The New York Red Bulls edged out visitors Orlando City on Sunday to win this year’s Supporters’ Shield as the Major League Soccer’s regular-season winners.
Sunday’s 1-0 win over Orlando lifted the Red Bulls to their third regular season championship in the last six years. The Red Bulls finished the East Conference first after Atlanta United lost 4-1 to Toronto FC in the same day to drop two points behind New York.
Sunday was a dramatic day for the MLS as a whole. To the surprise of many, La Galaxy blew a 2-0 lead by halftime to lose 3-2 to Houston Dynamo and lose a spot in the playoffs. Swedish star player Zlatan Ibrahimovic failed to score despite his spectacular 22-goal record this season, leaving Houston to dominate the second half and record a storybook comeback win.
New York’s win on Sunday helped them set an MLS record for most points in a regular season, 71. The Red Bulls could have scored two goals but Derrick Etienne failed to convert a penalty in the first half. He atoned the miss by scoring the game’s only goal in the 53rd minute.
The Red Bulls have never won the MLS Championship. But with this year’s splendid performance which saw them win 22 games in total, draw seven and only lose five, their hopes are high.
