ZCZC
BSP-06
FBL-USA-MLS
Atlanta United cruise past Red Bulls in first leg of MLS East final
LOS ANGELES, Nov 26, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Josef Martinez set the early tone
with a first-half goal as Atlanta United FC easily won the first leg of their
Eastern Conference final series with a dominating 3-0 victory over the New
York Red Bulls on Sunday.
Martinez, who scored a record 31 goals in the regular season, scored in
the 32nd minute while Franco Escobar (71st) and Hector Villalba (stoppage
time) added second half markers in a matchup between the top two MLS teams.
The win gives Atlanta a big advantage heading into the second leg of the
two-game, total-goal series Thursday at Red Bull Arena. The winner moves on
to host the MLS final on December 8 against either Sporting Kansas City or
the Portland Timbers, who battled to a 0-0 draw Sunday night.
“The first thing we can say is that we’re finally able to beat them,”
Atlanta manager Tata Martino said. “I think the team did a good job. It was a
team win and we didn’t suffer aside from two situations on set pieces.
“I think we were solid defensively. We’ll have to analyze it to see if the
difference was deserved. And we’ll get ready for another battle on Thursday.”
Red Bulls Bradley Wright-Phillips appeared to have scored a goal in the
53rd minute, but officials ruled that teammate Alex Muyl was offside.
The contest, in front of a crowd of 70,020 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium,
showcased the league’s best.
Atlanta scored 70 goals this season, the most in the league and eight more
than New York. The Red Bulls, who suffered their first loss to Atlanta,
finished the regular season with a MLS record 71 points, two more than
Atlanta.
Elsewhere, neither Portland or Sporting were able to get a leg up as they
played to a scoreless draw. Both teams had opportunities to score and
Portland had a goal disallowed because of an offside call. Jorge Villafina
had one of the best chances early in the contest but his right-footed shot
rattled off the post.
Sporting KC’s Johnny Russell saw his shot at the start of the second half
sail over the crossbar and Daniel Salloi’s late chance from the box area was
blocked by Portland’s Liam Ridgewell.
BSS/AFP/MSY/1039 hrs