The New York Red Bulls have their attention fully on their upcoming Eastern Conference Championship matches against Atlanta United FC -- but also know that, if victorious, 2018 MLS Cup is coming to Red Bull Arena.
"There’s potentially three games left in our season and we’re dreaming about playing the last two in our building," Head Coach Chris Armas said.
The Red Bulls and Atlanta begin Leg 1 on November 24, with Leg 2 at Red Bull Arena on November 29.
- TICKETS: Leg 2, Nov. 29 at Red Bull Arena
Despite never losing to Atlanta in their two years in the league, and earning three points against them in both matchups, the Red Bulls know this is going to be a difficult matchup.
"It is going to be our toughest test,” Bradley Wright-Phillips said.
New York beat Atlanta 3-1 on the road and 2-0 at home.
"They’re such a good team," Armas said. "They’re talented, they’re explosive, they have dangerous attackers, they’ll have seventy-something thousand people in their building. But we’ve been successful against them for a reason, and we’re going to map that out."
The Red Bulls were also missing key players in both matchups, with Luis Robles missing the game in Georgia, while Tyler Adams and Bradley Wright-Phillips both missed the matchup at home. The head coach said the experiences this team has been through as a unit, both this season and previously, are paying dividends as the stakes keep getting higher.
"I see the belief growing, the confidence, guys expressing themselves and just playing free has been fun to watch," Armas said.
Captain Luis Robles knows that confidence and talent has been rampant on previous iterations of the team, but this year, something seems different.
“We know that when you look at some of the past seasons, when we were really good, we also had the idea that this was the year, and it didn’t work out," Robles said. "We are definitely navigating through the playoffs, we are navigating through past years of misery, but there is something special about this group. When I think about what we went through this year and the adversity we faced, for us to shine the way that we have, it just continues to affirm my thought that there is something special in this unit.”
Atlanta has issued praise in kind for the Red Bulls, saying they will have to be "darn near perfect" to try and beat New York.
With all that laid out bare, Armas knows exactly what this team -- and the fanbase -- are looking forward to when this Conference Championship kicks off.
"We’re a young team, probably the youngest in the league, which helps the fearless nature of our group, and we’re the most talented that we’ve ever been," Armas said. "Now, again, the experiences – most wins at home, setting records for the most points in the league, coming out of a series with a lot of doubters out there. Down 1-0 against Columbus, our guys come in emphatically 3-0 at home. With the home-field advantage in Leg 2, with a lot of the confidence coming in, we’re healthy, we’re going to go for it. You don’t know how it’s going to go, but we’re going for it, that’s for sure."
