BOSTON — The Red Bulls’ trophy-less run will extend for at least one more competition, booted out of the U.S. Open Cup in ignominious fashion, a 4-2 beating by the New England Revolution in a game that was nowhere near that close. Against a team the Red Bulls called mediocre, they were far, worse.
“Fact is we lost to a mediocre team because we were way less than mediocre. It happens,’’ coach Mike Petke said. “In the first half, it didn’t feel good. You could tell something was amiss.’’
The U.S. Open Cup is the oldest soccer tournament in the country, open to all USSF affiliated clubs from amateur to pros. And the Red Bulls were made to look amateurish by their Eastern Conference rivals, going from flat to flustered to just plan frustrated, taught a lesson last night at Harvard University.
“That was a lottery,” general manager Andy Roxburgh told The Post. “That was primitive in the extreme. But what can you say? First of all the pitch is terrible, the environment wasn’t conducive, put it that way.
“But good luck to them: They coped with it, end of discussion.We’ll focus on MLS, that’s our task now.’’
After having their eight-game unbeaten streak snapped with a 2-1 MLS loss to Vancouver on June 1, the Red Bulls have followed that up by getting bounced from the U.S. Open Cup in even more lackluster fashion. The Vancouver defeat essentially ended the first half of their league season, but last night’s loss brought up concerns for the second half.
Was it real, or just rust? Was that performance a fluke, or are they in a funk?
Kelyn Rowe has etched his name into the long line of MetroStar/Red Bull killers, and didn’t take long to do it. Just four minutes in, he took a pass from Gabe Latigue and buried a low shot, beating keeper Ryan Meara near post.
The Red Bulls equalized in the 30th minute against the run of play, thanks to Fabian Espindola picking off a backpass and beating Matt Reis.
But Rowe scored again in the 37th and Dimitry Imbongo the 51st. Jonny Steele pulled a goal back in the 61st but as they pushed for the equalizer, Chris Tierney scored on a counter in the 87th to put it away,