Tai Baribo opened the scoring for D.C. United with a penalty in the fifth minute and later assisted on a late goal to secure a 2-1 win over the New York Red Bulls on Wednesday night. The early strike came after Baribo was fouled by Red Bulls midfielder Adri Mehmeti, and his 15th goal of the season put United ahead from the spot.
Baribo’s influence extended beyond his penalty. In the fifth minute of stoppage time, he headed on a ball that allowed first-year defender Silvan Hefti to score with a header, doubling United’s lead just before halftime. The assist was set up by Keisuke Kurokawa, who delivered a corner kick that Hefti converted for his second goal of the match.
The game shifted in the second half when defender Lucas Bartlett received his second yellow card in the 68th minute, leaving D.C. United down to ten men. The Red Bulls capitalized three minutes later as Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting scored his fifth goal of the season. Choupo-Moting’s finish came from a move involving Emil Forsberg and Ronald Donkor, both of whom had come on as substitutes in the 57th minute.
Despite the numerical disadvantage, D.C. United managed to hold on, with goalkeeper Sean Johnson turning away six shots to keep the Red Bulls at bay. New York’s goalkeeper Ethan Horvath recorded one save in the match. The victory improved D.C. United’s home record to 5-5-5, while New York’s struggles on the road continued with a 5-7-3 record.
Before the match, New York sat eighth in the Eastern Conference, and D.C. United was 12th. The teams had previously drawn 4-4 in April when they met in New York.
Since the start of September, D.C. United’s record stands at 2-2-2, while the Red Bulls have gone 3-3-1 over the same period. The result on Wednesday added to New York’s inconsistent away form.
D.C. United will visit Orlando City on Saturday, while the New York Red Bulls are set to host Toronto FC the same day.
According to Yahoo Sports.