Saturday marked New York's 25th consecutive regular-season road match that did not finish in a victory. But the Red Bulls had something to celebrate.
In a dreary season that has provided New York with a scant few opportunities to rejoice, the 1-1 draw with Chivas USA at The Home Depot Center did just that.
Despite running their road streak to a new MLS record, the Red Bulls were in a joyful mood after their road point.
"We showed that we are a better side than we have been through the year these last four or five games," said Juan Pablo Angel, who accounted for the Red Bulls' dramatic equalizer.
What seemed to impress players and coaches the most was the team's ability to stay strong and fight back. Chivas USA had the better of play for most of the game and had a fortuitous shot go their way. Sacha Kljestan hit a 25-yard shot on goal that deflected off Seth Stammler, over Bouna Coundoul's head and into the back of the goal. Nine minutes later, Chivas USA nearly doubled their advantage but Maicon Santos' shot hit the crossbar.
Still, the Red Bulls stayed focused and were ultimately rewarded. Sinisa Ubiparipovic, who had replaced Danleigh Borman, sent a cross from the left flank into the center of the box and Angel had a free header. Angel did not disappoint as he bagged his 10th goal of the season.
The goal was special for Angel as he set a club record for goals in all competitions with 46.
"There's a lot of work to be done but we're working on it. We've got to keep believing in ourselves, keep getting the result," Angel said. "Getting a point here against a good side, it's not easy especially because they're playing for a playoff spot, so it's a good result for us and I'll take the draw."
Angel had missed the last two games with a sprained ankle, and while he admitted feeling discomfort, he was able to play 89 minutes.
"As the game went on I felt stronger and towards the end my ankle was sore and my groin was getting tighter but I played longer than I expected," Angel said. "I was pleased not just to be playing again but also because we got a good result against a very fine side."
New York's good fortune even held in stoppage time. Andrew Boyens was whistled for a penalty kick in stoppage time and Kljestan stepped to the spot. Kljestan ran up to the ball and hit the ball to Coundoul's right. Coundoul, though, dived to his left. But the ball sailed harmlessly wide of the goal and the score remained 1-1.
"Give credit to our guys. They hung in there and they've been playing like a team the last five games," Red Bulls interim coach Richie Williams said. "We've gotten leads and we've given them up and we've fought back and gotten goals. We've been behind and fought back and went ahead. The guys have had a great attitude. They're playing as a team, playing together, playing smart."
The Red Bulls have three games remaining, two of which are on the road. If nothing else happens this season but a victory away from Giants Stadium, the end of what would be an otherwise miserable season might close out on a positive note after all. New York has games at San Jose (Oct. 3) and Real Salt Lake (Oct. 14) remaining on the schedule.
"At the end of the day, they're just doing an overall good job and that's great to see," Williams said. "Three games left here and we're going to try to get that win that we haven't gotten in 16 months. It's not perfect but the guys are at least trying to do the right things for the most part. We make our fair share of mistakes but they make plenty of good plays too and they don't give up and have a good mentality right now."
Luis Bueno is a contributor to MLSnet.com.
