Cameron Harper scored the tying goal in the 78th minute as the host New York Red Bulls survived some shaky moments and salvaged a point with a 2-2 draw against shorthanded D.C. United Saturday night in Harrison, N.J.
Harper scored after the Red Bulls swiftly moved the ball up the field after forcing a turnover by D.C. forward Jacob Murrell. Harper was wide open in the center of the box and converted Kyle Duncan’s pass by sending a right-footed shot past the leaping try of United goalkeeper Tyler Miller.
After Harper leveled the contest, the Red Bulls had a golden opportunity to get the win but Emil Forsberg missed a free kick in the 10th minute of stoppage time.
Elias Manoel scored on a penalty kick in the 24th as New York (9-4-8, 35 points) overcame a pair of one-goal deficits in Lewis Morgan’s return from participating in the Euro with Scotland. Morgan entered the contest as a substitute at the start of the second half.
Jared Stroud scored against his former team six minutes in and D.C. played with 10 men after Cristian Dajome was shown a second yellow card for fouling Harper in the 20th minute.
Pedro Santos scored on a free kick late in the first half but despite a better showing than last week’s 4-1 loss to the Houston Dynamo, D.C. (4-9-8, 20 points) dropped to 0-6-3 since May 11.
With New York regular goalie Carlos Coronel on international duty with Paraguay, Ryan Meara made three saves in his sixth start of the season.
Miller stopped two shots for D.C.
Stroud opened the scoring after D.C. easily moved the ball up the field after missing two early scoring chances. Stroud weaved past New York defenders Wikelman Carmona and Sean Nealis and powered a right-footed shot into the back of the net from the center of the box for his first goal since March 16.
Manoel easily buried a penalty kick after D.C’s Matti Peltola fouled Sean Nealis by grabbing his left arm.
D.C. regained the lead right before halftime when Santos curled in a free kick over New York’s four-man wall and past a leaping Meara following a foul by New York’s Ronald Donkor.
–Field Level Media
