Kevin Denkey’s goal in the 12th minute was the difference as FC Cincinnati earned three points with a 1-0 victory over the host New York Red Bulls on Saturday night in Harrison, N.J.

The win gave FC Cincinnati (19-9-5, 62 points) a regular-season sweep of the Red Bulls (12-14-7, 43 points), with their first match on Feb. 22 also 1-0 — on forward Denkey’s score in the 70th minute.

After scoring Cincinnati’s only goal in a 1-1 home draw with Orlando City SC last Sunday, Denkey got them on the board with an assist from Brenner Souza on Saturday.

FC Cincinnati backup goalkeeper Evan Louro, starting his fourth straight match for an injured Roman Celentano, made two saves and kept the Red Bulls off the scoreboard.

With just an expected goal percentage of 4 percent, Denkey unleashed a shot from the center of the pitch outside the box into the top right corner of the net for his 15th goal in the MLS regular season.

It was the ultimate play in a match that lived up to expectations. The Red Bulls entered Saturday’s match with a reputation for being one of the most physical teams in the league.

They were called for nine fouls and three yellow cards on Saturday night. They made it difficult for FC Cincinnati to move the ball and maintain possession.

New York had possession for 61.1 percent of the match and made 640 passes, with an 87 percent accuracy. It also earned 12 corner kicks, compared to just one for FC Cincinnati. Goalkeeper Carlos Coronel did not have a save but did keep Cincinnati off the scoreboard after the 12th minute.

Despite possessing the ball for less than 40 percent of the time and being outshot 17-6 (including 2-1 in shots on goal), Cincinnati was able to earn its 11th road win in 17 matches this season. Cincinnati remains in second place in the Eastern Conference with just one regular-season match remaining. FC Cincinnati will face CF Montreal at home on Oct. 18.

New York visits the Columbus Crew on Oct. 18 for its regular-season finale.

–Field Level Media