Andre Blake made eight saves in a sensational performance as the Philadelphia Union and New York Red Bulls played to a 0-0 draw Sunday afternoon at Red Bull Arena.
The Jamaican international was especially huge in the first half, three times denying Gonzalo Veron and also diving to his right to push aside a shot by Derrick Etienne en route to seven first-half saves.
In search of a winning goal, Red Bulls coach Jesse Marsch called on Sacha Kljestan and Bradley Wright-Phillips in the second half. The home side came close in the 71st minute when Kljestan was chipped into the box by Connor Lade, but the Red Bulls captain was unable to find Alex Muyl at the back post.
Six minutes later, Blake parried away a Kljestan free kick and then kicked out to deny Wright-Phillips on the doorstep for arguably his best save on the day.
Three Things
- BAD GAMBLE?: Red Bulls coach Jesse Marsch rested starters, including Sacha Kljestan and Bradley Wright-Phillips ahead of Wednesday’s U.S. Open Cup final, but was it the right decision? New York is still above the playoff line in the Eastern Conference, six points clear of the Montreal Impact, but they could have moved into a tie on points with fourth-place Columbus with a win over the Union.
- ANDRE THE GIANT: Andre Blake had one of his best games as a Union goalkeeper to keep the Red Bulls off the scoreboard. He had a season-high eight saves, going low and high to deny the Red Bulls. The Jamaican international was two saves shy of tying his career high in a game. That was set in a 1-1 draw with the New England Revolution on Sept. 26, 2015.
- GOTTA GO TO MO: After coming off the bench late in draws against FC Dallas and Chicago, Muhamed Keita made his first start for the Red Bulls since arriving from Lech Poznan in Poland. The Norwegian midfielder was a bright spot, playing several dangerous corner kicks into the box before being replaced by Kljestan in the 58th minute.
Next Up
- NY: Wednesday, September 20 – at Sporting Kansas City, US Open Cup final (9 pm ET | ESPN2)
- PHI: Saturday, September 23 – vs. Chicago Fire (7 pm ET | MLS LIVE)
