Red Bulls stay alive in playoff hunt with 3-0 victory over Toronto

HARRISON, N.J. (AP) — Lucas Lima Linhares scored two goals, Elias Manoel had three assists and the New York Red Bulls kept their playoff hopes alive with a 3-0 victory over Toronto FC on Saturday night.

New York (10-13-10), which improved to 6-0-3 in its last nine meetings with Toronto (4-19-10), didn't grab the lead until Tom Barlow used an assist from Manoel in the 45th minute to score his third goal of the season.

Linhares (aka Luquinhas) took passes from Manoel and Omir Fernandez three minutes into the second half and scored, giving the Red Bulls a 2-0 lead with his second goal this season. Luquinhas completed the scoring in the 65th minute with assists from Manoel and defender Kyle Duncan.

Carlos Coronel totaled one save to earn the clean sheet for the Red Bulls. Luka Gavran saved two shots in his fourth start of the season for Toronto.

Toronto has lost six straight matches in all competitions and 16 of its last 17. FC Cincinnati lost 17 of 18 — a league record — spanning the 2021-22 seasons. Only five teams in league history have finished a season of 30-plus matches with fewer than five wins. Cincinnati was the last to do it in 2021.

The Red Bulls snapped a three-match winless streak at home with the victory.

New York returns to action on Oct. 21 when it travels to play Nashville SC. Toronto will host Orlando City on Oct. 21.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer