The New York Red Bulls enter very treacherous waters tonight in the second leg of their Eastern Conference MLS Playoff series with the Houston Dynamo. The Dynamo, by virtue of their two unanswered goals on Sunday in the first leg of the series, have made this a winner moves on, and the loser goes home match here in the second meeting (www.mlssoccer.com).
The Dynamo are no strangers to playoff pressure, as they have advanced to the MLS Cup Final the past two seasons in a row (both times as a wild card team) only to lose both championship games to the L.A. Galaxy (www.mlssoccer.com).
Conversely, the Red Bulls have been known more for their playoff shortcomings than anything else in their history. The late season lapses for this team have been notable in recent years. The franchise approached this season with a revamped roster and a new head coach, Mike Petke, on a mission to change that playoff losing trend.
Supporters Shield
The Red Bulls won the Supporters Shield for the first time in their 18 year history this season meaning that they had the best record in the 34 game regular season across all of Major League Soccer.
The trophy and the best overall record provide the Red Bulls with home field advantage throughout the MLS Cup Playoffs, including in the championship game should they advance that far. That advantage will be critical tonight as New York will play in front of their loyal and loud supporters at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey.
The Red Bulls are a much better team at home in their own building than they are on the road, that is why the fact that the team squandered a 2-0 lead on the road in Houston last Sunday will loom like a large swath of dark clouds over this game tonight.
Tonight’s Second Leg Match
The match tonight will be the biggest one the Red Bulls will have played in a very long time. If they do not win, they will be eliminated from the MLS Cup Playoffs then the media and the fan base will ridicule this team for throwing away the magical regular season, which earned them the critical home field advantage in the playoffs.
New York will be without their best defensive player, Jamison Olave, who was ejected by a straight red card in the first leg of this series on Sunday following a tackle along the sideline. The announcers on NBC both felt the referee was wrong to issue a straight red card instead of a cautionary yellow card. The loss of Olave forced the Red Bulls to play short a man for the rest of the match and, more importantly, the suspension will cost them Olave’s exceptional defensive presence tonight in the second leg.
Entering the playoffs I was the most nervous about the Red Bulls having to face the Houston Dynamo in the Eastern Conference playoff draw because of their past experience and very strong team chemistry. They also have an outstanding coaching staff which will have this team well prepared to play tonight against New York.
Houston Dynamo – Key Players: (all stats courtesy of www.houstondynamo.com)
Will Bruin (Forward) – 8 goals, 7 Assists
Ricardo Clark (midfield) – 4 goals
Kofi Sarkodie (defender) – 7 yellow cards
Brad Davis (midfield) – 4 goals, 9 assists
Tally Hall (goalkeeper) – 95 saves
The Dynamo got a huge goal from Ricardo Clark in the first leg match on Sunday, and will rely on him to move the ball through the midfield into the open space created by their playmakers up front. His ability to get the ball to Will Bruin in particular is going to be something that the Red Bulls will need to prepare for in this game.
The other aspect worth watching is if the Red Bulls can bait Kofi Sarkodie into losing his temper and picking up a card in this match. If they can get an early yellow card on him, then he will be forced to tone down his aggressive defensive style. Then, the Red Bulls can make attacking runs into their defensive area targeting Sarkodie because he will have to choose between backing down or getting ejected from the game.
One final note on the Dynamo, is Brad Davis, if you are going to watch the game at home tonight (MSG Network 8 PM) and you have not seen Davis play, he is a truly exciting and electric talent. He is the Captain of the Dynamo, and he is also on the U.S. National Team, he has a wonderful well rounded game. He is particularly dangerous in the attacking third of the field, and the Red Bulls have to mark him very aggressively on defense in this match.
Key Players – New York Red Bulls: (all stats courtesy of www.newyorkredbulls.com)
Thierry Henry – (Forward) – 10 goals, 9 assists
Tim Cahill (Fwd/Midfield) – 11 goals, 5 assists
Jonny Steele (Midlfield) – 5 goals, 6 assists
Luis Robles (Goalkeeper) – 103 saves
Markus Holgersson (defender) – needs to play huge in absence of Olave
Cahill continued his clutch play this season by scoring a goal in the first leg of this series. His ability to get past the Dynamo defensive group is going to be crucial tonight.
I think Henry was conserving energy late in the first leg game to have a huge performance tonight. His height is a problem for the Dynamo, and I think New York should exploit that by having other players take the corner kicks to allow Henry to get a head on the ball inside the penalty area.
Jonny Steele has played very well and I think his passing and ability to take the wing on overlapping runs with other players is going to be a very important aspect of the Red Bulls offensive strategy tonight.
Outlook
The Red Bulls have never lost at home to Houston (www.mlssoccer.com). I think that New York will find a way to win this game behind their passionate fans. The loss of Olave is key, but the team will rely on other guys to step up and fill the void.
The Red Bulls had a lot of success moving the ball into their attacking third by countering the moves made by Houston to advance the ball. I think that New York can capitalize on those counter-attacks and get the ball to Henry, Cahill, or Steele to make plays in open space.
This is it for the Red Bulls, the stakes could not be any higher. A win tonight will move them closer to their goal of winning the MLS Cup on their home field. A loss will bring back all the old ghosts which have haunted this franchise in the past. I predict a Red Bulls win 2-1 in a nail biter with the home field and home crowd being the deciding factor.