HANOVER, N.J. – As New York Red Bulls II approaches the Eastern Conference Semifinals, Head Coach John Wolyniec shared his approach the game. Rochester, the defending champions, have proved to be a worthy opponent so far for New York. In the three games at Red Bull Arena between last year and this year, neither team has scored a goal. The Rhinos also ended the 2015 season for New York in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, winning 2-0.
After claiming the club’s second ever playoff victory last weekend against Orlando City B, NYRB II head coach John Wolyniec looks to defeat the team he played for in 2001.
“Every game means a lot to me, so it’s going to be hard for it to mean more, but having played there and having played these guys a bunch of times and not having gotten the better of them, it will certainly add a little bit to the game,” Wolyniec said. “It’s way more important that these guys realize an opportunity for us to really test ourselves, really test who we are as a group and as individuals to see where we’re at.”
Considering neither team has scored a goal in the three games at Red Bull Arena, Wolyniec discusses the level of difficulty Rochester brings to the table.
“They’re a challenge, you have to give a lot of credit to their coach, Bob [Lilley]. They do a great job, they work really hard, they fight, they’re organized. It’s not going to be easy for us but we feel like we’re a good team, like we’re in the best form we’ve been all year. With the results we’ve gotten, that says a lot. We feel really confident playing at our home stadium.”
With New York having to play the defending champions, many have talked about Red Bulls II having the toughest draw, despite being the one seed. The Rhinos are on a 10 game unbeaten streak of their own, and just defeated Charlotte in the Quarterfinals by a score of 3-1.
“You can say that, but we’re not going to shy away from it, I think we wanted it. The only way for us to know how good we are is to play the best teams. Rochester being the defending champions, if we want to win a championship we have to knock off the defending champs. No better way to go about it.”
Given that New York has only scored one goal in three games this season against Rochester, breaking down their stingy defense will be the biggest challenge in making it to the Conference Finals.
“They work really hard and they’re really organized so when you get advantages, you have to take advantage of them and play fast. When you get behind them or break some lines, we can’t just slow the game down and continue to play and be safe. We have to be aggressive in those moments even if it means losing the ball sometimes. That means running in the box, being mobile in our attack, being sharp. Any little bobble or mistouch and another guy is coming to break up the play.”
New York Red Bulls II play Friday, October 7 at 7 p.m. in the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Rochester Rhinos. The game is at Red Bull Arena and tickets are still available.
