April 11, 2009 WELL-EARNED POINT Despite losing Cepero and getting red card, Red Bulls manage to tie Dynamo, 0-0
Danny Cepero was knocked out of the game with a concussion in the seventh minute. Linda Cuttone/Sports Vue Images
Houston -- A scoreless tie was a big morale victory for the Red Bulls on Saturday night.
Despite losing regular goalkeeper Danny Cepero to a concussion in the opening minutes and playing 13 minutes at a man disadvantage, the Red Bulls managed to play the Houston Dynamo to a 0-0 draw at Robertson Stadium.
Rookie Alec Dufty, who did not have a minute of MLS experience prior to the match, acquitted himself well as he and Cepero combined on the shutout.
The result left the Red Bulls winless (0-2-2, two points) and at the bottom of the Eastern Conference after four matches with two paltry points. The Dynamo also are 0-2-2.
The Red Bulls extended their regular-season road winless to 15 games (0-9-6). They still haven't scored a goal this season as their lone score was an own goal.
"It was one of those ugly games when you had o battle on the field," Red Bulls captain and striker Juan Pablo Angel was quoted by Fox Soccer Channel. "We're happy with the point.
"We still have to do things to get better. At the end, it was a good result for us, after what happened the previous weekend."
Angel was referring to the Red Bulls' 1-0 at the Chicago Fire, when they enjoyed a man advantage for almost 75 minutes.
The game was a rematch of the Red Bulls' 3-0 upset of the Dynamo in the Western Conference semifinals last year. It also was a physical match as referee Hilario Grajeda handed out two red cards and six yellows.
"It was a hard game to get a flow," Houston coach Dominic Kinnear told the FSC.
Cepero was forced out of the MLS match after Houston forward Kei Kamara collided with him while the keeper punched away Brad Davis' long free kick. The Baldwin, L.I. native dropped to the ground and appeared to be unconscious.
Dufty replaced Cepero. The Dynamo threw everything they could at the Red Bulls in the second half, but the visitors withstood it. Dufty made the save of the game in the 88th minute, when he caught Brian Ching's eight-yard header.
"I didn't think I was going to play," said Dufty, who is No. 3 on the Red Bulls goalkeeping depth charts. "But I had to be ready."
In the final minutes, Dufty told Fox Soccer Channel that he was "just trying to talk to my defense . . . and not give up any goals and give us an opportunity to win the game."
The Red Bulls lost right fullback Carlos Johnson to a red card in the 77th minute after a tough tackle on the Dynamo's Geoff Cameron in the right corner. A shoving match between the two teams ensued. Johnson, a Costa Rican international, made his first start for the Red Bulls. He will miss next Saturday's game against Real Salt Lake at Giants Stadium.
The Red Bulls did not have to play the final minutes a man down because Houston substitute Mike Chabala was red-carded two minutes into stoppage time after a hard tackle on fullback Danleigh Borman.
The Dynamo botched a golden scoring opportunity in the 36th minute when Kamara headed a ball to Ching. Ching was barely onside, but beat the trap. He came in alone on Dufty, who came out to cut down the angle. Ching then lofted a shot well over the net.
"We've got to score a goal," Kinnear told the FSC. "If we score a goal we go ahead and it's a different game."
Albert Celades made his Red Bulls debut in the 65th minute, replacing defensive midfielder in the 65th minute. Stammler played in his first game since suffering a knee injury last October.
In the very same minute, Mike Petke took over for Kevin Goldthwaite, who limped off the field after suffering an injured left leg several minutes prior. Goldthwaite played a very good game before his injury.
