HARRISON, N.J. – For the first time in franchise history, the New York Red Bulls appear on the verge of advancing in the CONCACAF Champions League. A 1-0 win at Red Bull Arena on Thursday night against Alianza FC is likely enough to send the club through to the knockout rounds.
In their previous two trips in the Champions League, the Red Bulls were twice eliminated in the group stages though each time they were thought to be heavy favorites to advance. A Sacha Kljestan goal in the 90th minute against Alianza, however, might prove that the third time is the charm for the Red Bulls.
With the win versus El Salvador’s champions, the Red Bulls sit atop the group with seven points on two wins and a draw.
“Well it's a good start to the Champions League group stage, we'll take maximum points at home which is what you can ask for. We put ourselves in a good position to make it to the next round so going down to Guatemala a tie gets us through,” Kljestan said following the match. “It's important, we wanted to make the quarterfinals, that was an important goal at the beginning of the season so right now we have one foot in the door and I'm pretty happy.
International play has never been kind to the Red Bulls.
The Red Bulls first qualified for the Champions League in 2009 following their appearance in the MLS Cup final the year before. Their second appearance came in 2014 after head coach Mike Petke led the team to the Supporters' Shield, the franchise’s first piece of hardware.
Even in 2001 in the short-lived Copa Merconorte featuring teams from South America as well as CONCACAF, the then New York/New Jersey MetroStars were unceremoniously bounced in the group stages. Now with two home wins and a road draw, the Red Bulls go into their September 27 match at Antigua GFC knowing that a draw definitely puts them through.
Head coach Jesse Marsch realizes that advancement is not certain but that the midweek win “gives us a lot of breathing room going down to Guatemala.”
Defender Chris Duvall, who entered the match midway through the second half, was pleased with the Red Bulls taking care of business at home. He was a rookie on the 2014 team that failed to advance from the group stages.
“I think it shows we’re trying to take this seriously. Being in this team for the last three years, you can tell that there is more of an emphasis on winning everything,” Duvall said.
“Not just the regular season and MLS Cup, but every time we step on the field we want to win. It’s a great feeling to be succeeding in that.”
