New York Red Bulls stand on the verge of winning the most improbable championship in MLS history after a weekend of high drama in the Conference Finals.
Three weeks ago, New York’s play-off hopes were in jeopardy after a 5-2 humbling in Chicago left them relying on Columbus Crew to defeat D.C. United. Columbus emerged victorious, leaving the Red Bulls clutching the eighth and final qualification spot. Now the two teams will do battle for the ultimate prize in Sunday’s season finale in Carson, California.
After a turbulent season which saw teenage prodigy Jozy Altidore depart for Villareal, captain Claudio Reyna forced into premature retirement, and two players (goalkeeper Jon Conway and defender Jeff Parke) receive ten-match season-ending suspensions after testing positive for illegal performance enhancers, head coach Juan Carlos Osorio has somehow engineered back-to-back road wins – double the amount achieved in 15 regular season games.
The Red Bulls travelled to Utah buoyed after stripping Houston of their crown, and by the fact that they had never lost to Real Salt Lake. The teams drew 1-1 on October 9 to mark the opening of Real’s new Rio Tinto Stadium. As was the case that night, a capacity crowd witnessed Dave van den Bergh give the visitors an early lead. But on this occasion, Salt Lake fell short in their attempts to hit back as New York held on to win 1-0.
Real defender Jamison Olave misjudged an attempted interception on 28 minutes, allowing veteran forward John Wolyniec the freedom of the left flank. His low cutback for Juan Pablo Angel was thwarted by Nick Rimando, but the sprawling goalkeeper could only palm the ball into the Dutchman’s path leaving the former Utrecht man to find the empty net from six yards.
The hosts almost restored parity ten minutes later. Javier Morales supplied an inswinging free-kick which narrowly eluded Clint Mathis and Kyle Beckerman before smacking the left post as New York goalkeeper Danny Cepero looked on helplessly.
Cepero’s goal led a charmed existence in the second leg against Houston and he was to enjoy further good fortune after the break. On 66 minutes, Olave spurned a golden opportunity to atone for his error by slicing high and wide from eight yards. Five minutes later, Yura Movsisyan looked set to equalise but Cepero narrowed the angle sufficiently to deflect the Armenian’s attempt wide.
The goalkeeper was beaten on 81 minutes although Robbie Findley’s effort was sliding agonisingly wide of the far post. Will Johnson gave chase to try to hook the ball back into the empty net, but he could only re-direct it against the post from a tight angle.
Nat Borchers joined the attack in the closing minutes and twice headed narrowly wide before the goal frame came to New York’s rescue one last time. With four minutes of injury time almost over, Morales latched onto a loose ball and watched in disbelief as his shot rebounded off the post with Cepero a mere bystander. New York had survived, somehow, despite Real’s 24 attempts on goal.
The Red Bulls’ fairytale run is epitomised by Cepero, the young goalkeeper brought in to replace Jon Conway last month. The 23-year-old marked his MLS debut against Columbus in spectacular fashion – he became the first goalkeeper to score in the league when his 80-yard free kick found the net after a customary random bounce on the artificial turf of Giants Stadium.
As well as enjoying a large share of luck, Cepero has displayed phenomenal agility in conceding only one goal in three play-off games.
Columbus, who topped the regular season table overall, remain favourites to end New York’s unlikely run in this Sunday’s final after they prevailed by 2-1 in a thrilling contest with Chicago Fire at Crew Stadium.
Initially, it appeared that Brian McBride would return to haunt his former team in his first game back in Ohio. But the Crew staged a successful second half comeback inspired by veteran Argentine playmaker Guillermo Barros Schelotto.
Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Chicago’s equally skilled creator, was the architect behind the first half’s highlights. His vast repertoire of tricks troubled the hosts as Chicago seized the initiative.
Blanco’s quick thinking led to the opener on 29 minutes. His instant throw-in released Justin Mapp down the left and his early cross found McBride in space on the six yard line. The former Fulham striker rose unchallenged to beat Will Hesmer with a routine header.
Columbus retaliated in style early in the second half. On 49 minutes, Schelotto provided a perfect set-piece delivery into the penalty area for Chad Marshall to attack. The recently named MLS Defender of the Year towered above McBride to power his header in off the crossbar.
Schelotto was involved again on 55 minutes as the Crew edged in front. His persistence prevented Chicago’s defense from clearing a long ball and eventually Alejandro Moreno found Eddie Gaven bursting into the box. The young midfielder kept his composure to steer an angled drive into Busch’s far corner.
For Crew head coach Sigi Schmid, recently named as Head Coach of the Year, the final at Home Depot Centre offers him the chance of a triumphant return to his former home. Schmid was famously dismissed by Los Angeles Galaxy in August 2004, despite the team sitting atop the standings, for failing to produce an entertaining style of play.
While Schmid has diligently continued with the job of producing a winning team, the decision-makers behind the league’s self-appointed flagship franchise still have much to learn about building a successful product on the pitch.
