On Wednesday night, Toronto FC learned who they will face in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The pursuit of the 2017 MLS Cup begins next week against the New York Red Bulls.
Leg 1 is set for Monday, October 30 at 7pm at Red Bull Arena and Leg 2 will be played on Sunday, November 5 at 3pm at BMO Field. The path to the cup will go through New York.
As such, in preparation of an exciting series, it is crucial to know the opponent...
New York Red Bulls
One of MLS' charter clubs, the Red Bulls, were originally known as the New York/New Jersey MetroStars. In those early days, they played out of Giants Stadium before new ownership rebranded the side in 2006 and moved them into the stunning 25,000-seat Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey for the 2010 season.
Though New York have never won the MLS Cup – they were runners up in 2008 to Columbus Crew SC – in recent years they have twice collected the Supporters' Shield.
In 2013, they fell victim to the dreaded Shield Curse, dropping out against Houston in the first round, and come 2015 they progressed to the Conference Championship, only for Columbus to once more stand in their way.
Led by head coach Jesse Marsch and powered by the offensive duo of Bradley Wright-Phillips (17 goals, tied for sixth-best in MLS) and Sacha Kljestan (league-best 17 assists), they will present a formidable test for TFC.
HOW THEY GOT HERE
The Red Bulls finished sixth in the Eastern Conference on 50 points from 34 matches and enjoyed a leisurely Decision Day, safe in the knowledge that they could neither move up, nor down. They closed the regular season with a 2-1 win over Atlantic Cup rivals, D.C. United in the final match at hallowed RFK Stadium in the US capital, celebrating their cup victory one last time at the home of their bitter rivals.
That win extended an unbeaten run to three matches heading into the Knockout Round, where they booked a date with the third-place Chicago Fire.
But come Wednesday night, the Red Bulls high-energy proved too much for Chicago, who conceded twice inside the opening 11 minutes – both Wright-Phillips and Kljestan scored – all but deciding the tie.
With Chicago pressing for a way back, New York would add another two in the final twenty minutes – Daniel Royer in the 77th and Gonzalo Veron in the 87th – to take a 4-0 road win into the Conference Semifinal against Toronto, extending their unbeaten streak to four matches.
PAST IS PROLOGUE
The two sides have never met in the postseason, but the Red Bulls have bossed much of the all-time series in the regular season, winning 13 of 28 encounters and drawing a further seven.
The momentum has changed of late, however, as TFC is currently riding a three-match unbeaten run against the Harrison-based club. They won the most recent meeting 4-2 in September at BMO Field – Justin Morrow netted a hat-trick and Victor Vazquez added the fourth, while Royer and Veron scored for Red Bulls. The two sides drew 1-1 earlier in the season at Red Bull Arena, with Benoit Cheyrou leveling after Wright-Phillips had given the hosts the lead.
A September 2016 meeting at BMO Field, where New York took a two-goal lead in the opening half hour, ended in a frenetic 3-3 draw. Michael Bradley pulled one back before half-time, only for Wright-Phillips to reinstate the two-goal advantage shortly after the restart. Cue Jozy Altidore, who blistered a free-kick past Luis Robles in goal before nabbing an 86th minute equalizer to secure a share of the points.
Back in New Jersey, Red Bull Arena has been unkind to TFC. They had to wait until 2016 for a first win there – 2-0 in Marh of that year – at the eighth time of asking. In the previous seven, only once, in 2014, did they leave with a point.
All-time in the Big Apple, or, more precisely, across the river, Toronto has won just twice in 14 attempts, picking up points on two other occasions.
RECENT NOTABLE MATCHES
There have been several memorable encounters between the sides over the years – Henrying anyone? - but first and foremost stands an October 2015 match that featured a less-than-jet-lagged Sebastian Giovinco returning from international duty with Italy to power TFC to a first-ever playoff berth.
That was a match that banished a ghost or two around BMO Field, making amends for a 2009 end of season trip to New York that dashed hopes of spot in the post-season and perhaps a different history altogether.
And most recently, TFC clinched the Supporters' Shield in September with that 4-2 Morrow-inspired victory.
THE TIES THAT BIND
A series with New York will have special meaning for several Toronto players who have ties to the area.
Altidore, Bradley, and Jason Hernandez all began their MLS careers with RBNY/MetroStars, while all three were born in the New York-New Jersey area.
Alex Bono also hails from the Empire State, calling upstate Syracuse his hometown.
In Jesse Marsch and Greg Vanney, two of the up-and-coming managers in MLS will be matching wits – their records against the other's club is level, each having won on three occasions.
Robin Fraser, one of Vanney's assistant coaches, was on the Red Bull staff from 2013 to 2014 under then-head coach Mike Petke, now with Real Salt Lake.
In addition, New York Assistant Coach Chris Armas was a teammate of Vanney, Fraser, and Dan Calichman with the LA Galaxy from 1996-98. Incidentally, TFC broke their all-time MLS points record this year, attaining 69 points.
The match will feature two of the premier playmakers in the league in Victor Vazquez and Kljestan. The two have jostled for top-provider in the league all-season, with Kljestan narrowly edging Vazquez by a single assist – 17 to 16 – though Vazquez has twice as many game-winning assists and a fractionally better Assist/90min stat.
And, Brazilian midfielder, Felipe, is an old friend of Toronto FC's...
