Elias Manoel scored his first two MLS goals and the host New York Red Bulls ended the regular season with a 2-0 victory over Charlotte FC Sunday afternoon in Harrison, N.J.
Manoel scored early in both halves on a pair of impressive sequences in his sixth career MLS game to overshadow New York holding possession for only 28 percent of the match. The 21-year-old joined the Red Bulls on loan from Gremio in Brazil on Aug. 6 and helped the Red Bulls (15-11-8, 53 points) clinch a home game for next week’s first round.
The Red Bulls capped an uneven home season by going 6-6-5 at home and will host fifth-seeded FC Cincinnati next weekend. New York finished two points behind third-place New York City FC and four ahead of Cincinnati.
New York goalkeeper Carlos Coronel made six saves for his eighth clean sheet this season and 22nd of his career.
Manoel exited to a standing ovation when he was subbed out in the 69th minute.
Charlotte (13-18-3, 42 points) completed one of the more successful seasons for a first-year MLS team. Charlotte ended 3-1-1 in its final five games, a stretch that included wins over first-place Philadelphia and NYCFC.
Charlotte goalkeeper Pablo Sisniega stopped seven shots but struggled to defend both goals.
After Sisniega made a diving stop on Lewis Morgan, he could not control the rebound. The ball caromed to Manoel, who sped past a defender down the left side and sent a right-footed shot from a tough angle into the top right corner.
Five minutes after Danny Rios had a shot trickle past the left post, Manoel struck again in the 55th.
After Frankie Amaya kept possession alive by winning a header, Manoel got a pass from Amaya. He gave the Red Bulls a 2-0 lead with a booming right-footed shot from outside the box into the top right corner.
Coronel preserved the lead in the first half, when the Red Bulls conceded possession for 74.4 percent of the match and allowed five corner kicks. He made diving saves on Nuno Santos in the 21st minute, Karol Swiderski in the 27th and Anton Walkes right before halftime.
–Field Level Media
