The question is, after upsetting the two-time
defending Major League Soccer Cup champion Houston Dynamo in the Western
Conference semifinals last week, can the New York Red Bulls keep their
improbable playoff run going.
"It's not over," Juan Pablo Angel told MLSnet.com. "We know that we're on the
doorstep of the big party of the year. We would like to get it right, but we
have a very difficult challenge ahead."
The challenge comes Saturday night when the Red Bulls (1-0-1) travel to the
Salt Lake City area to take on Real Salt Lake (1-0-1) in the Western
Conference final at Rio Tinto Stadium.
"The way the system is set up it's only a one game round this time," RSL's
Clint Mathis told his team's official website. "So it's important to have the
home crowd behind you because they definitely help us out. They are our 12
player out on the field. It's important to win this game at home and then we
are in the finals."
RSL - which has a 9-1-6 record at home this season and playoffs - also earned
an upset in their semifinal series with Chivas USA. But the fact that the Red
Bulls were the last team to sneak into the second season, combined with the
fact that they upset a team many believed was the class of MLS gives them a
lot of confidence heading into Saturday's game.
"If you look at the game between Houston and New York, Houston had so many
chances," RSL's Robbie Russell told his team's website. "Houston threw
everything forward and everything forward and couldn't put it in the back of
the net. And New York took advantage of all the chances they got. That will be
the big thing, is who can score on their chances."
The chances New York got were mainly generated by speedy winger Dane Richards,
who had a goal and an assist as well as drawing a penalty kick - which was
converted by Angel - in the Red Bulls' 3-0 win at Houston this past weekend.
"He played with a controlled aggression. A lot had been said about the rivalry
between him and [Houston] fullback [Wade] Barrett, but I think at the end,
Dane got the better of the two with his pace," New York coach Juan Carlos
Osorio said. "He's doing a lot better work now. He comes inside and looks for
a pass, now his combination play is better, and we always know that he is a
threat in behind, and we're very pleased with his performance."
Most of RSL's chances have been coming from midfield maestro Javier Morales,
presenting a challenge in the middle of the field for the Red Bulls' defense.
"We have to play the way we have been playing the last coupe games," RSL's
Will Johnson told his team's website. "We've played a very high pressure
style, we got after teams, we've worked very hard with each other."
But New York defender Chris Leitch likes his team's chances of another upset
over the No. 3 seeded Real Salt Lake squad..
"We had guys who were willing to execute the game plan, willing to battle for
180-plus minutes and that was the difference," Leitch said of upsetting
Houston. "It was unbelievable effort by every single guy, which is why it
feels so rewarding right now. If we can continue doing this, who knows?"
Who knows, the Red Bulls could be the team squaring off against the Columbus
Crew for the MLS Cup on Nov. 23 at the Home Depot Center.
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