Conference Final Results
Eastern Conference
Columbus 2 Chicago 1
Western Conference
Salt Lake 0 New York 1
Three weeks ago, New York’s play-off hopes were in jeopardy after a 5-2 humbling in Chicago left them relying on Columbus Crew to defeat D.C. United. Columbus emerged victorious, leaving the Red Bulls clutching the eighth and final qualification spot. Now the two teams will do battle for the ultimate prize in Sunday’s season finale in Carson, California.
After a turbulent season which saw teenage prodigy Jozy Altidore depart for Villareal, captain Claudio Reyna forced into premature retirement, and two players (goalkeeper Jon Conway and defender Jeff Parke) receive ten-match season-ending suspensions after testing positive for illegal performance enhancers, head coach Juan Carlos Osorio has somehow engineered back-to-back road wins – double the amount achieved in 15 regular season games.
The Red Bulls travelled to Utah buoyed after stripping Houston of their crown, and by the fact that they had never lost to Real Salt Lake. The teams drew 1-1 on October 9 to mark the opening of Real’s new Rio Tinto Stadium. As was the case that night, a capacity crowd witnessed Dave van den Bergh give the visitors an early lead. But on this occasion, Salt Lake fell short in their attempts to hit back as New York held on to win 1-0.
Real defender Jamison Olave misjudged an attempted interception on 28 minutes, allowing veteran forward John Wolyniec the freedom of the left flank. His low cutback for Juan Pablo Angel was thwarted by Nick Rimando, but the sprawling goalkeeper could only palm the ball into the Dutchman’s path leaving the former Utrecht man to find the empty net from six yards.
The hosts almost restored parity ten minutes later. Javier Morales supplied an inswinging free-kick which narrowly eluded Clint Mathis and Kyle Beckerman before smacking the left post as New York goalkeeper Danny Cepero looked on helplessly.
Cepero’s goal led a charmed existence in the second leg against Houston and he was to enjoy further good fortune after the break. On 66 minutes, Olave spurned a golden opportunity to atone for his error by slicing high and wide from eight yards. Five minutes later, Yura Movsisyan looked set to equalise but Cepero narrowed the angle sufficiently to deflect the Armenian’s attempt wide.
The goalkeeper was beaten on 81 minutes although Robbie Findley’s effort was sliding agonisingly wide of the far post. Will Johnson gave chase to try to hook the ball back into the empty net, but he could only re-direct it against the post from a tight angle.
Nat Borchers joined the attack in the closing minutes and twice headed narrowly wide before the goal frame came to New York’s rescue one last time. With four minutes of injury time almost over, Morales latched onto a loose ball and watched in disbelief as his shot rebounded off the post with Cepero a mere bystander. New York had survived, somehow, despite Real’s 24 attempts on goal.
The Red Bulls’ fairytale run is epitomised by Cepero, the young goalkeeper brought in to replace Jon Conway last month. The 23-year-old marked his MLS debut against Columbus in spectacular fashion – he became the first goalkeeper to score in the league when his 80-yard free kick found the net after a customary random bounce on the artificial turf of Giants Stadium.
As well as enjoying a large share of luck, Cepero has displayed phenomenal agility in conceding only one goal in three play-off games.
Columbus, who topped the regular season table overall, remain favourites to end New York’s unlikely run in this Sunday’s final after they prevailed by 2-1 in a thrilling contest with Chicago Fire at Crew Stadium.
Initially, it appeared that Brian McBride would return to haunt his former team in his first game back in Ohio. But the Crew staged a successful second half comeback inspired by veteran Argentine playmaker Guillermo Barros Schelotto.
Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Chicago’s equally skilled creator, was the architect behind the first half’s highlights. His vast repertoire of tricks troubled the hosts as Chicago seized the initiative.
Blanco’s quick thinking led to the opener on 29 minutes. His instant throw-in released Justin Mapp down the left and his early cross found McBride in space on the six yard line. The former Fulham striker rose unchallenged to beat Will Hesmer with a routine header.
Columbus retaliated in style early in the second half. On 49 minutes, Schelotto provided a perfect set-piece delivery into the penalty area for Chad Marshall to attack. The recently named MLS Defender of the Year towered above McBride to power his header in off the crossbar.
Schelotto was involved again on 55 minutes as the Crew edged in front. His persistence prevented Chicago’s defense from clearing a long ball and eventually Alejandro Moreno found Eddie Gaven bursting into the box. The young midfielder kept his composure to steer an angled drive into Busch’s far corner.
For Crew head coach Sigi Schmid, recently named as Head Coach of the Year, the final at Home Depot Centre offers him the chance of a triumphant return to his former home. Schmid was famously dismissed by Los Angeles Galaxy in August 2004, despite the team sitting atop the standings, for failing to produce an entertaining style of play.
While Schmid has diligently continued with the job of producing a winning team, the decision-makers behind the league’s self-appointed flagship franchise still have much to learn about building a successful product on the pitch.
Conference Final Results
Eastern Conference
Columbus 2 Chicago 1
Western Conference
Salt Lake 0 New York 1
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