Back in action under the lights of BMO Stadium, LAFC were at home and ready to for a big Saturday night matchup. The team welcomed NY Red Bulls who came into this one as one of the best teams in the league, fighting for the top spot in the Eastern Conference, NY Red Bulls. The early unbeaten run at home is on the line, but more importantly, a win tonight could really help propel the team to a much needed run to not just gather points, but gain some confidence.
One Planet tops in action 🌎 #LAFCvNYRB pic.twitter.com/2YPMC59lQu
— LAFC (@LAFC) April 21, 2024
To say the match got off to an ominous start would be an understatement. NY came out immediately with a pouch full of rocks to throw, and were pelting LAFC early on. Unfortunately, LAFC defender Aaron Long got caught a stray making a huge play against his old team. With a wide open shot at an open net, Aaron Long came flying in and defended the attempt at the line. He continued to slide right into the post, where he came away with a leg injury that saw him subbed off in the eighth minute. His efforts felt in vain, as the wild sequence continued with his replacement, Eddie Segura, the victim of an own goal in his first action on the ball, giving NY the lead in the ninth minute of the match.
IT’S IN! #RedRunsDeep 🔴 @audi pic.twitter.com/M52PCGSMZT
— New York Red Bulls (@NewYorkRedBulls) April 21, 2024
A team that is already incredibly tough to break down, gets even tougher when they have the lead. It took until around the 20th minute, but LAFC finally settled in and started stringing together some quality attacks. The team did an excellent job at stifling NY the rest of the half, with the visitors going into the break with just two shots, neither finding their target. LAFC didn’t do much better though, despite the wake-up call, the team finished the half with most of the possession but just four shots with one on target.
A huge second half awaited both sides. For New York, a chance to not only remain tied atop the East, but an opportunity to get yet another statement win in a long line of them to start the season. For LAFC, a loss at home would be as close to devastating as you can get this early on in the year. The team’s first true test against a top MLS side, they need a big final 45 to get the result.
As we have been accustomed to seeing, LAFC started off the second half strong, hunting for that equalizer. They kept knocking and knocking and in the 60th minute got a bit of help from the opposition as the Red Bulls got caught putting too much on a tackle on Bouanga, resulting in a penalty. After a short trip to the monitor for VAR, Bounga stepped up to the spot and smashed home the equalizer. Just moments later the team nearly got another goal, but an incredible save kept it even at one, but it was game on for the three points now.
Denis does it again from the spot 🎯 #LAFCvNYRB 1-1 pic.twitter.com/fhlsSAnpfF
— LAFC (@LAFC) April 21, 2024
Red Bulls showed why they are one of the better teams in the league, not panicking once conceding, and started applying the pressure. They started asking questions of their own, and were getting closer and closer. In the 80th minute the Red Bulls won a corner. The kick was put into the box with pace, wasn’t cleared out on first touch, and bounced to Emil Forsberg who was waiting back post and absolutely kicked it through the back of the net to retake the lead for his side.
Emil Forsberg puts @NewYorkRedBulls ahead once again! pic.twitter.com/qD0sM9CNaW
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 21, 2024
The air was taking out of the home side sails just a bit, but in true fashion, they refused to go away into that smokey LA night. With the end of regulation, eight minutes of stoppage time was announced, giving LAFC a very generous amount of time to find a way to get the result and avoid disaster at home.
They put all that time to great use, and proved once more that set pieces are truly the most important part of finding goals in the beautiful game of soccer. In the sixth minute of stoppage time LAFC earned a corner. The kick was another that wasn’t cleared out completely by the defense and after some bouncing around, found Denis Bounga at the top of the box, where he got on it and put it top bins for the equalizer that eventually sealed the point at home.
#99 in the 95th 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/kJ6XrP7MEJ
— LAFC (@LAFC) April 21, 2024
The draw may not be the slingshot to slay the giant result that LAFC would have wanted, but considering how the match played out, it was massive to make sure to at least split the points at home. Red Bulls nearly stole a win in the final seconds, but strong defense and help from the crossbar, kept it at a point shared and deserved. The black & gold remain unbeaten at home, with another chance to get three points off Portland, when they visit BMO next weekend.
Thoughts on the draw? Leave a comment below!