HARRISON, N.J. – They say you can’t change the past, but can you use it for motivation? That depends upon who you’re asking.
For the second straight season, the New York Red Bulls fell agonizingly close to reaching the MLS Cup Final, falling just a goal short from extending their season in both 2014 and 2015.
Last year, it was Columbus Crew SC who derailed New York’s impressive first season under head coach Jesse Marsch, bouncing the Red Bulls in the Eastern Conference Championship.
After falling at the last hurdle, there is hardly any doubt that those remaining within the squad still have that bitter taste in their mouths, but how they’re using that feeling has varied throughout the squad.
The first leg loss to Columbus certainly set the tone for the series, as New York could not manage to overcome the early hole. And while the negative feeling surrounding the result hasn’t served to dampen enthusiasm for the upcoming season, there are undoubtedly lessons to be taken on the whole.
“I think when we get to the playoffs we’ll start to think about last year’s playoff series and how we can draw on that,” midfielder Sacha Kljestan said. “But we also have to remember that—nine seconds into the game—we went down 1-0 and we don’t want to do that ever again, whether it’s a friendly or a regular season game or in the Open Cup or anything like that.”
For some players, a heartbreaking loss can be used as a fuel to push even further, to give just that much more in the dying minutes of a game, or to do one more rep at the end of training. But for Red Bulls midfielder Felipe, the motivation to succeed has always been there, regardless of past success or failures.
“I think every year is different,” he told NewYorkRedBulls.com “You need to find motivation in yourself. Since I started playing soccer when I was really young, I have a way of motivating myself. A game that we lost isn’t going to motivate me. But for every game—whether it’s preseason, a friendly, or the MLS Cup final—I’m going to be motivated the same way, because any game could be my last. I always give everything I have.”
Of course, it’s still possible to draw upon the prior failures while still looking towards the future. The lingering pain can be a useful reminder, one that will push certain players even harder so they may never feel that way again. But it’s equally as important to leave the past in the past, focusing on the promise of a new campaign. It’s the approach defender Chris Duvall is taking, with one eye on the road ahead while not forgetting the path that has led to this moment.
“It’s a combination of both,” he said. “We have a fresh start and we want to improve on things, but the reason why is because of that series. We know that we have to add a few things and tweak things to add some sophistication to our game. It’s a combination of knowing what we went through and moving past it to get better from it.”
