New York Red Bulls Vs Columbus Crew: Patience and poise
The New York Red Bulls must overturn a one-goal deficit against the Columbus Crew in the second leg of their Eastern Conference semi-final on Sunday afternoon. Patience and poise, therefore, will be absolutely critical for Chris Armas’ side.
This is when it matters most. In the playoffs. In knockout football. When any mistake can end a season; when any moment of brilliance can win a trophy. These are the moments that all sportsmen and women live for. These are also the moments that the New York Red Bulls tend to flounder.
They have never won an MLS Cup. They might be the most esteemed, successful and established organisation in all of MLS never to win the league’s greatest prize.
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And that is not to say that they have not been good enough to win the MLS Cup. They most certainly have. In the last eight years, the Red Bulls have finished the regular season atop the East four times. They have made the playoffs on all eight occasions. Not once did they even make the MLS Cup final, nevermind win it.
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This is a team that has consistently fallen short at the final hurdle. And now, after setting a regular-season points record, winning the Supporters’ Shield on Decision Day, and being consistently the best team in the league not from the state of Georgia, they face the prospect of falling at the first playoff hurdle.
Chris Armas’ side take a one-goal deficit into the second leg of their Eastern Conference semi-final against a burgeoning Columbus Crew riding a city’s wave of positivity. It is far from over, of course, but the Red Bulls do face an uphill task. Armas, however, insists that he and his players are confident that they can turn it around:
"“There’s a lot of belief in what we’re doing here from within these walls, especially at home. It’s a confident group we have and it remains confident. That comes from successes this year in the Champions League and previous playoff experiences that have made us feel we’re ready for this.”"
Such confidence is all well and good, but if New York take a gung-ho approach to this second leg, they may actually dig themselves into a bigger hole than they care for. Because of their failure to score in the first leg, if the Crew score just once on Sunday, the Red Bulls, without an away goal to their name, will have to score three. It is not an insurmountable task, but it is one that would make them firm underdogs.
Armas must instruct his players to be poised and patient, not impassioned and unruly. They must trust the process, a process that has led to the best regular season in MLS history, and they must not go chasing the game. That is when the troubles may come.
Specifically, New York have been excellent defensively, conceding just a league-best 33 goals across the season. It is almost imperative that they keep a clean sheet on Sunday. Although scoring three goals is not impossible, particularly against a somewhat porous Crew defence, if New York can keep a clean sheet they could well be looking at a first Eastern Conference Championship since 2015.
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But they must be patient and poised to do so. They cannot go haring after the game. They cannot be ill-disciplined and naive. They stick to the plan, trust the process, and play with clarity and cohesion.