E. RUTHERFORD. N.J. -- A week after rallying from a goal down to win for the first time this season, the New York Red Bulls again found a way to secure a vital three points in the face of adversity, defeating Eastern Conference rival Toronto FC 2-0 on Sunday at Giants Stadium despite playing nearly the entire second half down a man.
The winning goal was scored by Mike Magee in the 37th minute. Magee found the back of the net in back-to-back games for the first time in his career. The Red Bulls buckled down defensively after defender Gabriel Cichero was sent off with a straight red card one minute into the second half.
Seth Stammler was just trying to clear the ball out of danger on the first goal, but Magee latched onto the long ball and was sent free on goal, beating TFC defender Marco Velez in a 50-yard footrace. Magee took a touch and then beat Toronto goalkeeper Greg Sutton low and inside the far post from 16 yards out to put the Red Bulls in front.
Getting an unofficial assist on Magee's third goal of the year was Juan Pablo Angel, who was in an offside position, but wisely didn't make an attempt to play the ball.
On a counterattack in the second minute of second-half stoppage time, Angel put the game away, tapping in a pass from Dane Richards, who broke in on Sutton on a two-man breakaway after a pass from Jorge Rojas as the Red Bulls won back-to-back games for the first time this year.
Angel had the Red Bulls' first quality scoring chance, but his second attempt went off of Sutton's left leg in the 19th minute. The Canadian international also came up big on the rebound, denying Dave van den Bergh. Kevin Goldthwaite headed wide on the ensuing corner kick.
Two minutes later, Angel's long distance attempt bounced off the turf and off Sutton's hands for another Red Bulls' corner kick.
Red Bulls goalkeeper Jon Conway was called into action in the 23rd minute, diving to his left to stop Nana Attakora-Gyan's header inside the six-yard box.
Coming off his team's most comprehensive win of the year, Red Bulls coach Juan Carlos Osorio went with the same starting lineup as he did last Sunday, when his team thumped D.C. United 4-1. It was the second time this season Osorio has gone with the same lineup in back-to-back games.
Defender Jeff Parke, though, limped off the field in the 25th minute with a sprained right ankle, replaced by former TFC defender Andrew Boyens. The Red Bulls were down a second defender when Cichero, who had an impressive debut last Sunday, was sent off by referee Terry Vaughn with a straight red card for an elbow to the side of Danny Dichio's head one minute into the second half.
Luke Sassano dropped back defensively on the right as Boyens played in the middle of the Red Bulls' back three following Cichero's ejection. Sassano was taken off in the 62nd minute for Richards, who made his return from a hip flexor strain that forced him to miss two league matches.
Dichio was one of two halftime substitutions by John Carver, who also brought on newly signed Johann Smith for Abdus Ibrahim. But Dichio, who missed more than month with a concussion, left the match soon after, replaced by Jarrod Smith at the 49-minute mark.
Carver made two changes to the lineup that took three points on the road for the second time this season in a 1-0 victory at Colorado last weekend. Back from suspension was Velez and Attakora-Gyan made his second MLS start with Tyrone Marshall out with a hip flexor injury.
Johann Smith nearly scored in his MLS debut, getting behind Sassano in the 51st minute. But Conway did well to come off his line and cut off the angle and Smith slotted the ball wide of the far post.
Chad Barrett, who struck for a brace in his last visit to the Meadowlands to lead Chicago to a 5-1 victory May 25, nearly equalized in the 81st minute. But, following a TFC corner, Barrett's low shot from the edge of the 18-yard box went wide of the far post.
With their second consecutive victory against an Eastern Conference foe, the Red Bulls moved into a tie for fourth place with D.C. United, three points in front of Toronto FC and the Kansas City Wizards.
The Red Bulls complete a three-game homestand next Sunday when they play host to two-time defending MLS Cup champion Houston Dynamo. TFC entertain the New England Revolution Saturday night at BMO Field.
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