Gerhard Struber credits New York Red Bulls for 'massive win' over Atlanta United
By Chris Smith
If the New York Red Bulls need a win, they need only ask Atlanta United.
RBNY went into Wednesday's trip to Mercedes-Benz Stadium without a victory in their previous four matches across all competitions, while they'd taken three points just once in their last six MLS games.
But the Red Bulls have always had the Five Stripes where they want them in regular-season play and on Wednesday, they dominated early to deliver a 2-1 victory thanks to goals from Lewis Morgan and John Tolkin.
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RBNY's regular-season record is now 8W-0L-4D against Atlanta United, but Wednesday's win was one of the biggest.
"It was a massive win in all directions," head coach Gerhard Struber said after the match. "From the mental side, the last few weeks were not so easy, we had a little bit of a situation of not the right results."
He added: "It was a massive win today and it gives us a big push for everything that is coming. We know that the table is so extremely close and our goal is to [be] the top teams in the league, and today we made the necessary first step back."
The Red Bulls now sit fourth in the Eastern Conference with an eight-point buffer now protecting them in the MLS Cup Playoffs spots.
Wednesday's vital win was arguably most eye-catching in the way that RBNY were able to keep Atlanta United at arm's length after taking control early, despite some sustained pressure from the hosts in the second half.
5 - Lewis Morgan has scored 5 goals in 9 @MLS matches against Atlanta United, more than he's scored against any other opponent. Striped. pic.twitter.com/Iqn5jg00S2
— OptaJack⚽️ (@OptaJack) August 17, 2022
"You can see our resiliency here," left-back and match-winner Tolkin said. "It’s a really close group and guys stepped up today. I think most importantly, just [regenerate], get our bodies ready for a bunch of more games.
"This is the final stretch before the playoffs, we’re pushing for those top spots. We really want a home playoff game, so I think just getting our bodies right, and you can see it tonight that we can get it done on the field."
Up next for RBNY are back-to-back home games against FC Cincinnati and Inter Miami.
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