Mike Stobe
The Atlantic Cup appears headed on its way to Red Bull Arena.
The New York Red Bulls topped D.C. United 2-0 in front of 18,019 at RFK Stadium Saturday night, getting goals from Thierry Henry and Jamison Olave to tilt the balance of the storied MLS season series in the Red Bulls' favor.
Following a March 16 scoreless draw and Saturday's win, New York (2-3-2) needs just a draw or to lose by less than two in the Aug. 31 meeting between the two teams to capture the annual regional bragging rights. With the loss, D.C. (1-4-1) fell at home for the second straight match after carrying a 19-game home unbeaten streak into a March 23 clash against the Columbus Crew.
Henry opened the scoring in the 29th minute, receiving a layoff pass from Dax McCarty and taking his time to set up shot from about 25 yards. He curled in a well-weighted ball the took a bounce right in front of a diving Bill Hamid and wound up in the back of the net.
New York doubled its lead seven minutes later, with center back Jamison Olave netting for his third goal of the season. Juninho sent a cross in from the left after a short corner, and it was headed toward goal by defender Brandon Barklage. Olave redirected it past Hamid to give New York a commanding edge.
D.C. nearly pulled one back before halftime, with Brandon McDonald volleying Daniel Woolard's cross from the left over the bar.
Even wth Dwayne De Rosario entering the match as a second-half substitute, marking his comeback from an adductor strain, D.C.'s offense remained stagnant, but the United captain did create one dangerous moment. His low free kick from 20 yards bent around the Red Bulls wall, but Red Bulls goalkeeper Luis Robles went to ground to save it, along with Carlos Ruiz's close-range rebound, to preserve the clean sheet.
The New York Red Bulls topped D.C. United 2-0 in front of 18,019 at RFK Stadium Saturday night, getting goals from Thierry Henry and Jamison Olave to tilt the balance of the storied MLS season series in the Red Bulls' favor.
Following a March 16 scoreless draw and Saturday's win, New York (2-3-2) needs just a draw or to lose by less than two in the Aug. 31 meeting between the two teams to capture the annual regional bragging rights. With the loss, D.C. (1-4-1) fell at home for the second straight match after carrying a 19-game home unbeaten streak into a March 23 clash against the Columbus Crew.
Henry opened the scoring in the 29th minute, receiving a layoff pass from Dax McCarty and taking his time to set up shot from about 25 yards. He curled in a well-weighted ball the took a bounce right in front of a diving Bill Hamid and wound up in the back of the net.
New York doubled its lead seven minutes later, with center back Jamison Olave netting for his third goal of the season. Juninho sent a cross in from the left after a short corner, and it was headed toward goal by defender Brandon Barklage. Olave redirected it past Hamid to give New York a commanding edge.
D.C. nearly pulled one back before halftime, with Brandon McDonald volleying Daniel Woolard's cross from the left over the bar.
Even wth Dwayne De Rosario entering the match as a second-half substitute, marking his comeback from an adductor strain, D.C.'s offense remained stagnant, but the United captain did create one dangerous moment. His low free kick from 20 yards bent around the Red Bulls wall, but Red Bulls goalkeeper Luis Robles went to ground to save it, along with Carlos Ruiz's close-range rebound, to preserve the clean sheet.
