It was a brash sliding challenge that triggered an RFK Stadium uproar.
New York Red Bulls defender Ronald Zubar flew in studs exposed and cleaned out D.C. United’s Markus Halsti. Halsti writhed, Zubar pleaded and players from both sides swarmed referee Fotis Bazakos.
“It has all of the ingredients to what they’ve been saying is a red card in this league,” United coach Ben Olsen said. “But that doesn’t matter all the time.”
Eventually, Bazakos pulled out a 69th-minute yellow card — keeping the Red Bulls and United at 11 players apiece in the first leg of their Eastern Conference semifinal on Sunday.
Three minutes later, Red Bulls captain — and former United midfielder — Dax McCarty nodded home a Sacha Kljestan free kick. With the 1-0 win, New York takes a crucial advantage back to Red Bull Arena for next Sunday’s second leg of the two-game, total-goals series.
Four days after benefiting from some controversial calls in a 2-1 knockout-round win over the New England Revolution, United felt it got the short end of the stick.
“It could easily be a red card,” Halsti said. “This league, it feels like some days you get easy yellows, other days you don’t get free kicks.”
Unsurprisingly, Red Bulls coach Jesse Marsch saw matters differently.
“It looked like he got all ball,” Marsch said. “It was an aggressive challenge, obviously, and you could argue that it wasn’t even a foul.”
Yet, United’s worries extend well beyond that non-call. United was the first home team in playoff history to not record a shot on goal, with New York earning 57 percent of the possession. Kemar Lawrence also struck the post for the Red Bulls, and United goalkeeper Bill Hamid was forced into several lunging saves.
United particularly seemed to lose gas as the second half wore on. While top-seeded New York entered off a bye, fourth-seeded United had to oust New England on Wednesday to make the conference’s final four.
“The second half, you saw which team has been off for a week and you see a team that has been grinding and slogging,” Olsen said. “Everybody is going into the reserve tank to now push the game.”
There was hope in the United locker room that a week of rest will level the playing field ahead of the second leg. Suspended captain Bobby Boswell also will return to the fold, and midfielder Chris Pontius could be an option after missing the first leg with tightness in a hamstring.
The Red Bulls, meanwhile, likely will be without Damien Perrinelle after the defender exited with a knee injury on Sunday and was spotted on crutches postgame.
“The good thing about these playoffs is it’s two legs over 180 minutes,” United defender Kofi Opare said. “So, there is still more soccer to play. Obviously, losing this game is not what we wanted, but then again, it’s not the worst outcome.”
Traveling to Red Bull Arena does present its own share of challenges. New York went a conference-best 12-3-2 at home during the regular season, and United was thoroughly outplayed in both of its trips — losing 2-0 in March and 3-0 in August.
There is some history on United’s side. The club’s last victory at Red Bull Arena came in November 2012, when United secured a series-clinching, 1-0 win in the second leg of a conference semifinal.
“It’s a very tough place to play, but I don’t care,” Olsen said. “That doesn’t concern me or these guys. It’s a great challenge to go in there and get the result that we need.”
Added midfielder Chris Rolfe: “It’s MLS, dude — anything can happen.”
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