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MLS New York Red Bulls

Red Bulls And W Connection Play To 2-2 Draw

July 31, 2009 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
New York Red Bulls News Release


MARABELLA, TRINIDAD (July 30, 2009) - On a hot and humid night at Manny Ramjohn Stadium in Marabella, Trinidad, the New York Red Bulls and W Connection played to a 2-2 draw in the first leg of a two-leg preliminary series in the CONCACAF Champions League. Red Bulls newcomer Ernst Oebster scored his first goal in his first match with New York after joining the team from Red Bull Salzburg earlier this month.

W Connection opened the scoring at the 40-minute mark when Hughton Hector sent a corner kick into the area that Red Bulls Juan Pablo Angel tried to clear with a header. However, the header failed to clear, hitting the bar and deflecting to the back post and onto the foot of Jonathan Fana Farias who cleaned it up for a the 1-0 lead.

Oebster leveled the match at one apiece just three minutes into the second half when he struck a right-footed shot from the left side of the box that deflected downward off the arm of W Connection defender Kern Cupid and under the outstretched hand of goalkeeper Jan Michel Williams.

New York took the lead for the first time in the 60th minute when defender Alfredo Pacheco took a shot from 35 yards out that deflected twice, with the final deflection off the foot of fallen defender Elijah Joseph in the box and over Williams for an own goal and a 2-1 Red Bulls advantage..

However, the Red Bulls couldn't hold the lead as the Savonetta Boys leveled the match at two in the 72nd minute. Pacheco missed a clearing header at the top of the area that went onto the foot of Hector. Hector settled the ball and fired a shot from the top of box that hit the left post and deflected into the net past Cepero.

"I thought we controlled the play and took the game to them, said head coach Juan Carlos Osorio. "It was an important game for us. I am proud of our guys tonight. It was a good result and two goals away from home."

"The main thing was to get a result," said captain Juan Pablo Angel. "I think we score two goals away from home is important for the left at home. I think we should have still won the game. We had the chances. We were the better team. We were a little bit shaky to start with and at the end. I'll take the result and hopefully we can finished off this leg at home."

The second leg of the two-leg CONCACAF Champions League preliminary series between the Red Bulls and W Connection is set for Wednesday, August 5 at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Game time is 8:00 p.m. ET (TV: FSC, Radio: WADO 1280 AM).

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