It’s do or die for the Columbus Crew from here on out in 2024. Thanks to a disappointing home loss in the playoff opener last Tuesday, the Crew must get the better of the New York Red Bulls on Sunday in order to keep their season alive. The Crew’s 1-0 has put them squarely behind the eight ball as they travel to New York. The Crew needs to quickly regain its form that saw them finish 2nd in the East and start as heavy favorites in this best-of-three series with New York. Despite their game 1 struggles, the Crew and their fans are filled with belief thanks to their core group of superstars and the ability the Crew have shown to go on the road and get massive results. Get yourself ready for a huge Sunday matchup in the 2024 MLS playoffs. 

New York Red Bulls at a Glance:

Record: 11-14-9, 47 points 

League Form: W, L,L,W,L

Leading Scorer: Lewis Morgan  (13)

Assist Leader: Dante Vanzeir  (9)

Player to Watch: Emil Forsberg

Forsberg is one of the marquee signings of the MLS offseason and has hit the ground running so far with Red Bull, despite missing significant time with injuries. Formerly, of the German side RB Leipzig, Forsberg brings Bundesliga and Champions League experience with him to New York, not to mention his international experience with Sweden. His quality and experience were on full display 10 days ago as he almost single-handedly orchestrated a comeback from 2 goals down for his side.

Forsberg typically operates in the central part of the field for the Red Bulls, but has the freedom to roam around the field and find space to operate in. Forsberg isn’t necessarily a player who will run at back lines with the ball, he would rather pull the strings in attack by finding his teammates with well-timed passes in the attacking third. However, that doesn’t mean that Forsberg can’t wiggle his way past defenders when given the opportunity. Perhaps the thing that sticks out most about Forsberg compared to his contemporaries in MLS is his ball-striking ability. Forsberg has the ability to pass, serve crosses and shoot with the utmost precision. This ball-striking ability makes him incredibly dangerous anywhere in the attacking third as he has the ability to either score himself or set up his teammates from just about anywhere. The Crew will need to keep close tabs on Forsberg in this match and beyond in order to beat NYRB and keep their season alive.

How New York Red Bulls play: 

New York have been an interesting tactical team under first-year manager Sandro Schwarz all year. The 46-year-old German coach has leaned on the traditional Red Bull approach with their defensive pressing and high intensity off the ball. However, Schwarz has introduced a bit more structure and plan in keeping possession for his side in 2024. That largely went out the window in game one of this series. Red Bull seems quite content to defend very deeply towards their own goal and cede possession. Of course, this is partly due to taking a lead early on in the match. However, it poses an interesting dilemma for Schwarz as Red Bull returns home. Stick to what worked in the first leg by defending deep and counterattacking? Or try and put the Crew under pressure on the road and gain the front foot? It will likely be a little bit of both on Sunday as the game ebbs and flows. 

Another interesting change from Tuesday’s matchup was RBNY’s formation. For much of the 2024 campaign, Schwarz has used a 4-4-2 formation. However last Tuesday, Schwarz shifted to a 3-5-2 and tried to “match” the Crew’s formation. This limits the Crew’s natural overloads when in possession and puts a huge emphasis on winning individual battles against your opponent. The Crew has struggled all year against teams who “match” their shape, so I believe Schwarz will stick to this shape until the Crew prove they can beat it. 

How the Crew can win:

1. Score First: The first goal is huge in this game. If NYRB score first, they will almost certainly defend in a low block for as long as possible after. Meanwhile if the Crew score first then RBNY will have to apply pressure up the field in order to try and get back in the game. Scoring the first goal needs to be a priority for Columbus. 
2. Defend Transition and Set Pieces: When Red Bull scores, it’s almost always off of a set piece or counterattack. The Crew needs to defend these moments well on Sunday. Red Bull will be looking to these moments as huge opportunities to score. 
3. Patient Urgency: The Crew needs to win this match in order to stay alive in the postseason. The urgency the team displays needs to match that fact. However, the Crew don’t need to “force” the action in front of goal as they sometimes do. 90 minutes is a long time to defend the Crew, the Crew need to create and take chances with urgency while understanding that they have plenty of time to gain the advantage.