Soccer (Football)
How the New York Red Bulls defied the odds to reach the MLS Cup Final
The New York Red Bulls surprised a lot of people on their run through the play-offs. Here’s who’ll be spearheading their charge in the showpiece MLS Cup Final against LA Galaxy.
The New York Red Bulls have a chance to raise the MLS Cup and become champions of the North American league for the first time when they face Los Angeles Galaxy in the MLS Cup Final in California.
It’s been a remarkable journey for the Bulls, who after finishing seventh in the Eastern Conference in the regular season, are the lowest-seeded team to ever reach the championship game.
They’ve achieved what Lionel Messi and Inter Miami failed to do by coming through three challenging play-offs rounds, and now one final hurdle stands between them and a slice of MLS history.
The final will reawaken an East-West soccer rivalry stretching back nearly three decades and here’s all you need to know as one of the founder members of Major League Soccer 29 years ago shoot for their first-ever MLS Cup.
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How the New York Red Bulls reached the MLS Cup Final 2024
Daniel Edelman and John Tolkin celebrate victory over Orlando
© Red Bull Content Pool
Led by ex-Bundesliga coach Sandro Schwarz, the Bulls began their play-off campaign with a major upset, knocking out defending champions Columbus Crew in the ‘best of three’ first round. The New Jersey side were underdogs once again in the Eastern Conference semi-final, a one-off knockout game, but they triumphed 2-0 on enemy territory against rivals New York City.
Orlando City were next up in the East Final and a header from Colombian defenderAndrés Reyes helped the Bulls overcome the odds to earn a famous 1-0 victory in Florida and a place in the showpiece final for the first time since 2008.
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Who will they face in the MLS Cup Final?
The New York Red Bulls take on record five-times MLS champions LA Galaxy in the final on Saturday, December 7.
LA Galaxy have the home field advantage at Dignity Health Sports Park due to their higher seeding and many will feel they start as favorites in the game. However, they have been dealt a heavy blow with their main creative player, former Barcelona midfielder Riqui Puig, suffering an ACL knee injury which has ruled him out of contention.
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The Emil Forsberg factor
Emil Forsberg has underlined his importance during the play-offs
© Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Former RB Leipzig star Emil Forsberg stands out on the field not only for his flowing, blonde locks but also with his composure on the ball and his ability to switch the tempo, the direction of attack and provide the killer final ball to the strike pairing of Lewis Morgan and Dante Vanzeir.
Injuries limited his appearances in the regular season campaign, but Forsberg still made a significant impact with 10 goals in 19 appearances and two assists. But it’s in the play-offs that his value has really been evident as he has led the team to their first Eastern Conference championship in 16 years.
“This is why I came,” Forsberg said. “I said I wanted a challenge, and I think it was the perfect challenge for me,” he said after the triumph in Orlando. “I’m so happy we did it. No one actually believed in us, but we did it."
The Swedish star has played a key role behind the strikers
© Ira L. Black-Corbis/Getty Images
I wanted a challenge, and I think it was the perfect challenge for me.
A key part of Forsberg's leadership has been his focus on instilling a winning mentality in his teammates. Ahead of the crucial match against Columbus, Forsberg shared his belief that success is rooted in mental strength. In an interview with amNewYork, he emphasized that achieving victory starts with the right mindset.
"Everything is about how you mentally work," Forsberg explained. He pushed his younger teammates to adopt a fearless attitude, saying: "OK, we’re playing Columbus. It’s a good team, but why can’t we win?" His rallying cry reflected the confidence that has become a hallmark of the team under his leadership, reinforcing the idea that belief in their abilities could overcome any challenge.
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Who is ex-Bundesliga coach Sandro Schwarz?
The former Mainz 05 and Hertha Berlin coach was unveiled in February and quickly set to work moulding his squad into an effective unit. Aside from the astute acquisition of Forsberg, the coach has focused on improving the talent he inherited and coaching them to play with a clear structure, strong positional discipline and plenty of pressing and high energy.
Throughout the regular season, Schwarz stuck to a 4-4-2 ‘diamond’ formation but the German’s flexibility was evident when he switched to five at the back to match-up better against Columbus – an approach that worked to perfection. Against Orlando, Schwarz went with a 3-4-1-2 formation with Forsberg operating in a free role behind two strikers.
Schwarz has succeeded by improving the players already at his disposal
© Andrew Katsampes/ISI Photos/Getty Images
Schwarz believes the biggest key to their success has been the entire team buying into his approach to the game and bringing the right attitude to training every day. “It's good to have experience in our roster, in our starting line-up, but the most important part is to have the quality and to have the behavior, the right mentality, the right energy every day and to work hard,” Schwarz says.
“It's good that we have these characters with experience, but that we also have this kind of behavior and mentality with our young players. It's a good mix now to have these and hopefully we can see this on Saturday from the starting line-up.”
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Lewis Morgan bringing the goals
The former Celtic and Inter Miami forward endured a challenging 2023 with a series of injuries, including a hip problem that required surgery, limiting him to just six appearances. But under Schwarz, operating more as a striker than a winger, Morgan has scored 13 goals and provided seven assists in his 29 games.
“I don’t really think there’ll be many more things in my life that will be tougher to overcome than all the mental stuff I went through with my hips. It will be a good thing to remind myself about what’s possible when you work hard,” he said.
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Penalty hero Carlos Coronel
Goalkeeper Coronel was the hero against Columbus
© Red Bull Content Pool
Carlos Coronel was the hero of the win over Columbus, saving three penalty kicks in the shoot-out. The Brazilian-born goalkeeper is a classic example of the player who is given a second chance by an MLS club to rebuild their career.
A product of the Red Bull Brasil youth set-up, he moved to Red Bull Salzburg in 2015 and played most of his football with Austrian second division team FC Liefering. He joined the Bulls in 2022 and has been so impressive that he has broken into the Paraguay national team, who he qualifies for through his mother.
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A chance to shine ahead of the incoming Jürgen Klopp
The MLS Cup Final comes less than a month before Jürgen Klopp begins his new role as Red Bull’s Head of Global Soccer. The announcement in October that the German will oversee and provide strategic vision to Red Bull’s international network of soccer clubs, including New York Red Bulls, brought a lot of excitement and optimism.
Klopp is no stranger to incredible comebacks and upsetting the odds himself during a coaching career that brought many major titles at the likes of Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool. New York Red Bulls have a chance to raise the MLS Cup and become champions of the North American league for the first time when they face Los Angeles Galaxy in the MLS Cup Final in California.