The Red Bulls came out of the Copa America break the same way they went in — smothering defensively and grinding out shutout wins.
Their latest clean sheet was a 2-0 victory over the Seattle Sounders, a fifth straight win that vaulted the Red Bulls all the way from fifth place in the Eastern Conference to second in the standings.
Midfielder Mike Grella had a pair of goals in front of 21,102 at Red Bull Arena, scoring in the 18th and 59th minutes. Keeper Luis Robles and the defense easily closed out the win that moved the Red Bulls (7-7-1, 22 points) just a point behind the first-place Philadelphia Union.