to implement his ideas and you can see them a bit on the field. With more time we will get better. “He brings his own energy, he tries to rally us.”
And that’s what the Red Bulls fans tried to do on Saturday night.
The aggression and energy oozing from the South Stand was something the Red Bulls team couldn’t replicate in a nervy first 20 minutes, but Lesesne’s men, perhaps wisely, played the game and not the occasion. Bottom of the table, they would need time to adjust.
Passing was steady, if not too slow, and the first real effort of note came in the 19th minute when Cameron Harper’s low shot hit the side netting.
Happy to let the Red Bulls have the ball, New York City challenged pressure from a side lacking in confidence and flair before striking on the counterattack.
Gabriel Pereira patiently hugged the right wing to extend the game – at times almost standing side-by-side with a nervous Lesesne as he guided his team through the first half.
Fernandez’s shot goes wide of NYCFC goalie Luis Barraza
Fernandez was pressed by his teammate for his second important goal in as many games
The Red Bulls players applaud their fans after an important win for their MLS hopes
Pereira’s patience was almost rewarded in the 30th minute. New York swallowed up a Red Bulls push forward and started the counterattack, with Pereira firing from the outside in as the fourth attacker with plenty of space around him.
Talles Magno snaked in from the left and played a deft pass across to Pereira, whose sweeping left-footed shot from 25 yards seemed destined to find its way into the top corner, only to hit the edge of Carlos Coronel’s post. It would have been a stunning goal.
Soon it was Magno’s own chance to try his luck. Another counterattack, but this time he resisted the urge to stage a teammate and shot himself. It was tame, straight into Coronel’s hands, and as much as New York offered all game.
“Listen, we can sit here and talk about performance, but we didn’t win the game,” said NYCFC coach Nick Cushing. “I understand it’s not good enough and I take responsibility for that.” I can talk about the performance, everyone will have their opinion on urgency and passing, that’s fine. We didn’t do enough to win the game tonight.
“In our league, the gaps are so small that you always leave the game open if you don’t put it down.”
Christian Casseres Jr controls the ball under the close attention of NYCFC’s Matias Pellegrini
Red Bulls defender Andres Reyes tries to clear the ball while Tayvon Gray tries to block the ball
The Red Bulls could look forward to loud support from their fans at the Hudson River Derby
In the second half, the Red Bulls gained confidence as they felt there was something up for grabs. Substitute Winkleman Carmona tried his luck from distance a few minutes after coming on at 60 but Barraza found it easily from behind.
For the decisive blow, however, he had no answer. Andres Reyes slammed his ball into Fernandez’s feet and the stadium collectively breathed a sigh of relief as he stabilized for the shot.
But instead of firing a full-force shot, the attacker deflected his shot beautifully past Barraza’s reach, almost as if the punch eventually defeated him with its cunning and lack of speed.
From there, New York City had no answer — even when referee Ted Unkel oddly added nine minutes of stoppage time at the end, despite Cushing not making a single substitution throughout the game.