CARSON, Calif. – “Why can’t we?”
Emil Forsberg’s infamous phrase has inspired the New York Red Bulls in recent weeks, as the Eastern Conference No. 7 seed has embarked on one of the most compelling runs in Audi MLS Cup Playoffs history.
“It’s a perfect quote. We’ve been the underdogs this whole postseason, so just using that as motivation goes a long way,” defender Dylan Nealis told MLSsoccer.com.
“We know in our abilities and we’re a confident group in the locker room. We’ll just go out there and play our game and play our style.”
East champions
Entering the playoffs, the Red Bulls won just once in nine matches and ended the regular season with back-to-back defeats against Atlanta United and the Columbus Crew. The outlook was bleak.
Instead of folding, New York stunned Columbus in a two-game Round One sweep before defeating arch-rival New York City FC and red-hot Orlando City SC. Now, they await MLS Cup 2024 presented by Audi on Saturday afternoon at the LA Galaxy (4 pm ET | Apple TV - Free; FOX, FOX Deportes; TSN, RDS).
As much as RBNY have shocked the MLS world, they always knew what they were capable of.
“I don’t think we’re surprising ourselves at all. Everyone knows, the club knows, the quality we have,” said midfielder Peter Stroud. “Everyone in the club knows how good this team can be, and it was just about clicking at the right time and getting the right pieces going.
“… There’s always been a really strong belief, even though we were going through tough times. Our locker room held together really strong, and I think that’s why we’re able to have this chance on Saturday.”
History awaits
Just one win from lifting their first-ever Philip F. Anschutz Trophy, New York have embraced their underdog status. They’ve already made history as the lowest-ever seed to reach MLS Cup, but aren’t ready for the ride to end.
“I think we’re at our best when we know the task at hand is bigger than us and that we all need to come together as a group – I think that’s when you see us at our best,” said Scottish star Lewis Morgan. “I think we’ve been aware that we’ve been underdogs in basically every single game and we’re enjoying proving ourselves right.”
Added Forsberg, whose return from injury in late September provided a spark: “We had everybody counting us out. That gave us a little bit of fuel going into those kind of games.
“We had this confidence, this belief that we could do it, we can for sure do it. Everybody bought into what we want to do and that’s why we’re sitting here today.”
Waiting game
As an MLS original, RBNY have nearly three decades of history.
They are two-time Supporters’ Shield winners and have developed into one of the most recognizable teams in the league. They’ve made the postseason an MLS-record 15 years running. They’ve signed world-class talents, most notably Thierry Henry, Tim Cahill and Juan Pablo Angel, and had legendary MLS stars such as Sacha Kljestan and Bradley Wright-Phillips.
But for all their history and notoriety, New York have never won MLS Cup. The closest they came was 16 years ago, a 3-1 defeat to Columbus in MLS Cup 2008.
This group is ready to change that.
“There’s been a lot of legends on this team, the Henrys, and so on, Luis Robles, Bradley Wright-Phillips,” added Nealis. “It would just mean a lot to them, as much as us, so hopefully we can get the job done this weekend.”
Trophy dreams
Compared to previous squads, this Red Bulls side may not jump off the page. Yet, New York insist they don’t need a solo star to achieve MLS Cup glory.
“We are a hard team to play against,” declared Forsberg. “We have fantastic defenders, a fantastic goalie, everybody’s there for each other. Like I said before, I think that’s the big reason why we’re here today. It’s that we’re here as a team, together, ready to win, ready to do everything for each other.
“The biggest thing this year is that the guys are more confident in what they do, what they do with the ball, without the ball, on and off the pitch,” continued Forsberg. “Everybody’s so positive right now, and you can feel it.”
