Ben Mines scored in the first half and Bradley Wright-Phillips and Carlos Rivas tacked on insurance goals in the second half for a reserve-filled New York Red Bulls in a 4-0 win over the Portland Timbers Saturday night at Red Bull Arena.
On his debut, Mines gave the Red Bulls a 1-0 lead in the 18th minute, completing a well-worked sequence that started with Derrick Etienne, Jr. and Carlos Rivas playing a quick one-two.
Etienne spun and escaped into space and played to Alejandro “Kaku” Romero Gamarra on his left. Kaku sent a low cross to the back post where Mines - the Homegrown 17-year-old - tapped in for his first MLS goal.