The New York Red Bulls are down heading into Leg 2 of the Eastern Conference Championship, but know exactly what they need to do to advance.
"We have been saying one game at a time and now we just have to prepare a little bit differently, be really aggressive and understand that it has to be disciplined and calculated," Head Coach Chris Armas said. "We prepare a game-plan that makes sense and usually you don’t know exactly what you need to do, so that helps a little bit."
New York will need to lead 3-0 at the end of 90 minutes to force extra time. If they're up 4-0, they will advance to MLS Cup. If Atlanta United FC scores once, New York will need five goals to advance.
- TICKETS: Leg 2 // Thursday, Nov. 29
The Red Bulls will set a game-plan that factors in the desire to score early -- and often -- similar to how they approached Leg 1.
"I thought we thought about it the right way and I’m not pleased," Armas said. "I’m pleased with the work leading up, but not pleased with the result, so we are where we are now, and we find ourselves in a little bit of a hole, but it is not going to change what we do in this second leg."
New York knows getting the first goal will be key for them.
"We’ll go about it the right way," Armas said. "Whether we are up high pressing or in a deeper block pressing, we will be aggressive.”
The team is hoping to feed off the energy of Red Bull Arena, backed by their fans and supporters on a chilly November night.
“There is something special in that building, that has led this team to win at home and we have won big at home," Armas said. "There is something magical about the way the guys feel and what we have done in there, what we have accomplished, the trophy recently we lifted in that building when the pressure was on, so yeah, I do expect our fans and supporters to come out, to come with hope and belief and energy that we can feed off of because I can promise you that, the whistle blows and we are going after it. We’ll need it, we’ll need all the hope we can get.”
Armas said the team got right back to work ahead of Leg 2, knowing what they need to do.
"Obviously, we are all competitors and after the game you feel a certain way rightfully so," Armas said. "The guys come in today, the staff comes in today, and everyone is back to work. We understand that it is a big task, but nothing has ever come easy for this team, you know, and we wouldn’t want it any differently. It is an uphill battle, one that we are excited to go after, it is who we are. We are fighters, we are competitors and winners, so we didn’t accomplish what we did this year by chance or luck, we earned every bit of it. We can’t wait for Thursday night."
