We’re revisiting some of the top moments of the Red Bulls’ 2012 season from now until the end of the year. In this installment, we’ll take a look back at the Red Bulls’ five-game win streak.
Over the course of 2012, the Red Bulls pieced together three impressive streaks including a shutout streak, win streak, and a home win streak.
For starters, it goes without saying that Ryan Meara’s first MLS shutout marked a significant achievement in his young, budding career as a professional goalkeeper. But New York’s 1-0 win over New England on Apr. 28 also help set the foundation for the Red Bulls’ five-game win streak that stretched all the way into the middle of May.
Meara went on to produce a total of three consecutive clean sheets with a win over the LA Galaxy on May 5, when Joel Lindpere found the back of the net in a 1-0 finish, and another 1-0 win over the Houston Dynamo on May 9, thanks to an early goal from Kenny Cooper. Along the way he held opponents scoreless up until the 31st minute of New York’s 3-2 win over the Union on May 13, when Lionard Pajoy sent home an assist from Freddy Adu. The 321 total minutes of flawless play stands as the longest shutout streak ever by an MLS rookie goalkeeper.
But the Red Bulls didn’t stop there. A May 19 visit to Montreal saw the team deliver a two-goal performance against the Impact as they seized three points at Olympic Stadium. The result marked the final win of the streak, but a 1-1 draw against Chivas USA four days later extended New York’s point streak to 16 straight. It would later come to an end against the Chicago Fire on June 17.
While on the subject of streaks, you can’t overlook the team’s undefeated streak at home, one that started with the Mar. 25 home opener and ended in a tough loss at the hands of Sporting KC on Sept. 19. During that span, the Red Bulls posted a franchise-best 10-0-3 record, and would finish the season 11-2-4 when playing on the pitch at Red Bull Arena.
