MLS

• Casey caps off hat trick with 90th minute winner at New York

  
  

  East Rutherford, NJ (Sports Network) - Conor Casey scored three goals, including the dramatic game-winner, as the Colorado Rapids earned a hard- fought 5-4 victory over the New York Red Bulls at Giants Stadium on Saturday night.

  With the game tied at four in the closing minutes, Casey deflected home a perfect cross from the left side by Mehdi Ballouchy into the far post side netting, sending his side into jubilation.

  With the victory, the Rapids (10-12-4) now have 34 points after 26 league fixtures, solidifying their chances of finished in the top three in Major League Soccer's Western Conference table, which would guarantee them a playoff spot. There are four games to go in the regular season.

  The Red Bulls' (9-9-8) spot in the upcoming playoffs looks tenuous at best after the crushing home loss, the Eastern Conference side's first since May 25. New York now has 35 points after 26 league fixtures this season.

  The Rapids got things started when Casey collided with New York goalkeeper Jon Conway at the top of the Red Bulls' penalty area after the two were racing for a loose ball. The ball then bounced to Omar Cummings, who fired home past lunging New York defender Gabriel Cichero for his sixth goal of the season.

  Less than two minutes later New York's Mike Magee tied the game after a defensive blunder by Rapids' defender Cory Gibbs. Magee ran into space in the offensive third, and after midfielder Juan Pietravallo played into the Colorado third, Gibbs collected the ball and tried a back pass to goalkeeper Preston Burpo. But the pass was too light, giving Magee a chance to run onto it and play a shot past the Seattle native to tie the game at one.

  The deadlock was short-lived as the Rapids went up 2-1 in the 11th minute when Casey scored his first goal of the game. After a ball was played into the New York third, Cummings played a square ball to the 6-1, 170-pound forward. Casey then split defenders Cichero and Carlos Mendes before chipping a shot over Conway.

  New York's star forward, Juan Pablo Angel, evened the score again in the 34th minute when he converted a penalty kick for his 11th goal of the season and 30th goal in less than two seasons with the Red Bulls.

  The Red Bulls earned the PK after Colorado's Pablo Mastroeni was called for a handball in his defensive area.

  But that deadlock was short-lived as well because the Red Bulls took their first lead of the game six minutes later after some excellent passing and a good finish from Dane Richards. Pietravallo got it started when he touched a pass out wide to the left to Jorge Rojas, who one-timed a cross on the ground behind the Rapids defense. Richards ran onto the ball, just beating Burpo to it, and fired into the net for his second goal of the season.

  The Red Bulls defense took the rest of the half off, however, allowing Mike Petke and Casey to add goals to take a 4-3 lead into the break.

  Petke got the equalizer in the 43rd minute on a corner kick when the ball was played in and errantly skipped by Cichero right to the Colorado captain. Petke made no mistake, hammering his second goal of the season home to tie the game at three.

  Less than two minutes later the Rapids took their third lead of the game when Pietravallo knocked down Nick LaBrocca in the box.

  Casey took the ensuing penalty kick chance and buried it past Conway for his second goal of the game.

  New York coach Juan Carlos Osorio pulled Cichero from the game at halftime, inserting Andrew Boyens in his place at center back, which seemed to steady the Red Bulls' backline.

  New York got the equalizer minutes after inserting new signings Mathew Mbuta and Macoumba Kandji in the lineup late in the second half.

  The two combined in the 74th minute after Seth Stammler played a ball into the offensive third to Mbuta.

  He skipped a header to Kandji, who drove toward goal, faked like he was going to shoot and crossed back to the top of the six. Mbuta then fired home for his first MLS goal four minutes after checking into the game to make it 4-4.

  That was how the score stayed until Casey's dramatic winner, his eighth goal of the season, in the 90th minute.

  Colorado will aim to close more ground on Houston when it hosts the Western leaders next Saturday while New York hosts Toronto FC the same day in its next league fixture.

  09/27 22:04:40 ET