Petar Musa Hits 10 Goals, Sam Sarver Adds a Late Header as FC Dallas Beat Red Bulls 2-0

Petar Musa does not need many looks. On Saturday night at Sports Illustrated Stadium, he needed one bit of space on the right side of the box, one pass from Ran Binyamin and one swing of his right foot from an angle most strikers would have passed up. The ball went in, Dallas went up, and the Red Bulls never found an answer.

FC Dallas beat Red Bull New York 2-0, with Musa scoring his 10th goal of the season in the 54th minute and Samuel Sarver, a late substitute, heading in his first goal of the season in the 88th. Dallas snapped a four-match winless streak, per the AP, and left New Jersey with a clean sheet and a striker who, according to MLS, kept pace at the top of the Golden Boot race.

A Lively, Goalless First Half

The opening 45 minutes had plenty of action and no finishing. Binyamin forced Ethan Horvath into a save in the 5th minute, and Musa's header in the 11th went straight at the Red Bulls goalkeeper. At the other end, Matthew Dos Santos and Jorge Ruvalcaba both missed the target in the opening six minutes.

Dallas kept producing the better chances. Binyamin got a second look from the left side of the six-yard box in the 30th minute, and Horvath got down to stop it at the bottom left corner. Musa dragged a left-footed effort wide three minutes later, and Binyamin went high and wide from distance in the 40th. Red Bulls head coach Michael Bradley liked what he saw from his own side, though. "By and large, in the first half we played pretty well," he said afterward.

The Red Bulls had territory, eight corners on the night and 57.9 percent possession. What they did not have was a shot on target. Not in the first half, not in the second, not at all.

Turning Point: Musa Finds the Angle

Musa had two shots blocked in the 51st and 52nd minutes, and two minutes later he got his reward. Binyamin, breaking on the counter according to the AP, found Musa, and the striker beat Horvath from a difficult angle on the right. It was the kind of finish a striker with ten goals by early May makes look routine.

Bradley called that goal the moment the night tilted. "Goals change games, especially in tight games," he said. What frustrated him was what came next: the Red Bulls' push to get back into it, he said, "wasn't what it needed to be today."

Bradley emptied part of his bench in the 66th minute, sending on Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty, Nehuén Benedetti and Rafael Mosquera, and later added Mohammed Sofo and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting. Benedetti came closest, sending a left-footed shot from the center of the box just wide in the 83rd minute. Mosquera had one blocked three minutes later.

Sarver Seals It

Dallas' bench had the final word. Sarver and Logan Farrington both entered in the 80th minute, and eight minutes later they combined on a fast break. According to the Red Bulls, Farrington took a touch past the goalkeeper before crossing to the far post, and Sarver headed in from very close range. The AP noted that Sarver was the 2025 MLS Next Pro MVP. He celebrated hard enough to earn a yellow card for it, which seems like a fair trade.

The Red Bulls kept throwing balls into the box late, but Ruvalcaba fired high and wide after a corner in the 90th minute and Tim Parker's stoppage-time header was blocked.

Star Watch

Musa was the headliner: five shots, two on target, one goal, and the winner in his return from injury, per MLS. "I'm very happy with our performance today. We worked hard and deserved to win," he said, per MLS. He also admitted the scoring race is on his mind. "Personally, it would mean a lot for me to win the Golden Boot, but I always focus on the team," he said. MLS framed the performance as a statement for a Croatian international chasing a spot in his country's World Cup squad.

Binyamin was nearly as influential, with three shots, two on target and the assist on Musa's goal. And Dallas goalkeeper Michael Collodi kept a clean sheet without being forced into a single save, which tells you everything about the Red Bulls' finishing.

For New York, Horvath was the only reason it was close. He made four saves, and his three first-half stops kept it level at the break.

Stats That Matter

• Shots on target: Dallas 6, Red Bulls 0.
• Shots: Dallas outshot New York 12-9.
• Possession: Red Bulls 57.9 percent, Dallas 42.1 percent.
• Corners: Red Bulls 8, Dallas 4.
• Saves: Horvath made four; Collodi did not need to make one.

What It Means

Dallas improves to 4-4-3 with 16 points. The AP noted the visitors had lost back-to-back games before this one, at home to Minnesota and at Seattle, so this was a badly needed result. Real Salt Lake visits Toyota Stadium next on May 9, and MLS said Musa has four more matches before the World Cup break to press his case for Croatia.

The Red Bulls fall to 3-3-5 with 12 points and are now winless in five straight, according to the AP. Bradley acknowledged the frustration of the fan base and insisted his group is "not writing anything off or labeling the season." Next up is a trip to Soldier Field to face Chicago Fire FC on May 9.

Closing Take

There is a version of this game where the Red Bulls' possession and pressure turn into a point. But soccer does not hand out style points, and zero shots on target is the stat equivalent of showing up to a job interview without a resume. Dallas had a striker who needed one look and a bench that delivered the knockout. The Red Bulls had the ball. Dallas had the answers.

Stats from ESPN's match data and the AP recap via ESPN. Postgame quotes as reported by Red Bull New York (newyorkredbulls.com) and MLS (mlssoccer.com).