Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Red Bulls Knocked Out Of MLS Playoffs With 3-1 Aggregate Loss In LA
By
Dan Dickinson
Published Nov 4, 2011
Modified Nov 4, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Via Red Bulls
By
Dan Dickinson
Published Nov 4, 2011
Modified Nov 4, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Coming off of Sunday's tight 1-0 loss at Red Bull Arena (and the subsequent brawl), the New York Red Bulls needed a victory at Home Depot Center tonight to stay in the playoff picture, something that no other team had managed this year. With tensions high and both Juninho and Rafa Marquez suspended, the game could've gone either way, but LA emerged victorious with a 3-1 aggregate score.
RBNY came charging out of the gate, and the fireworks started in the fourth minute. Thierry Henry fed Luke Rodgers a pass that allowed him to blow past Omar Gonzalez and stunned the home crowd with an early goal. A back and forth first half saw a number of hard challenges, and Teemu Tainio was forced to be subbed off after suffering a hamstring injury. The loss of the Finn weakened NY's defenses, and LA began to press hard. Former Red Bull Mike Magee scored (again!) late in the half off a David Beckham set piece (again!) to put LA back in front on aggregate going into half time.
The second half saw a slower pace to start off, with LA trying to control the pace of the game and grind out a win on aggregate. Juan Agudelo, who complained before the game on Twitter he was "soo thirsty for time", subbed in for Dax McCarty in the 63rd minute, but was unable to make a difference in the match. A sloppy challenge by Roy Miller on David Beckham saw LA awarded a penalty kick, and Landon Donovan easily converted it from the spot. With LA up 3-1 on aggregate, LA sat on their lead and New York's attack was unable to find the back of the net. The final whistle blew, and coach Hans Backe was dealt his first loss in two years when the Red Bulls scored first.
The loss ends RBNY's rollercoaster season and hopes of winning their first major championship in the club's 16-year history. With a practically empty trophy case, both the fans and the management will struggle with major questions over the winter. Can anything be salvaged out of the contract with Rafa Marquez? Should Frank Rost be brought back after his half-year stint? Which players should be protected for the upcoming expansion draft? And what will be done to ensure 2012 won't be another year of what one commentator dubbed "consistent inconsistency"?
LA will face off against Real Salt Lake in the Western Conference finals, while Sporting Kansas City will host the Houston Dynamo in the Eastern Conference finals. The winners will compete for the MLS Cup on November 20th at the Home Depot Center.
Tagged
la galaxy
mls
rbny
red bulls
soccer
Dan Dickinson
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Deer are all over New Jersey roads looking for sex, state officials warn
Mid-October through mid-December is deer mating season, which can be a danger to drivers as the sex-seeking creatures cross roadways throughout the Garden State.
By
Rosemary Misdary
Published Oct 16, 2026 at 4:22 p.m. ET
Man messaged 'I got straight poison' before giving NYC college students fentanyl, feds say
A transcript from an April court hearing sheds new light on what transpired at Fashion Institute of Technology.
By
Samantha Max
News
Man messaged 'I got straight poison' before giving NYC college students fentanyl, feds say
A transcript from an April court hearing sheds new light on what transpired at Fashion Institute of Technology.
By
Samantha Max
Inside the plan to fix the nearly collapsed Pfizer Building, 1/64th of an inch at a time
By
David Brand
School bus carrying autistic students got lost in Brooklyn for 4 hours last year
By
Jessica Gould
NYC’s bridges can last 'forever,' if we take care of them
By
Clayton Guse
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .