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Preview: Real Salt Lake v. New York Red Bulls
Two Cinderella stories intertwine their plotlines on Saturday night at Rio Tinto Stadium. One of the two is going to lose its glass slipper, while the other will go to the biggest dance of them all.
Nov 14, 2008 2:58:46 PM
Real Salt Lake v. New York Red Bulls
What: Western Conference Final
When: 9:30 pm ET, Saturday, November 15
Where: Rio Tinto Stadium, Sandy, UT
TV: FSC, HDNet
The Gist: The winner of the Western Conference finals will advance to MLS Cup for their first time. This is the ninth time New York have been in the postseason, but just the second time they have advanced this far. On the other hand, Real Salt Lake are making their first postseason appearance in their fourth year of existence.
As a result, Real have yet to lose a playoff game. The newbies knocked out Chivas USA with a 1-0 win at home, followed by a draw at the Home Depot Center. Those results extended their current unbeaten streak to seven games, which includes a draw with New York in the opener at Rio Tinto Stadium.
New York’s place in the conference finals is thanks to one of the biggest upsets in MLS history. Red Bull, who won just once on the road in the regular season, matched that number as they went to Houston and ended the Dyanmo’s dream of a three-peat with a 3-0 win following a tie in the first leg. Those results reversed a poor end of the season where the Gotham club lost four of its last six games.
A streak the Red Bulls would like to continue is their undefeated history against RSL. In eight meetings, six have resulted in ties with the other two giving New York the win. One of those victories came in September on a 2-1 decision at Giants Stadium.
Why You Should Care: Neither of these teams were expected to make the playoffs at the start of the season. And both nearly missed the post season as they saw their fates come down to the last weekend. A last second Yura Movsisyan goal booked Real’s ticket while D.C. United’s failure in Columbus gave New York a second life.
Though Juan Pablo Angel is the focal point of the Red Bulls attack, he had plenty of help last week. Dane Richards was involved in all of the goals -- scoring the first, creating a penalty kick, and assisting the third -- and three different players scored. That balance will be needed as Angel faces another strong defensive duo in Nat Borchers and Jamison Olave.
Richards and Dave van den Bergh will have to win the battles on the wings where Dema Kovalenko and Will Johnson tend to pinch in more to the center. That area is where Real will dominate thanks to Javier Morales. The Argentine needs to continue to work his magic against Luke Sassano, who helped shut down Dwayne De Rosario last week. After a strong regular season, the Argentine playmaker has been involved in all three goals Real have scored in the postseason, assisting the first two before taking matters into his own hands and scoring the second goal in the second leg.
While Angel is depended upon to score the goals for New York, Morales sets up the play for others and has more help than the Colombian striker. Clint Mathis has yet to score in his return to Salt Lake, but doing so against a former club would be a perfect way to re-open his account. However, Movsisyan is the player that Morales looks to the most and just had a three-game goal-scoring streak snapped. Playing against a defense that gave up a multitude of chances to Houston last week, Movsisyan will have plenty of chances to be a hero again.
Who's the Man Right Now? Danny Cepero. The Red Bulls netminder had a blinder last week. Though he only made five saves, they were all highlight quality ones against a top-notch offense. For New York to advance to their first-ever MLS Cup, Cepero will again have to be on top of his game.
Prediction: Real Salt Lake 2, New York Red Bulls 1
-- Pat Walsh, Goal.com
What: Western Conference Final
When: 9:30 pm ET, Saturday, November 15
Where: Rio Tinto Stadium, Sandy, UT
TV: FSC, HDNet
The Gist: The winner of the Western Conference finals will advance to MLS Cup for their first time. This is the ninth time New York have been in the postseason, but just the second time they have advanced this far. On the other hand, Real Salt Lake are making their first postseason appearance in their fourth year of existence.
As a result, Real have yet to lose a playoff game. The newbies knocked out Chivas USA with a 1-0 win at home, followed by a draw at the Home Depot Center. Those results extended their current unbeaten streak to seven games, which includes a draw with New York in the opener at Rio Tinto Stadium.
New York’s place in the conference finals is thanks to one of the biggest upsets in MLS history. Red Bull, who won just once on the road in the regular season, matched that number as they went to Houston and ended the Dyanmo’s dream of a three-peat with a 3-0 win following a tie in the first leg. Those results reversed a poor end of the season where the Gotham club lost four of its last six games.
A streak the Red Bulls would like to continue is their undefeated history against RSL. In eight meetings, six have resulted in ties with the other two giving New York the win. One of those victories came in September on a 2-1 decision at Giants Stadium.
Why You Should Care: Neither of these teams were expected to make the playoffs at the start of the season. And both nearly missed the post season as they saw their fates come down to the last weekend. A last second Yura Movsisyan goal booked Real’s ticket while D.C. United’s failure in Columbus gave New York a second life.
Though Juan Pablo Angel is the focal point of the Red Bulls attack, he had plenty of help last week. Dane Richards was involved in all of the goals -- scoring the first, creating a penalty kick, and assisting the third -- and three different players scored. That balance will be needed as Angel faces another strong defensive duo in Nat Borchers and Jamison Olave.
Richards and Dave van den Bergh will have to win the battles on the wings where Dema Kovalenko and Will Johnson tend to pinch in more to the center. That area is where Real will dominate thanks to Javier Morales. The Argentine needs to continue to work his magic against Luke Sassano, who helped shut down Dwayne De Rosario last week. After a strong regular season, the Argentine playmaker has been involved in all three goals Real have scored in the postseason, assisting the first two before taking matters into his own hands and scoring the second goal in the second leg.
While Angel is depended upon to score the goals for New York, Morales sets up the play for others and has more help than the Colombian striker. Clint Mathis has yet to score in his return to Salt Lake, but doing so against a former club would be a perfect way to re-open his account. However, Movsisyan is the player that Morales looks to the most and just had a three-game goal-scoring streak snapped. Playing against a defense that gave up a multitude of chances to Houston last week, Movsisyan will have plenty of chances to be a hero again.
Who's the Man Right Now? Danny Cepero. The Red Bulls netminder had a blinder last week. Though he only made five saves, they were all highlight quality ones against a top-notch offense. For New York to advance to their first-ever MLS Cup, Cepero will again have to be on top of his game.
Prediction: Real Salt Lake 2, New York Red Bulls 1
-- Pat Walsh, Goal.com
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