CARSON, Calif. -- This was not the New York Red Bulls of last week, or even the week before. No, Juan Carlos Osorio, who was criticized by some for his defensive-minded tactics in the weeks leading up to the MLS Cup Final, went for the jugular from the opening kickoff against the Columbus Crew on Sunday at The Home Depot Center.
"If you really watch the game, we took the game to them and that's why I felt proud for my guys today that we competed against what is supposed to be the most consistent team in this league," Osorio said. "We matched them in the first half very well. We had a lot of the ball, better possession, we played better football and I think we were the better team."
And yet, when they returned to their locker room at halftime, the Red Bulls trailed, 1-0.
"It's tough when you put that work in during the first half," right back Chris Leitch said. "If you're a neutral observer watching the first half I'd bet money (you would) say we were the better team. That's the way we felt. We moved the ball well, created some chances, but unfortunately a lot of those chances weren't on goal."
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In fact, it was Columbus that had all four shots on goal in the first half, including Alejandro Moreno's critical 31st-minute goal.
Dave van den Bergh was attempting to shield the ball out of touch by the Crew sideline, but Guillermo Barros Schelotto swooped in and stole the ball from the Dutchman.
"I thought it was out of bounds," van den Bergh said.
Schelotto passed up the sideline to Moreno, who first cut inside and then outside of Diego Jimenez. His low shot took a deflection off goalkeeper Danny Cepero's hand and inside the far post to give the Crew a 1-0 lead against the run of play.
"I came out and tried to cut down the angle a bit," Cepero said. "I saw the shot, wasn't surprised by it. It was just a matter of me doing better with that. I know I should have done better. I got a piece of it and if I go with the stronger hand that ball stays out of the net. I think nine times out of 10 I make that save."
With one strike of the ball, the Red Bulls attacking effort in the opening half hour was for naught. It was a deflating feeling for a club that conceded its first goal in 216 playoff minutes.
"We kept the ball and played some good soccer in the first half, but sometimes the ball doesn't go in the net," John Wolyniec said. "Obviously if we would have been the team that scored first it would have been quite different."
The Red Bulls had four first-half corners, but three were nabbed by Crew goalkeeper Will Hesmer. The other, a header by Kevin Goldthwaite in the 18th minute from eight yards out was wide of the net.
In the 13th minute, Juan Pablo Angel turned provider for van den Bergh, playing the Dutch winger free down the left sideline. He whipped in a cross that went off of Wolyniec's chest, but Hesmer did well to come off his line and beat Wolyniec to the ball.
One minute later, Wolyniec fired over the bar from 22 yards out after Dane Richards made a darting run. In the 22nd minute Richards again ran past Gino Padula, but he overcooked his cross.
The Red Bulls best chance of the opening 45 minutes came in the 29th minute, when Richards found his way through three Crew players and passed to an open Angel just inside the box. But the Colombian put his first-time attempt wide of the net.
"I thought we played well, we had the better of play," van den Bergh said. "They had one breakaway really and that was it."
Two minutes later, Moreno put the Crew in front and the Red Bulls were left shaking their heads.
"I told the guys they played with passion and pride and that's the only thing I ask for," Osorio said. "We made some technical mistakes, but at the end I think we won together, we lost together and today we lost a match that, at least in the first half, we should have been up instead of one down."
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