By Franco Panizo



Equal parts energetic, equal parts resilient, the New York Red Bulls placed one foot inside the door of the CONCACAF Champions League semifinals on Tuesday night.



They can thank their two grizzled veteran leaders for that.



The Red Bulls went into Club Tijuana’s Estadio Caliente and did what few MLS clubs have done, as they left Mexico with a rare Champions League victory. New York defeated los xolos 2-0 in the first leg of their quarterfinals series, with a heroic 13-save performance from goalkeeper Luis Robles and brace from Bradley Wright-Phillips proving to be the difference.



The shocking result was the product of a valiant and committed team effort that emphasized high energy and a frenetic tempo for 90 minutes, but prevailing would not have been possible without Robles’ herculean effort. The 33-year-old netminder not only delivered a dozen stops, but several of those were highlight reel-worthy...