Underdogs are certainly welcome in the running of the Red Bulls.
New York’s oldest Major League Soccer franchise defeated Orlando City SC 1-0 in the Eastern Conference Final on Saturday night to punch its ticket to its second-ever MLS Cup Final, where it will face the Los Angeles Galaxy on Saturday at Dignity Health Sports Park out in California.
Defender Andres Reyes’ 47th-minute header, coupled with an immovable backline and three saves from goalkeeper Carlos Coronel, was enough to see the Red Bulls advance to its first Cup Final since 2008.
It was also New York’s third-straight upset victory to reach this point. The No. 7-seeded Red Bulls overcame a miserable finish to their regular season, winning just three of their final eight games, to upset the defending champion Columbus Crew in two games before downing bitter rivals NYCFC in the conference semifinal, 2-0.
They are the lowest seed in league history to reach the MLS Cup Final
“Maybe for a lot of people, it’s the biggest surprise now that we are in the MLS Cup Final,” head coach Sandro Schwarz said. “To be honest, for me, it’s a very good feeling. But it’s not the biggest surprise.”
Star Swedish midfielder Emil Forsberg amplified Schwarz’s mindset entering the playoffs, where he boldly told amNewYork, “f—k it, we can win. Why can’t we?“
A headline grabber from a player of this quality will, more often than not, spur a team on in a postseason, regardless of the sport. Forsberg, 32, has played on the world’s biggest stages, playing in the German Bundesliga with Red Bull Leipzig — one of the largest and most lucrative leagues on the planet — the UEFA Champions League, and the FIFA World Cup with his home nation, Sweden.
It was going to take something special to get him to make the jump to the United States, and he clearly saw it with the Red Bulls. That was confirmed down in Orlando on Saturday night.
“This is why I came,” Forsberg said. “I wanted a challenge. I think it was the perfect challenge for me. I’m so happy we did it. No one actually believed in us, but we did it.”
In the grand scheme of things, though, Forsberg is almost like a mercenary, considering how the Red Bulls have built this MLS Cup Final contender. The name of the game has been developing young players into invaluable contributors, whether it be 21-year-old holding midfielder Daniel Edelman, the versatile 23-year-old Cameron Harper, or the 22-year-old defender John Tolkin, who assisted on Reyes’ game-winning goal in the conference final.
“For me, and just the guys who grew up in the area, it’s a dream come true,” Tolkin said. “This 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… It’s mentality over everything. Sandro said, ‘Don’t mix up emotions with mentality,’ and I think we did that perfectly tonight. It always wasn’t easy.”
