For more than two decades, D.C. United and the New York Red Bulls have carried on the oldest, and often the most heated, rivalry in Major League Soccer. And their Wednesday night meeting at Red Bull Arena added yet another wild chapter to the annals of the Atlantic Cup.
While New York's Tyler Adams scored his first MLS goal to give the Red Bulls the early early, Zoltán Stieber found United an equalizer just before halftime after his free kick deflected off the Red Bulls' wall to beat Luis Robles. The score was Stieber's first career MLS goal.
The Black-and-Red then returned from break to claim the lead, as good positioning from Patrick Mullins allowed the forward to score his fifth in two games. New York retook the lead after a second Tyler Adams goal and a Gonzalo Veron penalty kick, but United kept the pressure up into the dying minutes of the match, when it finally paid off.
With only moments remaining and numerous big-time Steve Clark saves keeping United within one, D.C. forced an own goal from New York's Fidel Escobar, leveling the score at 3-3. The Black-and-Red's late push spoiled what would have been a key Red Bulls victory, leaving them to sweat our their continued slide in the Eastern Conference.
Now, United face a quick turnaround before Saturday's match in Columbus, where Ben Olsen's side will attempt to sustain their recent momentum.
