FORMER Celtic striker Patryk Klimala was on target again for New York Red Bulls as they were held to a 1-1 home draw by 10-man Philadelphia Union last night.
The Polish striker, who managed a mere three goals for the Hoops after arriving in a £3.5million deal in January, fired his new team into the lead via the penalty spot after a flare-up following a challenge by keeper Matt Freese on Wiki Carmona.
The netminder appeared to wrestle his opponent to the ground and referee Victor Rivas flashed the red card at the Union shotstopper. Mayhem ensued, but order was restored when Joe Bendik took over in goal and Klimala ignored the fuss to give his side the advantage on the hour mark.
However, Sergio Santos equalised five minutes from time to give the battling 10 men a point.
Red Bulls’ boss Gerhard Struber, who shelled out £3.5million for Klimala in the summer, told the local media: “The feeling right now is not super positive. We are a young team and against a top experienced side like Philadelphia, we needed every player at their personal limit and I did not see that.
“After the first goal, I saw the team feeling like ‘Oh I hope we win’ rather than keep fighting. We did not have the right mindset and Philly felt that. They knew how to break up our rhythm by maybe making a foul and we weren’t able to respond to that.”
Next up for Klimala and Co is the visit of his former Hoops team-mate Lewis Morgan and his Inter Miami team-mates a week on Sunday.
