Despite playing with only 10 men for the majority of the match, the New York Red Bulls earned a 0-0 draw with the visiting Chicago Fire on Saturday.
Defender Andres Reyes was issued a red card in the 42nd minute, undercutting New York’s strong first half. The Fire couldn’t press their man advantage, however, and barely held on to the draw after two dramatic misses by the Red Bulls in second-half stoppage time.
The Red Bulls (4-1-3, 15 points) are 2-0-1 at home, while Chicago (2-3-3, 9 points) is 0-3-2 in five away matches.
Carlos Coronel made three saves for the Red Bulls.
Fire goalkeeper Chris Brady made five saves for the Fire’s first shutout of the season. Chicago came into Saturday’s action tied with CF Montreal for the most goals allowed (14) in the Eastern Conference.
The Red Bulls dominated the first 10 minutes, and the pressure almost resulted in a sixth-minute goal for Lewis Morgan. Off a free kick, Morgan got to the far corner but his touch on the ball hit the goalpost.
While preparing to defend a Chicago free kick, Reyes elbowed Tobias Salquist in the face. Reyes was initially given a yellow card, but a video review upgraded the call to a red card and an ejection. Salquist was also substituted out during first-half stoppage time due to injury concerns.
During the second half, the Fire couldn’t translate their extra attacker into any premium scoring chances. This allowed New York to almost steal the three points in a wild sequence in the 91st minute, as Elias Manoel and Frankie Amaya each hit goalposts.
New York midfielder Peter Stroud had to be helped off the field after suffering a leg injury in the 77th minute.
–Field Level Media
