The New York Red Bulls had a chance to secure a spot in the 2015 MLS Playoffs with a win against the New England Revolution. Less than 2 minutes into the game, the New England Revolution looked to play the spoiler as they exploited a defense that wasn't ready on a free kick. Mike Grella would draw the game even at 1 a few minutes. That's when things went from bad to worse.

The Red Bulls were called for 8 fouls to the Revolution's 2 in the first half, and also given three yellows to New England's one. Referee Ismail Elfath "lost the plot" early with his lopsided calling of the game. Both teams were playing chippy but the way he called it only served to frustrate an already ineffective Red Bulls. The game would end with a total of 37 fouls, with the Red Bulls being called for 19 (yellows were 5-3 with the Red Bulls getting more).

The Revolution would find a goal in the 65th minute when Kemar Lawrence didn't play the same offside line as his team mates, allowing Kelyn Rowe to sit in space behind most of the back line and pounce on a deflected ball for the game winning goal.

3 Thoughts

Referee

It's been a while since I complained about a referee. Elfah did a lot to make both teams upset. The Red Bulls got the worse of the first half, with Dax McCarty and Connor Lade getting yellows that will see them miss the match at tge Portland Timbers due to accumulation.

Offensive Service

BWP on an island all night, midfield looked disjointed. One of the poorer performances from #RBNY in 2015. #NEvNY

— Eric Giacometti (@Eric_Giacometti) September 17, 2025

Bradley wright-Philips is only as good as the service he gets, which wasn't much in this game. The midfield looked out of sorts and relied too much on the full backs to get the ball in the box with impotent crosses. The midfield will need to do better if they hope to win in Portland.

Squad Rotation

With Lade and McCarty now out for the Portland match, the Red Bulls will have to rely on their depth on short rest. The Red Bulls have no real cover for Lade at right back, but Shaun Wright-Phillips has said he's played the position before. Sean Davis is a natural choice to fill in for McCarty as he's been used as a defensive midfielder at times this year.