It’s a playoff run that few, if any, saw coming just five weeks ago. Instead, the Red Bulls’ already historic postseason run continues on.
The Red Bulls won their first MLS Eastern Conference championship since 2008 when it defeated Orlando City SC, 1-0, in the Eastern Conference final on Saturday night in Orlando.
Seeded seventh in the Eastern Conference, the Red Bulls are the lowest seeded team to ever reach the MLS Cup final. There it will face Western Conference champion LA Galaxy on Saturday at 4 p.m. at Dignity Health Sports Park, in Carson, CA.
The Red Bulls are also just the second team ever, and the first since 1998, to win three road games in a postseason.
Maybe for a lot of people it’s the biggest surprise that we’re in the MLS Cup final,” head coach Sandro Schwarz said in the postgame press conference. “To be honest, for me, it’s a very good feeling, but it’s not the biggest surprise that we were able to win.
“I’m very happy to see all of those guys in the locker room and be happy, but the season is not over. There is also the other side, and this is what we have to continue in our training session, when we start on Tuesday.”
New York broke through in the 47th minute when John Tolkin sent a service from just outside the 18, that teammate Andres Reyes headed into the net, just inside the far post.
“For me, and just the guys who grew up in the area, it’s a dream come true,” Tolkin, a Chatham native, told newyorkredbulls.com. “This is an incredible moment. This is kind of why we do it. You know, all the stuff we’ve dealt with through the year, the ups and downs. We have one more to go, but the guys will enjoy tonight, for sure.”
The Red Bulls entered the MLS Cup winning just one of its previous 11 matches (1-5-5) before it stunned defending MLS Cup champion Columbus in the best-of-three first round.It defeated Columbus, 1-0, in the first game in Columbus, then in Game 2 at Red Bull Arena, the Red Bulls won on penalty kicks by a 5-4 margin.
From there, the Red Bulls went to Citi Field to defeat rival New York City FC, 2-0, in the semifinals on Nov. 23.
“I’m very proud of the whole group, the whole staff,” head coach Sandro Schwarz said. “The atmosphere that we create, especially in the last few weeks, have been amazing. We’re feeling great today for sure, but next weekend is the big one.”
Saturday marked the Red Bulls’ third clean sheet of the MLS Cup. The defensive turnaround has been credited to a shift in formation to one with three center backs instead of two.
“We changed from two center backs to three center backs and it’s important that when you play with three center backs that they’re very aggressive,” said Schwarz. “It was very important that we play more aggressively with the three center backs so that we can be aggressive when we move forward.”
This coming Saturday will be the Red Bulls second ever trip to the MLS Cup Final. The Red Bulls are one of just three original franchises to never win the MLS Cup.
Schwarz understands the pressure that comes with where the Red Bulls now are, but he views it as a positive.
“For sure there’s pressure, but you need the pressure in order to bring your best performance and the best quality from the whole group,” said Schwarz. “It’s not possible without pressure to be honest.
“We’re working so hard everyday and now we’re in the MLS Cup final. Today’s the day to enjoy and tomorrow we start working hard for next weekend.”
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Jason Bernstein | Observer Sports Writer
Jason Bernstein joined The Observer as its sports writer in March 2022, following the retirement of Jim Hague. He has a wealth of sports-writing experience, including for NJ Advance Media (nj.com, The Jersey Journal, The Star-Ledger.)