The well-oiled machine at CF Montreal has never been so productive these days. With a goal in hand, the team are heading into the final games of their regular season and the New York Red Bulls will be the next to thwart their plans.
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The team, which plays in Harrison, New Jersey, has a chance at the Stade Saputo on Wednesday night. A win would see it move closer to second place in the Eastern Conference held by the Bleu-Blanc-Noir.
In fourth place with 44 points, the Red Bulls have to take it easy after playing one or two games more than their pursuers in the race for the playoffs.
“Playing against one of the best teams in the federation is a great opportunity for us to get promoted abroad. We’re not bad away from home,” said head coach Gerhard Struber at a press conference on Tuesday.
New York even has the best away record in all of Major League Soccer with eight wins, three losses and three draws. However, the Austrian pilot is aware of his opponent’s recent successes.
“It’s going to be a tough game. All players are doing well in Montreal. They also have an intelligent system to apply pressure and a lot of aggression in possession,” he analyzed.
Simple and efficient
It is therefore important that the Red Bulls players are on the same wavelength, in “a special atmosphere in Montreal,” said Struber. Remember that Wilfried Nancy’s men are undefeated in their last eight games and that they defeated the New England Revolution 4-0 at the Stade Saputo on August 20th.
“You have to find the right balance between making smart and simple decisions and having a very good frame of mind to break them,” said the New York coach.
Since conceding five goals against the Colorado Rapids in early August, the Red Bulls have left their opponents with nothing but crumbs. They have not given up more than one goal in their last five games and hold a 2-2-1 record.
Montreal won the only duel between the two teams this season, defeating their rivals 2-1 on April 9 at the Red Bull Arena.