This week was always going to be a difficult time for the Red Bulls. Three games in nine days in the heat of the summer will do that to a team, even if the latter two matches are friendlies in the International Champions Cup.
Then the Red Bulls advanced to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open Cup and the game was scheduled for tomorrow. Perhaps an opponent with no animosity toward the Red Bulls would have been more willing to move the date so the Red Bulls could field a strong team against Chelsea (Wednesday) and Sporting Lisbon (Sunday) so fans at Red Bull Arena would be treated to the best possible match.
But the Red Bulls’ quarterfinal-round opponent is the rival Philadelphia Union, who were only too happy to move the match – for a price.
The Union agreed to play another day if the site of the game was changed from Red Bull Arena to PPL Park, the Union’s home ground. The Red Bulls’ answer was one you would expect, so the Open Cup quarterfinal will be played tomorrow, three days after a grueling 2-0 victory at Orlando City SC in the heat and oppressive humidity of Florida, and one day prior to the Chelsea match.
“We anticipated the fact that there was going to be potential for there to be a lot of games in a short amount of time,” Red Bulls coach Jesse Marsch said. “The ICC is important for us as a club to be in that and to get a chance to play against some of these big European clubs, but clearly the priority will be the Open Cup. We’ve put ourselves in good position to host the quarterfinals and that’s going to be the priority in those six days.”
“It’s a tricky one,” said team captain Dax McCarty, who has collected four assists in the past two games. “We want to win the Open Cup and we want our fans to know that. Obviously the timing of it is not ideal because you always want to play against big teams in big friendlies like Chelsea, but Philly, we see a little bit of gamesmanship there and they have every right to be able to do what they want. If I was them I would want to try and get the game against us at home as well, but they know they’re going to be in for a much more difficult game when they play at Red Bull Arena.”
The Union beat the Red Bulls, 2-0, May 24 at Red Bull Arena, so it’s not like it can’t be done again. But home-field advantage still means something in Major League Soccer, and if a team can get a home game for an Open Cup match, they need to take advantage of it.
Whether the Red Bulls advance to the semifinals or not, the tack taken by the Union will not be forgotten. And it won’t be long before the subject comes up again.
After the Red Bulls conclude the stretch of four games in nine days, capped by the friendly against Sporting Lisbon on Sunday, they will travel to Chester, Pa., for a regular-season game against the Union Aug. 1 at PPL Park. The Union’s lack of cooperation will surely add to the intensity of the game.
Geographic location only goes so far in creating a rivalry. Gamesmanship off the field is certainly needed to add a spark. Perhaps this incident will amp up the New York-Philadelphia rivalry. Two games in 12 days with a lot at stake and a little animosity thrown in should do the trick.
