The New York Red Bulls have a difficult task at hand on Saturday as Toronto FC looks to clinch the 2017 Supporters’ Shield.
In front of a sellout crowd at BMO Field, head coach Jesse Marsch knows putting the game on their terms will be crucial in Toronto.
“Having a good start will be key,” Marsch said. “They obviously are in Supporters’ Shield position and they know that if they win this game that its theirs so they’ll have a lot of motivation.”
Last time out against Toronto FC, the Red Bulls earned a draw at Red Bull Arena, 1-1.
This weekend, New York is tasked with taking it to Toronto on their turf where they boast the best record in MLS.
“This year they’ve been very good at home, the best team in the league,” Marsch said. “It’ll be a tough place for us to go and we obviously have a lot of miles under our legs but no excuses…we’ve got to make sure that in this last game before we get an actual week stretch that we give everything we have and try to get as much out of it as we can.”
Both the Red Bulls and Toronto have struggled of late.
TFC has suffered back-to-back losses against the Montreal Impact and New England Revolution, while New York is winless in September.
Marsch and the Red Bulls realize road points at this stage of the season are crucial and hope to point themselves in the right direction for the playoffs on Saturday.
“It’s mental right now,” Marsch said. “Right now we need men to show up and we need men to show what we’re all about on Saturday.”
