HANOVER, N.J. ā For the first time since 2011, the New York Red Bulls will head into a playoff series as the underdog.
The sixth-seeded Red Bulls will take on the third-seeded Chicago Fire at Toyota Park in an Eastern Conference Knockout Round match in the Audi 2017 MLS Cup Playoffs on Wednesday night (8:30 pm ET | FS1, UniMĆ”s in the US; TSN3/5, TVAS in Canada). Itās unfamiliar territory for the Red Bulls, who topped the East three of the last four years and took the Supportersā Shield twice in that stretch. Theyāve made the playoffs every year since moving to Red Bull Arena in 2010, and their lowest playoff seed in that stretch was fifth in 2011.
While they didnāt quite reach the same heights as in past regular seasons, the Red Bulls are getting hot at the right time. Theyāre unbeaten in their last three, and relishing their underdog role heading into Wednesdayās match in Chicago.
āThereās a bit of a no looking back, nothing to fear, nothing to lose so, yeah, I think thatās itās a different take than what weāre used to,ā said head coach Jesse Marsch. āAnd I think in that way it will be a strength. Weāre ready. I mean I donāt want to overanalyze it too much. I feel like weāre ready.ā
A big reason for the Red Bullsā lower-than-customary finish was a lengthy midseason slump that saw them go eight MLS games without a win in August and September. The rough stretch wasnāt without its positives, however. Marsch said that the slump, along with the clubās run to the US Open Cup final, helped New York build character ahead of the playoffs.
Of course, adding intrigue to Wednesdayās match is the fact that the Red Bulls will be facing their former captain, Dax McCarty. Traded to the Fire this offseason, McCartyās influential play was key to Chicagoās 2017 turnaround and helped him carve out a spot on the US menās national team.
McCarty still has plenty of friends on the Red Bulls, but theyāll all set their relationships aside on Wednesday night.
āThatās the pity of the playoffs. In the end, only one team is happy and after every series or every game, one teamās season is over and itās sad and one team moves on,ā said midfielder and current Red Bulls captain Sacha Kljestan. āOne of us is going home, one of us is moving on so itās going to be a bummer for one of the two of us, me or Dax. I hope itās Dax thatās bummed come Wednesday night, 10-10:30.ā