Columbus Crew coach Wilfried Nancy has a message for his team, and likely their anxious supporters, when he told them to “stay calm” heading into a must-win match at the New York Red Bulls on Sunday.
The No. 7 seeded Red Bulls stunned the second-seeded and defending MLS Cup champion Crew 1-0 in Columbus in Match 1 of the best-of-three first round series on Tuesday.
Felipe Carballo scored off a set piece in the 25th minute and Carlos Coronel made eight saves to stymie the potent Crew attack. Columbus had 73 percent possession but the Red Bulls used high pressure before dropping into a defensive block.
“Stay calm because the game was the game that we wanted to do, except the finishing and also the goal that we conceded,” Nancy said. “We knew that it could be a kind of game like that.
“They defended with the back five. We knew that, also. The message is to stay calm, to analyze the game and to be detailed about what we want to do. We know that it’s going to be another game that we have to do (on the road) with another challenge. We’re going to try to be good to accept this challenge.”
Red Bulls coach Sandro Schwarz wants his players to have the same mentality for the match in Harrison, N.J.
“It’s not too much to talk about the first game,” he said. “It’s important now to have a clear focus for the next game on Sunday.
“We have another game and we need another solution than the last game but the same intensity. That’s clear against a good team and we will see now what happens on Sunday.”
The wild card could be Diego Rossi. The Crew’s second-leading contributor (12 goals, 11 assists) did not play in the first match because of a bad back. He will play on Sunday.
“He’s a fast player, so he offers us a threat in behind,” Crew midfielder Max Arfsten said. “Also, he runs a lot. He’s dynamic in that sense. So, it’ll be nice to have him back.”
Match 3, if necessary, will be Nov. 10 in Columbus.
–Field Level Media
