New York Red Bulls triumphed 5-2 over Charlotte FC in the 2023 Eastern Conference Wild Card playoff matchup at Red Bull Arena to advance to the next round of the postseason.
The two sides pushed forward in the early minutes of the game, but it was the home side who struck first. Red Bulls scored the opening goal of 2023 MLS Cup playoffs as Daniel Edelman's lofted through ball found Elias Manoel's feet in stride, inspiring the 31-year-old to finish with ease and put his team up inside 10 minute mark.
New York doubled their lead at Red Bull Arena roughly 15 minutes later as Luquinhas dribbled through the Charlotte midfield and just about bypassed their defense before Adilson Malanda stopped him in his tracks with a foul -- and earned a yellow card in the process.
Up stepped John Tolkin, who scored a stoppage-time penalty to send Red Bulls to the playoffs, to take the free-kick in a dangerous area outside of Charlotte's penalty spot. The left-back struck the ball confidently as is went up and over the Charlotte wall to reach the top corner. There was nothing Charlotte goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina could do about it.
Tolkin's night going forward didn't stop there. The young defender split two Charlotte center-backs and played Manoel through on goal to find the back of the net with a curled effort that put Red Bulls up in a comfortable 3-0 advantage as the first half came to a close.
The Crown finally came out with intent in the second 45, as Kerwin Vargas came up clutch for the second straight week in an even more emphatic way. Karol Swiderski's header squared the ball across the New York penalty area, allowing Vargas to perfectly time the assist with an overhead kick that Carlos Miguel could not keep out.
Red Bulls reinstated their three-goal cushion through a brilliant team sequence. Tolkin was played into Charlotte's penalty are after a simple pass from Luquinhas, and the 21-year-old squared it to Tom Barlow who smashed it home to bring the score to 4-1.
However, Charlotte weren't going away just yet. Substitute Patrick Agyemang powered through the Red Bulls defense and snuck one past Miguel to pull one back for the visitors. Agyemang showed off his physical prowess for the goal, bullying Andres Reyes en route to scoring.
Manoel must've felt like he was missing out on the hectic second half action, as he netted his third of the night with a well-taken close range strike to capture a hat trick in the Wild Card matchup. It was surprisngly the last goal of the game, and while Charlotte crashed out, they still made improvements from last season by qualifying for the postseason for the first time in club history.
For Red Bulls, they now advance to take on the number one seed -- FC Cincinnati -- in the first round of the playoffs in a best-of-three series, with game one set for October 29 at TQL Stadium.
New York Red Bulls player ratings ( 4-4-1-1 )
GK: Carlos Miguel - 6/10 - Came up clutch (even though they were 3-0 up at the time) with an incredible reaction save near the end of the first half. Maybe could've done better on the overhead kick but not much to blame on the near post finish.
RB: Kyle Duncan - 6/10 - He held his side of the field down for the most part, limiting chances for the visitors.
CB: Andres Reyes - 7/10 - A solid night for the defender outside of being bullied by Agyemang for Charlotte's second goal.
CB: Sean Nealis - 6/10 - A strong performance from the former RB II player helped them to the win.
LB: John Tolkin - 9/10 - The young defender didn't disappoint in the first game of the playoffs, contributing a goal and and two assists.
RM: Omir Fernandez - 6.5/10 - Was a nuisance for the left side of Charlotte's defense, constantly tring to find a way through on goal or play a pass from the byline.
CM: Daniel Edelman - 7/10 - Active everywhere in the midfield and set up the opening goal with a picture-perfect pass.
CM: Frankie Amaya - 6.5/10 - The player helped keep the midfield in check alongside Edelman.
LM: Luquinhas - 7.5/10 - Made several drifting runs into the center of the field and drew the foul for the free-kick Tolkin capitalized on while also grabbing an assist.
AM: Tom Barlow - 7/10 - After a quiet first half, the 28-year-old got in on the scoring act with a simple tap-in finish.
ST: Elias Manoel - 10/10 - The 31-year-old put on a masterclass in finishing with three excellent strikes to round out his hat trick.
Substitutes
RB: Dylan Nealis (69' for Fernandez) - 6/10 - Was brought on to see out the result, and he did just that.
CM: Peter Stroud (88' for Manoel) - N/A
RB: Cameron Harper (88' for Amaya) - N/A
CM: Dru Yearwood (90' for Edelman) - N/A
Manager
Troy Lesesne - 10/10 - His team selection was quite effective and it felt like they were in control despite the goals conceded in the second half. He really has breathed life back into the club and might find himself with the opportunity to lead the team on a permanent basis later on.
Charlotte FC player ratings ( 4-3-3 )
GK: Kristijan Kahlina - 5/10 - He probably could've done better on the goals but he wasn't helped out by his backline.
RB: Nathan Byrne - 6.5/10 - Made several key interceptions when New York were pressing and made some solid runs as an inverted full-back.
CB: Adilson Malanda - 4/10 - Getting booked early certainly didn't help his team and not tracking Manoel's run for the second goal was even worse.
CB: Andrew Privett - 5/10 - Struggled against the duo of Manoel and Barlow.
LB: Jere Uronen - 5/10 - Just wasn't his night, and he was forced to make way for Agyemang at half time given the huge task at hand.
CM: Karol Swiderski - 5.5/10 - Saw limited time on the ball and therefore was unable to make the required impact for his team.
CM: Ashley Westwood - 6/10 - The player neither helped nor hindered his side.
CM: Brandt Bronico - 5/10 - Progressed the ball nicely on a few occasions but it wasn't enough.
RW: Kamil Jozwiak - 5/10 - A quiet night for the Poland international who also saw limited chances to make things happen.
ST: Enzo Copetti - 5/10 - Came close to pulling one back when the game was still in reach, and a mix-up between him and Malanda saw New York extend their lead. He is an attacker, to be fair to him.
LW: Kerwin Vargas - 7/10 - Was a bystander in the first half but made his presence felt in the second 45 with a beautiful bicycle kick to cut into the New York lead.
Substitutes
ST: Patrick Agyemang (46' for Uronen) - 7/10 - Provided an instant spark off the bench for Charlotte by scoring
CM: Scott Arfield (66' for Copetti) - 5/10 - Tried to make things happen but it just wasn't meant to be.
CM: Brecht Dejaegere (66' for Jozwiak) - 5/10 - The veteran midfielder was unable to make an impact on the game.
LW: Justin Meram (76' for Vargas) - N/A
LW: McKinzie Gaines (88' for Swiderski) - N/A
Manager
Christian Lattanzio - 6/10 - His side were unable to match the intensity of Red Bulls in the first half, but they fought valiantly in the second half to make it a somewhat respectable score.
Player of the match - Elias Manoel (New York Red Bulls)
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This article was originally published on 90min as New York Red Bulls 5-2 Charlotte FC: Player ratings as Elias Manoel's hat trick kicks-off playoffs .