CINCINNATI (AP) — Frankie Amaya and Elias Manoel scored five minutes apart early in the first half and the New York Red Bulls kept their playoff hopes alive with a 2-1 victory over FC Cincinnati.
A loss to the Supporters’ Shield winners would have eliminated the Red Bulls (9-13-10) from the postseason.
Amaya used an assist from Lucas Lima Linhares (Luquinhas) to score for a fifth time this season, giving the Red Bulls the lead in the 12th minute.
Manoel took passes from defender John Tolkin and Luquinhas and scored his third goal of the season to make it 2-0 in the 17th minute.
Cincinnati (19-5-8), which clinched its first Supporters’ Shield with a 3-2 victory over Toronto last time out, cut its deficit in half on Luciano Acosta’s penalty-kick goal in the 68th minute.