COLUMBUS, Ohio — Felipe Carballo scored his first goal with New York in the 25th minute and the Red Bulls beat the Columbus Crew, 1-0, on Tuesday night in the opening game of the best-of-three series.
New York won a road game during the MLS Cup playoffs for the first time since 2017. It was also the Red Bulls’ first postseason win in Columbus following four straight losses.
Carballo volleyed home a header from Dylan Nealis on a corner kick.
New York’s scoring leader Lewis Morgan nearly doubled the lead in the 37th when he sent a fastbreak shot just wide of the far post. Morgan also had a one-on-one opportunity in the 67th when he rounded goalkeeper Patrick Schulte but could not get a shot away.
New York goalkeeper Carlos Coronel made a huge save of DeJuan Jones’ close-range shot in the 83rd. Coronel is the first New York goalkeeper to record at least eight saves in a postseason match since Ryan Meara (8) against the Crew in 2020.
The Red Bulls will host Columbus on Sunday.