I don’t know how often an MLS referee loses control of a match but Saturday night's match at Red Bull Arena between New York and the New England Revolution was definitely one of them. Fotis Bazakos was officiating his 23rd MLS match tonight and it may have been his worse yet. Bad calls were made against both teams and calls were missed as he let the game get away from him. However, not everything is on the referee and the Red Bulls had plenty of chances to put the game away but didn’t.
The Red Bulls took the lead early on Fabian Espindola’s 9th goal of the season. The play started from a Holgersson chip to Steele from the centerline. Steele headed the ball down to Espindola who returned the header to Steele. NE’s Andrew Farrell intercepted with his head to the feet of rookie Scott Caldwell. Caldwell, under pressure from an on rushing Steele, tried to play the ball laterally to AJ Soares but Espindola intercepted the ball, dribbled to the top of the 18 and blasted a right footed shot past Matt Reis.
The Red Bulls would remain the dominant side through the first half. New York kept exceptional defensive shape and their passing was sharp and mostly with a purpose. It would end up costing New York two more points that they could not capitalize on the defending of the Revs through the first 45. The Red Bulls did well to build up the attack on the flanks as both Saer Sene and Diego Fagundez were often tucked way inside or up the field alongside Agudelo to do any defending. Australian international David Carney seemed to find himself in NE’s penalty area more than his own defensive third.
In the first 20 minutes of the second half, the Red Bulls seemed to slow down the tempo of the game in an attempt to control it even more than they did in the first half. NY’s only real chance came off an Henry curler that Matt Reis could easily win save of the week for keeping out of the net. On the other side of the ball, New England started to get more possession and take it to NY. In the 63d, Luis Robles made a point blank stop on a Sene rocket from the penalty spot. Robles would make a string of top saves throughout the second half to keep NY in the game and he is certainly playing his way to Keeper of the Year honors. Chances would come between both sides until the game would take a turn for the worst in the 84th minute.
NY center back Jamison Olave would be whistled for a handball in the box and Lee Nguyen would bury the ensuing penalty. Unlike the protest the week prior in Seattle by Markus Holgersson, Olave had legitimate cause for protest as the ball hit the defenders chest, not arm. Then, two minutes later, NE midfielder Andy Dorman was issued a straight red for a sliding tackle on Eric Alexander. There was barely any contact on the play and while the slide was reckless, it was no red card. It seemed as if Bazakos was giving a makeup call New York’s way. The man advantage, New York’s first this season, didn’t help the Red Bulls as a terrible error in the defense by David Carney led to a Diego Fagundez goal in the 91st minute. There were four added minutes of stoppage time but referee Bazakos would make two more controversial decisions in the stoppage time following New England’s second goal. Rookie defender Andrew Farrell was sent to the sideline for bleeding after a collision with his goalkeepers’ knee. Farrell was sidelined on New York’s last play of the game, a set piece that was buried by New York’s Cahill. The last play of the match came in the 97th minute however and the Revs coaching staff was asking for the whistle. Fans on both sides need to remember that stoppage time is at the hands of the match referee and they can add more time, as they deem necessary for any stoppage in play.
Despite the draw, Tim Cahill headed the New York Red Bulls into the 2013 MLS Cup playoffs. New York is the first team in the playoffs and still sits atop the Supporter Shield standings in October. Yes, the New York Red Bulls are atop the Shield standings in October. The Red Bulls have two games remaining, away at Houston on October 20th, and they finish the season at home against the Chicago Fire.
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