E. RUTHERFORD, N.J. - They've won when missing key starters and they've won despite playing a man down for nearly the entire second half. And on Saturday night, the New York Red Bulls did something they've not done all year - captured three points despite a halftime deficit, rallying to beat Real Salt Lake, 2-1, to extend their home unbeaten streak to seven games.
Heading into Saturday's game, the Red Bulls were 0-6-1 after trailing at the half, but thanks to goals by Juan Pablo Angel and Dave van den Bergh, the Red Bulls beat RSL to move into sole possession of fourth place in the Eastern Conference. It was just the eighth time this year an MLS team had come from behind after a halftime deficit.
"I think it shows the team has character," van den Bergh said. "We can be a very offensive team, but I think we also proved we can defend the lead now and that's very comforting going into the final stretch of the season and the postseason."
For the second time this year, the Red Bulls came back from a 1-0 deficit to win a game and on Saturday they made the most out of a pair of Real Salt Lake mistakes in the second half.
"I think the team is believing in what we do," Red Bulls coach Juan Carlos Osorio said. "We said at halftime we would get our chances. We need to be patient, we need to pass the ball better and I think all the guy showed that we really are becoming a better team."
Angel ran after a long ball by Kevin Goldthwaite, grabbed Jamison Olave on the shoulder and the Colombian defender went down. Referee Kevin Stott didn't call a foul and Angel raced in on Nick Rimando, scoring his ninth goal of the year.
"I went to one side and he lost me and I went to the other one," Angel said. "I got a touch on the ball and he was pretty much out of the play and the goalkeeper was on his way out so it was an easy finish for me."
After the Red Bulls peppered Rimando, van den Bergh scored what proved to be the winner in the 64th minute on what appeared to be a broken play. It started with a complete whiff of an attempted shot by Gabriel Cichero and then a mishit by Dane Richards.
"It makes me very happy because I knew when the ball was coming in the air my intent was just to kick the ball, but my right is just for walking," Cichero said. "I just wanted to kick the ball out of the stadium, but I just told the guys it was on purpose. It was a play. The luck is on our side and it's important for our team."
The ball bounced to van den Bergh on the right and he beat Rimando inside the far post for his sixth goal of the year.
"I thought I was offside, to be honest with you," van den Bergh said. "I haven't seen the replay, but I don't know whether I was or not. I doubt it because they weren't protesting it at all. I controlled the ball with my right and I was surprised with how much time I had - that's why I thought I was offside."
That's the way things are going for the Red Bulls these days.
"I think the last six, seven games have been great for us," Angel said. "We've been looking more compact and more organized, more dangerous and it's right when we need it. This is the time that we needed to pick up points."
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