The Red Bulls’ relationship with the playoffs has been … complicated.
In 20 years they never have won an MLS Cup, suffering a history of drama and controversy, stars that were overpaid and underachieving. Oh, and most of all playoff failure. But they’re determined to rewrite that history, with the latest step the first leg of the Eastern Conference final Sunday against the Crew at Columbus.
“It’s obviously a great challenge for us, because we realize that maybe history’s not on our side,’’ said midfielder Dax McCarty. “But I think that the good thing about our team is that we’re a little bit young and a little bit naïve, and I think all we care about right now is just the next game and all we care about is winning.’’
To say the Red Bulls’ postseason history hasn’t been positive is an understatement. One of MLS’ original teams two decades ago, the Red Bulls had never won a major trophy until the Supporters’ Shield in 2013. They lost their only MLS Cup final back in 2008 against this same Crew team.
But McCarty — who inherited the captain’s armband from retired Thierry Henry — said these Red Bulls have thrown off the burden of past disappointments.
“The good thing about a whole new staff coming in is that they don’t have that whole burden of history that I’ve had in the past here,” McCarty said. “[Coach Jesse Marsch has] done a great job making sure this Red Bull team establishes its own identity: That identity is that of a family and a team that’s all together.
“In the past, the identity of the team has been about individual players, it’s been about controversy, it’s been about failures. The identity we’ve established with this team is that — while we recognize the past, and we recognize the failures this club has gone through as an organization — we want to build our own identity. We don’t want to be cast in that same light as those organizations from the past.’’
To avoid another playoff flameout they Red Bulls will have to deal with 6-foot-3 target forward Kei Kamara, who had 22 goals and eight assists — but no tallies in 269 minutes against New York. The Crew will pump crosses into him, and with centerback Damien Perrinelle out, it will be up to Ronald Zubar to help Matt Miazga slow Kamara.
The Red Bulls’ high pressure will try to turn Columbus over in its own end and set up quick strikes of their own for forward Bradley Wright-Phillips and midfielder Sacha Kljestan (eight goals, 14 assists).
The Red Bulls are the only league team to post a positive goal differential on the road this season (plus-two), and Columbus’ 9-4-4 home record was so-so at best, giving the Red Bulls and their expected 400 traveling supporters hope of bringing a solid result back for the Nov. 29 home leg.
Miazga, Zubar, Kljestan and Wright-Phillips are all in yellow-card peril, with one more caution on Sunday resulting in suspension. Wright-Phillips suffered that fate after an ill-advised yellow in the first leg of last year’s Eastern Conference final against New England and missed the second leg where the Red Bulls were eliminated.