Schwartz: Get Ready For A Weekend Packed With Soccer Excitement
By Peter Schwartz
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Throughout the history of pro soccer in the New York/New Jersey area, there have been many memorable moments. But this weekend, there will be a soccer buzz that we've never quite seen before and that will run through Long Island, New Jersey and the Bronx, where the region's three top teams are all in action at home in the playoffs.
On Saturday night, the Cosmos begin defense of their seventh NASL Soccer Bowl title. Then on Sunday, the Red Bulls and NYCFC will host the second legs of their respective MLS Eastern Conference semifinal series. The seasons are on the line for all three teams, and the drama will unfold in front of their fans.
Quite a weekend for soccer fans, huh?
"Yeah, it's special," Red Bulls captain and midfielder Dax McCarty told WFAN.com. "I think it's special for Major League Soccer, I think it's special for the NASL, and I think it's special for everyone that is a fan of soccer in the tri-state area. Certainly, there are three really good teams that all play here."
The Red Bulls have some work to do in Leg 2 against the Montreal Impact after dropping the first match 1-0 on the road. The Red Bulls can advance to the Eastern Conference final with a two-goal victory of any kind or they can force extra time with a 1-0 win. Any other one-goal victory by the Red Bulls would still give Montreal the series win based on away goals, which are the tiebreaker if the aggregate score is even.
Back at the friendly confines of Red Bull Arena, the top team in the Eastern Conference will follow its blueprint for success on the big pitch in Harrison, New Jersey.
"The mindset is to stay aggressive and that this series is as wide open as ever," McCarty said. "We know that it's a tough task. We know that we let an opportunity slip away from us up in Montreal. We know we will play better, especially at home. It's just a matter of finishing the chances that we do get."
The expectation is that Montreal, with a 1-0 lead, will not push hard at the outset, stay deep defensively and then try to hit the Red Bulls quickly back the other way. The Red Bulls have to find the right balance of aggressiveness upfront and discipline on the back end.
"It's not going to be easy," McCarty said. "They're going to make it really hard on us, but the game is still in our hands. The onus is going to be on us to try and take the game to them. In the midfield, we have to be careful with how aggressive we are. They certainly can be very dangerous and effective on the counterattack."
The Red Bulls can be dangerous as well, especially at Red Bull Arena, where they had an MLS-best home record of 13-2-2 this season, including a pair of wins over Montreal. Over the last two seasons, the Red Bulls are 27-5-4 at home in the regular season and playoffs. They have a strong comfort level at Red Bull Arena, and they ooze with confidence when they step onto their home field.
They expect that trend to continue Sunday.
"We'll take being down 1-0 in the first leg to be able to come home and play at Red Bull Arena in the second leg because we know that we're going to get chances," McCarty said. "The game will be played on our terms, but at the end of the day, it's going to come down to how sharp we can be in front of goal."
Should the Red Bulls find a way to advance to the Eastern Conference final, they would meet the winner of the NYCFC-Toronto FC series, which will conclude Sunday as well. An adventurous local soccer fan could possibly make his or her way to Red Bull Arena and then try to meander across the George Washington Bridge over to Yankee Stadium.
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In their first-ever home playoff match, NYCFC will try to rally after dropping the first leg in Toronto, 2-0. City might have to go to work without Andrea Pirlo once again after he missed Leg 1 with an injured calf. The good news is that Frank Lampard could return to the starting lineup and David Villa avoided being suspended for Sunday's match despite the fact that he should have been given a red card for his foul on Armando Cooper in the first half of Leg 1.
While the Red Bulls and NYCFC have their sights set on a Hudson River Eastern Conference final showdown, the Cosmos are taking aim at their second straight NASL Soccer Bowl trophy and third in the four years since their reboot.
The Cosmos, winners of the Fall Season title and the No. 1 overall seed, will meet fourth-seeded Rayo OKC in a semifinal match Saturday night at Hofstra University.
"It's big for the team to be in the semifinal two years in a row and have a chance to win it two years in a row," midfielder Ruben Bover told me after Wednesday's training session. "It would be massive for the players, the team and obviously for the fans, so we're going to go for everything, and hopefully it works out."
While the Red Bulls have been exceptional at home, the Cosmos have been even better. In fact, they haven't lost a match at Shuart Stadium all season, with 14 wins and two draws in 16 games. However, the Cosmos have had trouble with Rayo this season -- a 1-0 win and 1-1 tie at home and a 3-0 loss on the road.
And Rayo enters riding a 10-game unbeaten streak.
"They're a great team," said Bover, who tallied four goals and two assists during the regular season. "It's going to be a hard challenge and a difficult game. For them, it's going to be extra motivation to beat the Cosmos at home. Nobody has done it all year, so we have to be as hungry as they are."
This will be a weekend for hungry soccer fans in the New York/New Jersey area to feast on. Three teams hosting playoff games with their seasons on the line. It's a weekend that is unprecedented when it comes to professional soccer for local fans, and the end result could be one or both of our MLS clubs in the Eastern Conference final and a storied franchise on the precipice of another NASL championship.
Strap yourselves in for a wild ride.
Don't forget to follow Pete on Twitter at @pschwartzcbsfan. You can also follow @NewYorkRedBulls, @NYCFC and @NYCosmos.
