Red Bull New York struggled to get their offense going on a chilly night at Sports Illustrated Stadium.
Saturday’s 2-0 home defeat to Toronto FC puts the Red Bulls in a precarious position with four regular-season games remaining.
Though the Red Bulls currently hold the No. 8 seed with 36 points, ninth-place FC Cincinnati are even on points and have two games in hand. Tenth-place Toronto is also even on points with the Red Bulls and FC Cincinnati but is below the two due to tiebreakers.
Despite owning 66 percent of possession and outshooting Toronto 15-6, the Red Bulls could not find the back of the net.
Red Bulls’ Playoff Hopes Take a Hit
The Red Bulls went behind in the third minute when Justin Che put in an own goal. Dániel Sallói doubled Toronto’s lead to 2-0 when he converted an 82nd-minute breakaway.
“Again, yeah, just a rough start tonight, giving away an early goal, kind of fed into their gameplan because then they just sat back in a low block, kept the ball in front,” defender Dylan Nealis said.
“So, yeah, we got to come up with some new ideas for teams that maybe have that mindset of, if we can get one, then we can just defend and keep the ball in front of us. So, yeah, like I said earlier, it’s super frustrating, something that we’ll look at.
“Four games left, we got to keep pushing. Mentality stays the same. Hopefully we can make a good run these last four games, play like our lives depend on it.”
Red Bull New York have now dropped three of their last four matches. With another four-match set to close the regular season and a maximum of 12 points up for grabs, the Red Bulls can’t afford to limp to the finish line.
But the final four matches against Inter Miami, the New England Revolution, Nashville SC and Atlanta United represent a very difficult schedule.
Michael Bradley Promises Red Bulls Won’t ‘Roll Over’ Against Inter Miami
Next Saturday, Lionel Messi and second-place Inter Miami invade Sports Illustrated Stadium.
Red Bull New York head coach Michael Bradley promised that his side won’t buckle when pitted against the defending MLS Cup champions.
“I will go on record and say that I think Messi’s the best player that’s ever played,” Bradley said. “But anybody who thinks we’re just going to let them come in here and do whatever they want and roll over and turn it into a Harlem Globetrotters night, no chance. No chance. Anybody who’s watched us all year knows that.”
At the moment, the Red Bulls are clinging to a playoff spot by the skin of their teeth. It’s up to Bradley and his squad to prove that they’re capable of strengthening their hold.
“The night ends and we are in a playoff spot,” Bradley said. “So with four games to go, we are there. Let’s see how it plays out. There’s still a lot of soccer to be played.”
Next Saturday’s match against Inter Miami is scheduled for a 5:30 p.m. kickoff. The match will be carried on Apple TV.
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