Midweek MLS (well, sort of) wrap

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Tags: New York Red Bulls, Philadelphia Union, US Open Cup

Different competition, same result: Red Bulls defeat Union 2-1 in US Open Cup

Posted on 28 April 2010 by Breton Bonnette

Philadelphia Union players were punished, Nowak style, for their performance ©Emily Pease/ASN

Barely 72 hours after winning 2-1 in their first-ever meeting, the New York Red Bulls defeated the Philadelphia Union again by the same score. The setting for this Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup preliminary match, Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., was the same as well. The similarities end there however.

The Red Bulls fielded a squad made up almost entirely of second-stringers, with only one starter from Saturday’s MLS encounter. Philadelphia countered with only a modified version of its “A” team, and kept its best strikers, Sebastien Le Toux and Alejandro Moreno, on the bench. Yet New York dominated almost from the very beginning to the very end, with standout performances from rookies Tony Tchani and Conor Chinn (the latter supplying both Red Bulls goals).

In the end the 2-1 scoreline flattered Philly, whose gamble of playing Le Toux (he would enter as a second half substitute and in fact supply his team’s one goal) may end up costly. The Frenchman had to leave the field with an MCL injury and is pending evaluation of tests this morning. Initial fears, that he would be lost for the season, appear to have been overblown. But it puts head coach Peter Nowak’s strategy in a questionable light nonetheless.

Speaking of questionable (or at least unusual) coaching moves, Nowak had his team run laps after the match to “punish” them for their bad performance.

ASN Philly has an initial postmatch reaction with more to follow. Union supporters are also encouraged to visit their new forum where they can discuss the match (and other matters affecting the team) among themselves (no registration necessary. Your Facebook/Twitter/Yahoo/Google/Myspace account gets you in).

ASN’s New York Red Bulls page also has full coverage, including audio of head coach Hans Backe’s postgame press conference, player reactions and player ratings. RBNY fans, too, are encouraged to post to their team’s new forum.

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