New York Red Bulls Get Ahead Of New York City Rivals To Reach Conference Final

By James Nalton.

The New York City FC players looked around with a mixture of panic and disbelief as Dante Vanzeir steered the ball into the far corner of their goal, in off the post with the outside of his boot. Just 25 minutes had been played in the MLS Eastern Conference semifinal Hudson River Derby between City and New York Red Bulls at Citi Field, Queens, and the home team had already conceded one goal via a wonder-strike from Red Bulls’ Uruguayan midfielder Felipe Carballo.

As the second went in, City were appealing for offside, but there was some desperation in those appeals.

Even the commentators on Apple TV, Steve Cangialosi and Danny Higginbotham were unsure, and themselves perhaps slightly stunned by the Red Bulls start, but the referee signalled for a good goal and replays shortly after showed Vanzeir had just remained onside.

This pair of goals scored in the first quarter put New York Red Bulls in control of the game, and it was a control they never relinquished.

The goals sealed the Red Bulls’ progress into the Eastern Conference final, where they will play one of Atlanta United or Orlando City. They also gave them local bragging rights and a win in the first-ever Hudson River Derby in the MLS Cup Playoffs.

The goals themselves were fairly isolated. They weren’t part of free-flowing passing moves but instead came on the back second ball wins and were typical of the way the Red Bulls forced the issue at Citi Field.

In theory, the compact nature of a soccer game played on a baseball field, where the dimensions are the minimum allowed, should suit a team that likes to press.

That’s not always the case when teams known for their pressing visit New York City’s home grounds at Yankee Stadium or Citi Field, but the Red Bulls carried out their pressing plan well, especially in the first half, making the small field even smaller for their opponent.

At halftime, Sandro Schwarz commented on “good pressing behaviour” and praised his team’s desire to win second balls, and it was very much that kind of game.

Vanzeir revelled in its high-intensity and slightly chaotic nature. It was his header from a second ball duel that set up Carballo to fire in the first goal, and the Belgian was then in the right place at the right time to add the second.

Earlier in the game, an intervention from Justin Haak had prevented Vanzeir from getting a shot away after a volleyed pass into him by Cameron Harper, but it was a sign of things to come.

New York City had their own chances. They eventually had quite a few of them. Red Bulls goalkeeper Carlos Coronel showed good positioning to make a stop at close range from Alonso Martinez shortly after the second goal.

Martinez has been in good goalscoring form all season for City, and only Lionel Messi had a better goals-per-90 record in the MLS regular season, but he couldn’t make his chances count on this occasion.

The Costa Rican had another opportunity just before halftime but didn’t get good contact on the shot under pressure from Harper. At the start of the second half, Coronel saved from Santi Rodriguez and Keaton Parks heeded just over from a Rodriguez cross.

New York City had their moments in the second period and racked up a decent expected goals score of 3.38 to Red Bulls’ 0.87 according to FotMob, but couldn’t execute well enough in attack to get back into the game.

Hannes Wolf flashed a shot wide and there was another headed effort off target from Parks, while Maxi Moralez made Coronel work for his clean sheet, producing another good save.

Red Bulls were unlucky not to be awarded a penalty when Haak caught Harper as he turned in the box, but the VAR must have decided there was not enough in it to overturn the onfield decision of no penalty.

New York City put the pressure on in the final ten minutes and Thiago Martins hit the post from a corner.

The Red Bulls press tired, but the intent was still there if not quite the intensity. Their counter-attacks lacked a clinical edge, but already two goals to the good they just needed to avoid conceding twice.

As it was, they did even concede once, and go into the Eastern Conference final wondering how far this late-season press and push in the MLS playoffs can take them.

It can’t be said that this pressing intensity has been on show all season from the Red Bulls. Maybe they waited for the business end to turn it on, and it’s working so far.

With Inter Miami knocked out by Atlanta United, and Columbus Crew having been dispatched by the Red Bulls themselves, every team remaining will think they have a chance.

The Los Angeles clubs lurking in the Western Conference may now be the favorites for the MLS Cup, but even they would struggle with the Red Bulls if Schwarz’s side can retain this level of intensity and belief.