He didn't miss a beat.
Ryan Meara stepped in, making his first league start since 2015 and first start for the New York Red Bulls by someone other than Luis Robles in 183 matches, and helped the team grab three points on the road.
"Ryan made some big saves for us," Head Coach Jesse Marsch said. "We all know he is a great goalkeeper. It’s one of the hardest jobs in this league to play behind Robles because he is so reliable, he is so good and he is so ready for every match. But we have known the whole time that Ryan is still a really good goalie and an important guy around here. He showed it last year in the Open Cup run, and he showed it again today."
Meara made a few incredible saves - six total - and held one of the top-scoring teams in the league to just one goal.
"When Ryan has to step in, we are full of confidence," Bradley Wright-Phillips, who served as Captain, said. "How he trains and what he has done since he played in the Open Cup last year, there is not too much difference."
It was just the fourth time this season Atlanta has been held to a goal or less.
"Whenever you see a guy like that get a moment and a chance to show what he is all about in a big game, you get really happy for him," Marsch said. "The whole team gave him a standing ovation in the locker room.”
