The New York Red Bulls (9-10-6) return to regular competition Sunday as they face Western Conference foe Real Salt Lake (9-11-4). It will be their first meeting against each other since 2023, when Salt Lake earned a 3-1 victory in Utah.
Even though New York was unable to advance in this season’s Leagues Cup, they played fairly well throughout the competition. From rising star Julian Hall scoring a goal to backup goalkeeper AJ Marcucci defending efficiently, there were a lot of positives from it. Manager Sandro Schwarz spoke on the performance aspect of things during Saturday’s pre-match press conference with the media.
“From the performance side, it was very well most of the time,” Schwarz said Saturday. “I think that was very important for us to use the time to develop our principles, to develop how we want to play and we could see this in all the games.”
Now, the Red Bulls are back to regular-season action and Sunday marks a critical time in their season. As it currently stands, the Red Bulls are on the outside looking in when it comes to playoff positioning. Sitting in tenth place in the Eastern Conference, every match moving forward is important for New York.
It is no secret that New York has the longest playoff streak in Major League Soccer history, having qualified for the postseason for 15 consecutive seasons. With clubs like Chicago Fire FC and rivals New York City FC earning points, New York cannot afford to drop results.
With nine matches in MLS play remaining, Schwarz referenced what he mentioned following their loss vs Chicago on July 26.
“I think the main part is what we said after Chicago, directly, to go day by day, to use our time for our development, for our identity, for our philosophy, how we want to play and tomorrow is the first step of the last period.”
With this being an important stretch for New York, captain Emil Forsberg and forward Eric Choupo-Moting will have to be at their very best now. Forsberg is coming off a great Leagues Cup, where his late-game heroics vs. Chivas de Guadalajara and FC Juárez helped New York mightily. On the other hand, Choupo-Moting was not a focal point during the competition, so a return to form should be expected on Sunday.
The goal expertise of Forsberg and Choupo-Moting will be needed vs a Salt Lake club that features one of the United States’ brightest stars. Midfielder Diego Luna has experienced a fantastic year not only at the club level but in international competition as well. Luna’s stardom exploded during this summer’s CONCACAF Gold Cup as his great play and love for his country made him a fan favorite.
With Salt Lake this season, Luna has been the main source for goals for a squad that finds themselves ninth in the Western Conference with 31 points. With 12 goal contributions for Salt Lake, Luna has helped his team immensely. Without him, the “Claret and Cobalt” would be in a worse position in the standings than they are currently.
Just like New York, Salt Lake is pushing for a playoff spot. To strengthen their drive to the postseason, Salt Lake added valuable pieces in the Secondary Transfer Window to aid their attack. This included adding Sparta Prague (Czech 1.Liga) striker Victor Olatunji and receiving Botafogo’s (Brazilian Série A) striker Rwan Cruz on loan.
“We are not trying to think too much about playoffs or what’s ahead,” midfielder Mohammed Sofo told the press Saturday. “We try to take every game one by one and yeah, approach them with the same mindset here.”
Kickoff for Sunday’s match is set for 6 p.m. on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+.
