On a soggy Tuesday evening in Guatemala City, Guatemala, the New York Red Bulls secured a scoreless draw against Antigua GFC to earn a spot in the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals.
After completing the group stage and winning Group F, here’s what we learned from the Red Bulls’ historic victory heading into the knockout round, come February 2017:
- The third time proved to be the charm for the Red Bulls, who will advance to the quarterfinals for the first time in club history. New York also appeared in SCCL in 2009/10 and 2014/15, but were unable to advance beyond the group stage.
- New York won Group F with an unbeaten 2-0-2 record, improving the club’s all-time SCCL record to 3-2-5 and a goal differential of +4.
- The draw in Guatemala extended New York’s unbeaten streak in all competitions to 17 games (8-0-9).
- Sacha Kljestan finished as the New York Red Bulls’ top scorer with two goals in three games played, including the game-winning goal in the 90th minute against Alianza FC. The midfielder served as a substitute in all three of his SCCL appearances.
- Gonzalo Veron led the team with two assists in the group stage, including the game-winning assist in the 90th minute vs. Alianza. Sacha Kljestan scored both of his assists. The Argentinian forward started all four SCCL games.
- The Red Bulls SCCL roster included three members from USL club New York Red Bulls II. Aaron Long, on loan from NYRB II, started three SCCL games for New York, while Zach Carroll and Florian Valot were on the bench for the final game against Antigua GFC.
