HARRISON, N.J. – The New York Red Bulls are facing a do-or-die match against the New England Revolution, but it hardly seemed as if their backs were against the wall judging from the atmosphere of their final training session.
The Red Bulls wrapped up their on-field preparations Friday for the second leg of the Eastern Conference Championship of the MLS Cup Playoffs, presented by AT&T, at New England’s Gillette Stadium on Saturday (3 pm ET; NBCSN, get tickets here) on the wrong end of a 2-1 aggregate after last weekend’s first-leg result. And the club was somewhat relaxed and light ahead of a game that will either send them through to the MLS Cup title game or on an unwanted early vacation.
“I’ve felt surprisingly calm and at ease over the last week, which is strange for me because I’m usually not a calm and at-ease type of guy,” said Red Bulls head coach Mike Petke. “Perhaps it is that I can sit back immediately after the game, and get it out of my system. … For whatever reason, I’m able to put that aside out of my head, and I’m at ease.
“I really focused on things this week with the team and what we want to do. The team is in great spirits, they’re in a great mental [state]. The day after the game they were having a great time playing 5-v-2 and practicing, and it was on one side annoying at first for me to see that but on the other side it was phenomenal for me to see that. It showed the mental character that they have to just move on to the next game.”
It wasn’t just lip service from Petke, either. Red Bulls players, ranging from Thierry Henry to Dax McCarty to Jamison Olave, were seen cracking jokes or playing fun contests with one another during the final minutes of practice open to the media.
There was also no talk during interviews about a sense of panic after surrendering two away goals. The club also had limited things to say about the Revolution’s approach to the decisive leg. Instead, much of the focus for New York relied on their ability to perform in crunch time.
“No, especially with the way we played at home, especially with what we showed and the two goals we conceded,” said Tim Cahill when asked if the club was worried. “We always concede, we’ll concede tomorrow, but we’ve just got to win by two goals. With the mentality that we’re going to be going into the game, it is what it is. A few of us have played on big enough stages to know what it takes to win a game like this, and when it counts hopefully that will shine through tomorrow.”
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As for their style of play, the Red Bulls insisted that they would be very attack minded. Cahill even said that they had nothing to lose, and that there would be a time in the game “where tactics are going to mean nothing.”
Henry added that New York “would have to have a go.”
It is perhaps that clarity that have the Red Bulls feeling so at ease a day before their biggest match of the season. Of course, there are more complicated scenarios that could play out either way, but the Red Bulls know full well that any two-goal victory will see them advance to the championship game.
That will still be a tough challenge against a motivated and talented New England team but one that is certainly within New York’s reach.
“For the first time since the beginning of the season we know what we have to do and how many goals we need to score to be able to go through,” said Henry. “… For the first time you know that you have to go to New England and win by two goals. That’s exactly what it is.
“There’s no X, Y, Z. It’s how it is. We know it’s going to be very, very, very tough, but anything is possible.”
