Felipe's Brace Gives Red Bulls First Win of 2016

If you are looking at the statistics of this match and you see how crazy of a night it was a Red Bull Arena, you never would've guessed that the home side was the one that pulled off the biggest win in their early season as the Red Bulls found a way to avoid a three loss hole and finally getting into the win column with  a 4-3 victory over the Houston Dynamo.

Down by a goal after Alex's shot a great ball inside the far post and beat Luis Robles to regain the lead many thought this match was going to be over and possible disappointment was going to hang over Red Bull Arena with how everything wasn't going well in their first two games.

Then came Felipe who was ready to step in and take this game by the horns and he did so with two marvelous chances that bet Dynamo Keeper Joe Willis inside the left post that brought the house down inside Red Bull Arena. His first of the night was converted in the 77th minute when he held the ball along the far side and tried to fend off three Dynamo defenders.

He turned around and ripped a ball that was going towards goal and beat an outstretched Willis and splashed it inside the near post for the third equalizer of the match. But Bradley Wright-Phillips was fouled just outside the Dynamo area five minutes later. Felipe made sure he was going to take this free kick as he kissed the ball placed it on the ground, then Sacha Kljestan made a dummy run.

Then Felipe pounced on the free kick opportunity and drilled it inside the near post and once again beats an outstretched Willis as the ball splashes inside the back of the net. With those two goals the Red Bulls were able to earn their first win of the 2016 season and now will go into the international break with some much needed confidence.

"I think I have been working on the past couple of weeks with some shooting and I know that's a part of me that needed to do better this year." said Felipe, "I think I always need to look on what I can improve and that was one of the things I needed to do from last year. Thanks to Sacha for letting me take the free kick and the fans need to know that every time we step on the field we are going to give it everything that we got."

"That free kick for the second goal I was feeling it and they believed in me and trusted me so I was happy to do it. (On his second goal)"

But the match got started with some stress coming off their backs as Sacha Kljestan finally got the clubs first goal of the season as he struck it inside the far post as Lloyd Sam was able to cut inside the area from the right flank in the 22nd minute, but after that there was plenty of trouble and concerns for Marsch and his squad.

Gonzalo Veron who finally made his debut in the 2016 season reinjured his left hamstring and was subbed off for Mike Grella ten minutes later. Then the Dynamo took advantage and the backline was defending poorly as Will Bruin scored a brace of his own six minutes apart as both Ronald Zubar and Kemar Lawrence made terrible judgements on the ball.

Then the injuries continued as Gideon Baah went down with a hamstring injury of his own in the 45th minute and was replaced by Karl Ouimette. Thinking that Marsch was going to try and keep his final substitution was already thrown out the window as Ronald Zubar picked up his hamstring injury in the 54th minute and Connor Lade came on to play left fullback while Lawrence shifted to Zubar's position.

"It was a weird game in many ways. I remember back when I played for Chivas USA we had a game where a bunch of guys got hurt and it's a bit similar to this one. Atiba Harris made a bunch of big plays and I hope this is what we needed to kick start the season."

Mike Grella was able to earn the second equalizer with a point blank shot that nailed inside the far post, off the bottom of the crossbar and completely over the goal line nine minutes after the final Red Bulls Substitution. But now the club can relax and get ready for their next league match in two weeks as they travel to Foxboro and take on the New England Revolution.