New York Red Bulls head coach Mike Petke has issued a heartfelt personal appeal to his club's fans ahead of Thursday night's Eastern Conference Knockout Round playoff match between New York and Sporting Kansas City at Red Bull Arena (8 pm ET, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes in US, TSN1 in Canada).
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Petke's request: Make sure RBA is a "cathedral of fury" as his club look to knock off the defending MLS Cup champs and overcome their own home hoodoo in the playoffs.
"To be at home in the comfort of Red Bull Arena and the noise that it brings, the support that we get there, is vital," says Petke. "The energy you bring, the passion that you bring, brings us to another level."
RBA is one of MLS's most awe-inspiring stadiums, but the home side have, amazingly, never won a playoff match at the venue (0-4). Petke and his men are determined to put that statistic to rest and at the same time overcome their club's history of postseason underachievement.
"You are one of the main reasons for every success that we have," he says, calling the devotion of RBNY's home faithful "perhaps more important than any game plan I can put out for the team."
