The New York Red Bulls and Atlanta United will be playing for pride when they close out the season Saturday in Harrison, N.J.
The nine-team field for the Eastern Conference playoffs has been determined — and neither New York nor Atlanta are part of it. The 10th-place Red Bulls (11-16-6, 39 points) dropped out of the picture in heartbreaking fashion on Sunday by losing 3-2 at Nashville SC, the Supporters’ Shield winners.
Nashville did not lose at home all season, yet Julian Hall and Rafael Mosquera scored in the first 40 minutes to give the Red Bulls a 2-0 lead. Nashville drew level on a pair of own goals before Sam Surridge scored the go-ahead marker in second-half stoppage time.
“(We) had a bunch of guys who were ready to spill their guts on the field and play our football and push the game and try to do everything that we could to keep our season alive for another week,” said Red Bulls coach Michael Bradley.
“When it ends like that, that’s disappointing and frustrating and heartbreaking and everything else that you can imagine.”
It wasn’t merely the penultimate match of the season that did the Red Bulls in. They have lost four of their last five and five of their last seven, which allowed teams like the Columbus Crew and Orlando City to catch and surpass them.
Their season will be remembered for the emergence of Hall, who at 18 years old led the Red Bulls with 13 goals plus five assists and got his first U.S. men’s national team call-up.
On Friday, veteran New York defender Tim Parker announced he is retiring. The Atlanta match will be the last of his 12-year MLS career.
Atlanta (9-18-6, 33 points) was eliminated from playoff contention on Oct. 28, but the Five Stripes did stop a three-game skid on Sunday with a 3-1 home win over Toronto FC. Miguel Almiron, Cooper Sanchez and Alexey Miranchuk provided the goals. Almiron and Miranchuk have seven apiece to pace the team.
The Five Stripes added Swiss national team star Breel Embolo to the mix during the transfer window and don’t plan to be also-rans for long.
“We already have to think about improving, using these matches to keep getting better and to start and focus now on the upcoming season,” Almiron said this week. “We can’t wait any longer. We can’t wait until preseason starts; it has to be from now.”
–Field Level Media
