HANOVER, N.J. – Expect the New York Red Bulls to look a little bit different on Saturday, not just in terms of personnel, but with their game plan as well.
The Eastern Conference Championship concludes this weekend (3 pm ET, NBCSN, UDN in US, TSN2, RDS2, MLSsoccer.com in Canada) when the Red Bulls attempt to overturn a 2-1 deficit against the New England Revolution after losing last Sunday. Striker Bradley Wright-Phillips is out for New York due to yellow-card accumulation, but replacing him in the lineup is unlikely to be the only change the club make for the decisive match at Gillette Stadium.
Tactically, things will likely be altered. Head coach Mike Petke hinted as much on Wednesday morning following a Red Bulls practice session that was moved two hours earlier than originally scheduled to accommodate the snow hitting the East Coast.
“Like I’ve said forever, we are who we are. However, there can be some tweaks made within this system, and there will be some tweaks made,” said Petke. “Not a completely separate game plan, not necessarily [that] we’re going to switch to eight forwards and man-mark everybody else in the back. No.
“As the game goes on, depending on how it goes, there could be some major changes either way, whether we’re successful and ahead or we’re behind. Aside from one little tweak, the mindset, the game plan, one or two separate things that we’re really going to focus on, it’s business as usual.”
Replacing the suspended Wright-Phillips will not be easy, given all that he brings to the table. Aside from his pesky runs in the 18-yard box and his demonstrated goalscoring prowess, the Englishman provides the type of speed that no other forward on New York’s roster possesses and an impressive work rate on both sides of the ball.
Tim Cahill seems the most likely player to fill in for Wright-Phillips, though a change from the 4-2-3-1 formation that has been so successful might be needed in order to better utilize the Australian international’s skill set.
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“You can’t replace any player on this team, because they all bring their own thing,” said Petke. “What you can do is put someone in there who you know will get the job done. We have a plan in place, and we’re fine with it. We’re absolutely fine with it.”
Tactical plans will be the emphasis of the next few days of training, especially as weather conditions threaten to limit how the Red Bulls' on-field preparation. New York were not able to do as much as they would have liked on Wednesday morning due to increasing snowfall at their practice facility, but Petke did not seem too bothered.
“At this stage, it’s just as important, if not more important, to talk about the game and to talk about tactics, and talk the team into how we’re going to play as it is actually going out and doing it,” said Petke. “It’s important to go out and do it as well. But at this stage in the season, you’re not going to lose any fitness at all. These guys are fully fit, they’re ready to go. It’s all about the how we’re going to approach the game.”
