It was business as usual between the New York Red Bulls and Real Salt Lake, as the teams ended in a 1-1 tie in RSL's home opener Saturday night at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
To be sure, the Red Bulls are weary of ending games knotted with their opposition. On the other hand, RSL should be pleased to have their first point of the season after a last-gasp equalizer from Jason Kreis canceled out a late goal from Amado Guevara.
Against each other, New York's MLS club and Real have played to three draws in three meetings. The Red Bulls now have the same result in three games in the 2006 season; RSL is 0-2-1, but still winless in its last 15 games.
Kreis forced the tie in the 89th minute by scoring his league-history best 101st goal. Kreis headed it in with a powerful shot off a free kick from the corner by Chris Klein and injected some excitement into stoppage time.
RSL put the pressure on in the early minutes, playing its defensive unit deep in the midfield in an attempt to wear out the Red Bulls in Salt Lake's high-altitude stadium.
But it was New York that earned the first corner kick when Eddie Pope played it past the goal line. Youri Djorkaeff sent an in-swinger to the far post, but no Red Bulls were there to knock it in. Minutes later, Edson Buddle took the first shot of the game but it flew high and over the crossbar.
On RSL's first corner kick, Andy Williams sent the ball from the right to Douglas Sequeira near the penalty spot; Sequeira's shot streaked just wide of the left post in the 14th minute.
RSL had a pair of beautiful shots in the 19th minute. At the top of the area, Klein got it to Sequeira for a rocket toward the right post; New York's Tony Meola deflected it wide and past the goal line with his fingertips. Williams' corner kick went to Daniel Torres, who shot it just wide of the left post.
Buddle's shot in the 23rd minute, taken from the right side of the penalty box, was deflected high and over the crossbar by RSL's Scott Garlick. Buddle took the shot after a fortunate pass from Guevara, but the ball went straight at Garlick for an easy save.
Williams put some pressure on in the 34th minute, pushing it deep into the area from the left side despite tight marking by a pair of New York defenders. Williams got to within five yards of the left post before centering the ball, but Meola smothered the pass before RSL could take a point-blank shot.
In the 45th minute, Sequeira put the pressure on and forced Meola to handle the ball past the endline. RSL's corner kick, taken by Klein, was cleared out to where Williams could center the ball to Jeff Cunningham. Cunningham's header smelled the net, but Meola made the save before the end of the half.
In the 57th minute, New York's Danny O'Rourke fouled Williams and gave RSL a free kick 25 yards from the goal to the right. Williams rolled the restart to Klein for a try at the goal that gave RSL its first goal of the season the previous week. But this time, Klein's shot flew over the crossbar.
Minutes later, Cunningham came close on a run that put him eight yards away from the goal. With defenders in tight, Cunningham could only manage a weak poke on the ball that was cleared away.
Then, Williams went one-on-one with Meola and went to the ground as he tried to dribble by the veteran 'keeper 10 yards from goal.
Despite the ongoing pressure on New York's penalty area, it was New York that scored first in the 76th minute. Buddle found himself with only Garlick to beat just outside the goal area, but Garlick made the point-blank save. But Guevara streaked in to the right, intercepted the rebound and found the left side of the net for the 1-0 lead.
The goal energized the Red Bulls, who before the tally seemed exhausted by the thin Salt Lake City air. But before the end of the game, it was New York that put on the pressure in the area.
After Kreis' tying goal, Garlick made a dramatic save, getting down well to turn aside a snap deflection from Thiago Martins.
Then, just before the final whistle, Klein raced in alone on goal on an angle after a wide-open run into the right side of the area, but his shot flew well over Meola and the crossbar and RSL settled for the tie.
Peter Richins is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
