The New England Revolution will take on the New York Red Bulls in a crucial matchup as New England looks to secure the second seed in the Eastern Conference.
New England currently sits in second place after leapfrogging Inter Miami. The Herons suffered a defeat against New England's opponent on Wednesday, while the Revs have a matchup against Lionel Messi and friends on Sunday.
The Revolution are currently in second place although even on points with Miami. At a minimum, three points keep New England on pace with the Herons, while a Miami loss could put the Revs in the driver's seat to secure the second seed.
New York is a similar team to New England in some ways. The Red Bulls have some impressive young stars in Julian Hall and Adri Mehmeti, while 35-year-old Emil Forsberg is still chugging along with five goals and four assists.
"I think under [Head Coach] Michael Bradley, we looked at quite a bit of their film and they're just very aggressive in the way they press and the tempo they play at," Matt Polster said when asked about New York. "It's a typical Red Bull team that I've seen in the past. When you come up against these guys, it's a very intense game. So, we have to match their energy and even raise it at times. They're fighting for a playoff spot, they're trying to get in, and we're trying to get as high up the table as we can.”
Revolution head coach Marko Mitrovic noted that New York is a pleasing opponent to study and watch with their style of play. Additionally, he noted while they have young stars, they play like they are grizzled veterans.
"But I want to say about New York Red Bulls is that their certain tendencies and the way they wanted to play that game, they are very consistent through the whole season, and they have a strong identity in the way they want to play in and out of possession," Mitrovic said. "They have a lot of young, talented, energetic players that are playing some of their first seasons. But you cannot see that inexperience in their game because they are very committed and expose that talent. They are a, I would say, very fun team to watch in a very positive way.”
When dealing with a team that presses as aggressively as New York, teams can come under pressure and feel forced to adapt. Mitrovic hopes that the Revs can stay calm and stick to their style of play.
“I think it’s every team that plays against opponents that have similar styles like Red Bull – try to avoid that trap that you get into the game that Red Bull wants to play," Mitrovic said. "It’s easy to say we have to take the game in our control and not play their way because they are so strong in what they are doing that you really have to compose yourself and impose yourself to be in situations that you can have the game on your side. That’s going to be our tendency [on Wednesday]. I know that task is not easy, but on the other side I know we have a group of guys that is ready to confront that and ready for that challenge.”
New England will still be without some key players. Jack Harrison, Alhassan Yusuf, and Leo Campana will all miss out while Will Sands is questionable.
The good news is that Yusuf is training in full while Harrison is scheduled to come back in November after the FIFA International Window. Unfortunately, there is still no timetable for Campana's return.
"I’ve said many times with Leo’s injury it is very, very sensitive and tricky," Mitrovic said. "It can be like it’s not a long-term injury, but it becomes a long-term injury."
Mitrovic has repeatedly stated he isn't constantly looking at the standings. But getting the two seed would help the Revs gain more home playoff games if they advance past the first round.
All three remaining matches will be great measuring sticks to see how ready New England is for the playoffs. The Revs passed the test against the Philadelphia Union; now let's see how they fare against the Red Bulls.
