After already having fallen to third in the Eastern Conference, the Red Bulls coughed up a goal just two minutes in against Columbus and seemed destined to suffer their first home loss of the season. That’s when Thierry Henry turned destiny around.
Henry’s two goals and an assist led the Red Bulls to a 3-1 come-from-behind victory, a rally that left them undefeated at home and just two points out of first place. The French captain scored an equalizer, assisted Dax McCarty’s go-ahead tally and capped it by bending a corner kick for a goal in his pièce de résistance.
“I’ve scored some OK goals in my career but this is not a bad one,” said Henry, whose sublime performance rescued the Red Bulls (14-7-7, 49 points) after yet another slow start and an early deficit. “He was off his line, and too much off the first post, so I tried. I don’t know what I felt. I was like, wow, again?
“I don’t know what it is with us. We don’t start well, and somehow we come back into the game every time. But you can’t do that when playoff time is around.’’
After the Red Bulls gave up a Milovan Mirosevic goal just two minutes in, Henry tied it six minutes later off a perfect ball over the top from Rafa Marquez, back from a strained left calf for his first start since July 15. Henry set up McCarty’s winner in the 79th, his own shot earning a corner, then taking the corner that McCarty headed home.
Goalkeeper Andy Gruenbaum collided face-first with the post, prone for six minutes before giving way to Matt Lampson. In the 94th minute, Henry curled a corner kick over Lampson and far-post to clinch a win that got the Red Bulls within two points of East-leading Sporting KC, whom they play host to on Wednesday.
“As close as you’re coming to the playoffs, that’s a big win for these guys. They get so much more motivated and I feel our team is improving,’’ said coach Hans Backe, whose team is third in the East, a point behind point behind second-place Chicago.