Mission impossible? No, for the New York Red Bulls, it's more like mission very difficult.
To advance to the Eastern Conference Championship, the Red Bulls need to beat D.C. United at RFK Stadium on Sunday (6 p.m., ESPN2) by two goals. A loss or a draw and United goes through.
"Our task is simple: we have to win the game," Red Bulls boss Bruce Arena said. "They can lose by one and get into extra time at home, they can tie and advance and they can win and advance. Maybe they're confused with all their options and it could work in our advantage."
It's not quite as easy as it sounds, though.
The Red Bulls won one road game during the regular season, a 2-0 victory at Columbus, haven't beaten D.C. United in six meetings this year, won just twice at RFK since 2003 and are 1-6-1 in their last eight visits.
The Red Bulls have already played one elimination game this season, needing a win on the final day of the regular season to advance to the playoffs. Led by an Amado Guevara hat trick, the Red Bulls beat Kansas City 3-2 to go through.
"The season's on the line, the pressure is on and I think we'll respond well," defender Carlos Mendes said. "We played well at home, we didn't give them too much at all. The pressure is on them, too, they're supposed to win."
But that game was at Giants Stadium, and this one's at RFK, which has been a particular house of horrors for Guevara, who has five yellow cards and one red card there. The harsh treatment comes from the Barra Brava as well as the players on the field, particularly Ben Olsen, who always manages to get under the Honduran's skin.
"You're going to single out D.C. as being the lion's den? It's not like we win everywhere and can't manage to get a win at RFK," Arena said. "The team's won one game on the road all year. I think they think every venue must be tough.
"I don't think there's any venue in the league that's tough to play in, that affects the player, that's my personal opinion," he added.
In the opening leg, Guevara was almost nonexistent, playing too deep in the midfield. The only impression he made was in second-half stoppage time for a harsh challenge on friend Jaime Moreno that drew the ire of D.C. coach Peter Nowak and nemesis Olsen.
"I think we need a better performance from Amado, I don't think there's any question about that," Arena said. "He can play better than he did last week. He was a little bit tentative."
And his team followed suit, especially in the first half.
"It looked like we were waiting for someone else to do it and we weren't taking responsibility," defender Todd Dunivant said. "Each player needs to step up and say, 'hey, we've got nothing to lose.' Nobody thinks we're going to do it so why not go for it."
The Red Bulls will press the issue, but they're not going to be reckless about it. And if they can manage to get the game's first goal, the complexion of the series changes dramatically.
"We know that if we come out strong and get an early goal, D.C. will be put under a lot more pressure," rookie defender Marvell Wynne said. "I think if we can get them on their heels as soon as possible it will be very beneficial for us."
Defensively, the game plan doesn't change. It's still about limiting the combination play of Moreno and Christian Gomez. The duo was fairly quiet in the opening leg last Saturday. That is, until the 77th minute when a quick one-two resulted in the lone goal.
"[Gomez] and Jaime together are just unbelievable. Some of the plays they put together, it's like they're the only ones in the league. [Gomez] can finish everything, too," Mendes said. "Defensively we've got to be smart but we've got to be patient. If we play solid defensively, we'll get our chances."
Arena just wants a consistent effort, something that has been lacking for the entire season.
"I think all I want out of these guys is to play a good game and really walk off the field knowing they gave it their best shot," he said. "That's all I can ask for."
Dylan Butler is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
