November 30, 2024; Orlando, Florida, USA; The New York Red Bulls celebrate their victory in the 2024 MLS Cup Eastern Conference final at Inter&Co Stadium. Mandatory attribution: Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images
Outsiders are definitely welcome at the Red Bulls.
New York’s oldest Major League Soccer franchise defeated Orlando City SC 1-0 in the Eastern Conference final on Saturday evening, securing its ticket to the second-ever MLS Cup final, where it will take place on Saturday at Dignity Health Sports Park meets the Los Angeles Galaxy out in California.
Defender Andres Reyes’ header in the 47th minute, coupled with immobile defense and three saves from goalkeeper Carlos Coronel, were enough to enable the Red Bulls to reach their first cup final since 2008.
It was also New York’s third straight upset win to reach this point. The No. 7 seed Red Bulls overcame a miserable finish to their regular season, winning just three of their last eight games and defeating defending champion Columbus Crew in two games before defeating bitter rivals NYCFC 2-0 in the conference semifinals.
They are the lowest-seeded players in league history to reach the MLS Cup Final
“Perhaps the biggest surprise for many is to now be in the MLS Cup final,” said head coach Sandro Schwarz. “To be honest, it’s a very good feeling for me. But it’s not the biggest surprise.”
Swedish star midfielder Emil Forsberg reinforced Schwarz’s mindset before the playoffs, where he boldly told NewYork: “Screw it, we can win. Why can’t we?”
A headline-grabbing player of this quality will, in most cases, boost a team in the postseason, regardless of sport. Forsberg, 32, has played on the world’s biggest stages, including the German Bundesliga with Red Bull Leipzig – one of the biggest and most lucrative leagues in the world – the UEFA Champions League and the FIFA World Cup with his native Sweden .
It had to be something special to catapult him to the United States, and he saw that clearly with the Red Bulls. This was confirmed on Saturday evening in Orlando.
“That’s why I came,” Forsberg said. “I wanted a challenge. I think it was the perfect challenge for me. I’m so glad we did it. Nobody really believed in us, but we did it.”
Overall, though, Forsberg is almost like a mercenary given how the Red Bulls have built this MLS Cup Final contender. The name of the game is developing young players into invaluable contributors, be it 21-year-old midfielder Daniel Edelman, versatile 23-year-old Cameron Harper or 22-year-old defender John Tolkin, who assisted on Reyes’ game-winning goal in the conference finals .
“For me and just for the people who grew up in the area, it’s a dream come true,” Tolkin said. “This is an incredible moment. That’s why we do it. You know, all the things we’ve dealt with throughout the year, the ups and downs. We still have one more to go but the boys will definitely enjoy this evening… It’s all about the mentality. Sandro said: “Don’t confuse emotions with mentality,” and I think we did that perfectly tonight. It wasn’t always easy.”
