Red Bulls Beat Galaxy 2-0 To Boost Playoff Hopes

HARRISON, N.J. (AP) -- Luke Rodgers and Thierry Henry scored to lift the New York Red Bulls over the Los Angeles Galaxy 2-0 Tuesday night and into a tie for 10th place in Major League Soccer -- the final berth in the playoffs.

While David Beckham started for Los Angeles, the Galaxy was missing U.S. national team star Landon Donovan, sidelined by a strained right quadriceps.

New York went ahead when Rodgers scored in the 32nd minute after Joel Lindpere's corner kick went to Jan Gunnar Solli, who outjumped defender Frankie Hejduk. Solli's header went off the gloves of goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts, and Rodgers scored as defender Stephen Keel blocked the keeper's view.

Before an announced crowd of 25,186, the teams played a match that was originally scheduled for last month but was postponed because of Hurricane Irene.

Henry got his 14th league goal of the season, tying former teammate Dwayne De Rosario for the MLS the lead. The former French national team star scored off a feed from Mexican captain Rafa Marquez, beating A.J. DelLaGarza down the right flank and tapping the ball past Ricketts.

New York (9-7-16) has 43 points, even with Houston (10-9-13), and potentially could finish first in the Eastern Conference. The Red Bulls' remaining games are against the top two teams in the conference, at Sporting Kansas City (11-9-12) on Oct. 15, and home versus Philadelphia (10-7-14) five days later.

Los Angeles (18-4-10), already assured of a playoff berth, failed to clinch its second straight Supporters Shield for best regular-season record. The Galaxy had won their four previous games.

New York is 29-0-13 under coach Hans Backe when scoring first.