The New York Red Bulls will be California dreamin’ as they head out west for their second-ever appearance in the MLS Cup against the Los Angeles Galaxy. It couldn’t get any more storybook than this, with a classic New York vs. LA, East vs. West matchup to decide the MLS champion.
The Journey to the Final
An injury-ridden second half of the season caused New York to struggle to find their footing, earning more ties than wins and suffering more losses than the club expected. Entering the 2024 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs as the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference, the Red Bulls were counted out by just about everyone, especially going up against the defending champion Columbus Crew in the first round.
Sparked by the club’s captain Emil Forsberg’s “Why can’t we” quote, the Red Bulls quickly proved everyone wrong, sweeping Columbus in the first round. There was no slowing down either as the club advanced through New York City FC and Orlando SC, shutting out both on the road to reach the final.
New York is not only undefeated during this playoff run, but is 3-0 in away matches. The club is also the lowest seed in league history to reach the MLS Cup as a seventh seed in an improbable outcome.
“I came here to bring the Red Bulls back to something special,” Forsberg said. “The goal was to come here to win. I don’t think anybody believed the Red Bulls were going to be here in MLS Cup.”
Clean Sheet Carlos
Another big part of New York’s playoff success is goalkeeper Carlos Coronel. In their four playoff matches leading up to the final, the Red Bulls’ recorded three clean sheets with a combined 21 saves total. The Paraguayan keeper also was a big part of New York’s second win over Columbus in penalty kicks, making saves to advance the club.
“Carlos (Coronel), massive moment stepped up, huge,” Midfielder Daniel Edelman said after eliminating Columbus. “And those saves were everything and so vital to like, give me confidence, and to be able to know that I have Carlos’ (Coronel) backing, that he’s going to make the save. Seen him in training, and he said he’s been an absolute beast. And throughout the whole series, I think it showed as a team, our collective grit.”
Sending Supporters
The RBNY supporters have been an integral part of New York’s playoff success. From a packed Red Bull Arena in Game 2 of the first round, to making Citi Field in Queens, NY feel like a home match in the second. Travelling down to Orlando to watch the Red Bulls become Eastern Conference champions for the first time. The supporters have been incredible.
“First of all, shout out to the people who came here,” Defender John Tolkin said after the Orlando match. “Shout out to all the people who were watching at those places. We see it on social media, and it’s a really cool and humbling thing to see, and I think that gives us an extra boost. To be honest, the way the stadium is I couldn’t see past like three rows and where the supporters were, but we could hear them for sure, especially with all the noise that Orlando brought. So huge testament to them. I hope they get home safe, and we’re going to need that energy next week.”
The club can’t thank the supporters enough and is even giving back for the final. The two official supporters clubs of the New York Red Bulls, Viking Army SC and EmpireSC along with help from New York’s front office have purchased over 2,200 tickets for the MLS Cup. They have also assisted in financing travel accommodations to create a massive RBNY supporters section in Los Angeles.
New York vs. LA
This will be the 52nd meeting between the two coasts, with a current tie as both sides are 21-21-9 against each other. This is also the first meeting between The Red Bulls and Galaxy in three years, with Los Angeles winning the last matchup 3-2 back in April 2021. While New York has gotten hot at the right time, Los Angeles will be without one of their best players, Riqui Puig after tearing his ACL in the Western Conference final against Seattle. Though, chances are recent European transfer Marco Reus will make an appearance for one final game of the season.
So this is it. This is the big one. The Red Bulls will face the Galaxy on Saturday, December 7th for the MLS Cup in Dignity Health Sports Park.
