Playing without both Tyler Adams and Daniel Royer, New York Red Bulls easily glided past San Jose Earthquakes in their last match. First half goals from Alex Muyl and Bradley Wright-Phillips were boosted by Aaron Long’s second half header, with Chris Wondolowski’s late set piece finish the only moment of note for the Quakes.
There was little pushback from San Jose all night as the Red Bulls set up camp in their final third from the outset. The Quakes totaled five passes into the New York’s final third in the first half, and Derrick Etienne quickly smacked a shot off the post to set the tone of the match. When Muyl slid in at the back post to open the scoring, it was a well-justified lead.
Muyl’s goal came after JT Marcinkowski pushed Michael Murrillo’s shot wide. Both Muyl and Wright-Phillips followed up and the winger tucked home the rebound.
Wright-Phillips got his goal three minutes later during an odd sequence in which he could have been awarded an assist on the same play. Wright-Phillips’ shot hit off the base of the far post and rebounded back across goal, and the striker followed it up with a smashed effort into the roof of the net.
In the second half, a Mark Rzatkowski corner kick was flicked on by Tim Parker and headed in off the crossbar by Aaron Long, who immediately broke out in a BWP Wizard of Oz celebration.
As San Jose sought to control the ball and climb back into the match, Wondolowski first put a breakaway just wide of an open net before meeting a Florian Jungwirth free kick perfectly with a header that gave Luis Robles no chance.
In the end, this was a result that should surprise no one. Red Bulls showed that they can execute after a cross-country trip, and they did so with minimal fuss. Additionally, Chris Armas gave valuable minutes to Derrick Etienne and Rzatkowski, boosting the confidence of both important fill-in players before the playoffs hit.
The win gave Red Bulls a three match winning streak and a four game unbeaten streak heading into their showdown with Philly. Since they last dropped points, New York has scored seven and given up a single goal. The Union will have their hands full when New York comes to town on October 21 at 3PM ET.
