Full disclosure: No ASN staff watched the game. What follows is the team’s official press report. We invite fans to post their views and reactions as comments in the field below.
A John Wolyniec 80th minute goal lifted the New York Red Bulls to a 2-1 road win over the San Jose Earthquakes in a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Play-In Game at Buck Shaw Stadium. With the victory, the Red Bulls advanced in MLS Open Cup qualifying and will face D.C. United on a date and location to be determined in May for the right to compete in the tournament’s Round of 16.
The Red Bulls went ahead just two minutes into the contest. After they won their first corner of the match, Danleigh Borman swung the ball into the box. San Jose’s Davide Somma tried to clear it but it bounced off Wolyniec to Mike Petke, who slammed it into the back of the net from six yards out.
New York almost doubled its lead 12 minutes later. Borman took a 25-yard shot that was punched away by goalkeeper Andrew Weber. Wolyniec was able to rush in and get a touch on the rebound but Weber held onto the attempt. Soon after, Wolyniec leaped over his defender and nodded a Carlos Johnson cross past the left post.
San Jose almost tied the game in the 26th minute. After a Shea Salinas cross was cleared by the Red Bulls defense, forward Quincy Amarikwa gathered it on the right wing and lofted a ball that floated over goalkeeper Danny Cepero and bounced off the far post before being cleared. A minute later, Red Bulls forward Macoumba Kandji was slipped through on goal and his ensuing shot went past an on-rushing Weber and the right post.
Ten minutes before the break, Amarikwa ran towards goal, took on defender Andrew Boyens and fired a blast that Cepero dove to block away. Then, in the last play before halftime, Amarikwa found Salinas near the penalty spot and his left-footed shot zipped over the crossbar.
San Jose tied the game in the 71st minute. Off a quick Chris Leitch throw-in, substitute Pablo Campos, who came on at halftime for Davide Somma, raced into the Red Bulls’ penalty box and fired a low shot past Cepero and into the lower left corner of the goal.
Red Bulls forward Dominic Oduro could have given New York the lead back moments later when he gathered a Luke Sassano pass and volleyed it over the top right corner.
With 10 minutes remaining, the Red Bulls took their second lead of the game. Sinisa Ubiparipovic played a chip over the top to Oduro, who was making a run on the right wing. Oduro went towards the end line and hit a deflected cross that Wolyniec slotted in from close range. The goal was Wolyniec’s third for New York all-time in U.S. Open Cup play.
San Jose pressed for an equalizer with Campos coming close with a bicycle kick in the penalty box three minutes later, however, they could not break the Red Bulls’ defense as New York earned its first road win of 2009. Created in 1914, the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is the oldest soccer competition in the United States. Last season, the Red Bulls were eliminated in the competition’s third round. Their best showing was in 2003, when they made it all the way to the Open Cup Final.
The Red Bulls’ next match is on Saturday, when they battle the Los Angeles Galaxy at The Home Depot Center at 10:30 PM ET (TV: MSG; Radio: WADO 1280 AM) in MLS regular season action. After that match, the Red Bulls return home for a four-game homestand at Giants Stadium, starting on Friday, May 8 against the Earthqaukes at 7:30 PM ET (TV: MSG; Radio: WQBU 92.7 FM). For tickets, call the Red Bulls at 1.877.RBSOCCER or log onto www.newyorkredbulls.com.
Match Facts
Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup play-in game: New York Red Bulls 2, San Jose Earthquakes 1
April 29, 2009 – Buck Shaw Stadium, Santa Clara, CA
Scoring Summary:
NY: Petke (unassisted) 2’
SJ: Campos (unassisted) 71’
NY: Wolyniec (Oduro) 80’
Disciplinary Summary:
SJ: Salinas (caution) 39’
SJ: Campos (caution) 47’
SJ: Denton (caution) 67’
NY: Sassano (caution) 76’
NY: Pietravallo (caution) 82’
Lineups:
New York Red Bulls: Danny Cepero, Danleigh Borman, Andrew Boyens, Mike Petke, Carlos Johnson, Juan Pietravallo, Luke Sassano, Sinisa Ubiparipovic, Macoumba Kandji (Matthew Mbuta 56’), Dominic Oduro (Jeremy Hall 86’), John Wolyniec
Substitutes not used: Jon Conway, Kevin Goldthwaite, Nick Zimmerman, Seth Stammler, Carlos Mendes
San Jose Earthquakes: Andrew Weber, Eric Denton, Kelly Gray, Mike Zaher, Chris Leitch, Shea Salinas, Brandon McDonald (Arturo Alvarez 84’), Simon Elliott, Ryan Johnson (Bobby Convey 59’), Quincy Amarikwa, Davide Somma (Pablo Campos 46’)
Substitute not used: Mike Graczyk
Referee: Alejandro Mariscal
Referee’s Assistants: Colin Arblaster, Mike Kampmeinert
4th Referee: Andres Pfefferkorn
Attendance: 4,011