Red Bulls trample Dynamo to win third straight

Soccer Betting Lines

08/24/2008 - East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Red Bulls took over for the Houston Dynamo as the hottest team in Major League Soccer with a 3-0 victory at Giants Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Juan Pablo Angel, Mike Magee and Dane Richards all scored goals to help lead New York (8-6-7) to its third straight win and snap Houston's four-game winning streak and seven-game unbeaten run in the process.

"The coaching staff is extremely pleased and proud of the effort today of the whole team and a well deserved three points against a very good team. Hopefully we can build on these last three games and we continue to add points and try to achieve our main goal, which is to make the playoffs," New York coach Juan Carlos Osorio said.

What made the win against the two-time defending MLS Cup champion Dynamo even more impressive was the fact that the Red Bulls were playing without three influential starters - defenders Gabriel Cichero (suspension) and Jeff Parke (ankle injury) and attacking midfielder Jorge Rojas (P-1 visa and passport issues).

"We had three very important players missing and the guys that got the chance today took it with both hands and made the best out of it," Osorio said. "They contributed greatly to a great win."

The Red Bulls got things going early, taking a 1-0 lead just eight minutes into the game when left winger Dave van den Bergh served a perfect cross to the far post to Angel, who headed home against the grain, giving Houston goalkeeper Pat Onstad no chance.

"We had a great first goal, which was important," Van den Bergh said. "We know they had two tough games [last weekend and mid-week] and had been traveling, so if you go up on teams like this that are already feeling some things in their legs, it's important. Fortunately we were able to keep a clean sheet and take some confidence from the game.

"Juan Pablo in the air is a big, huge threat as we saw again today. He promoted that good cross to a great goal so that was great."

The goal was Angel's eighth of the season and sixth in his last six games since returning from a back injury he started the season with.

"It was an unbelievable cross by Dave, he always has outstanding crosses, and I was lucky to get on the end of it," Angel said.

Right winger Richards doubled the home side's lead in the 26th minute when holding midfielder Seth Stammler played a long ball from the right side of the defensive end to space in the Houston offensive third. Richards outran defender Wade Barrett, out-muscled him to the ball and went in on Onstad alone, slotting a shot just inside the near post for his first goal of the season.

The Red Bulls made it 3-0 in the 60th minute when fullback Diego Jimenez played a long ball behind the Dynamo defense to Magee, who took a touch around Onstad and fired into the net for his fourth goal of the season and third in as many games.

"That is huge beating Houston, especially missing three guys," Magee said. "For the first time this year I think we actually have depth to compete with a team like Houston."

It was Jimenez's first MLS assist in his first league match. He only started because Cichero and Parke weren't available.

New York goalkeeper Jon Conway earned his second straight clean sheet and sixth of the season, making four saves.

"It is just coming together for the whole team," Conway said. "Once we get going and get some good confidence, we are able to work real well and it's great.

"Obviously I'm real happy personally [to get a second straight clean sheet], it's great for the back four too. We had some different guys in there today, but confidence-wise, we know we can go into matches and keep a clean sheet. "

With the win, the Red Bulls are tied for fourth in the Eastern table with D.C. United, which hosts New York on Saturday.

"Today we showed that we are back in contention again," Angel said. "Next week is going to be a big test for us. I think from now to the end of the season every game is going to be hard because everything is tight [in the standings]."

Houston (8-5-8), which still holds the top spot in the West by five points over Real Salt Lake, hosts Chicago next Sunday in its next league contest.