The New York Red Bulls have been defined by their futility. They are annually bounced from the opening round of the playoffs, and up until last year’s Supporters Shield, found themselves on the wrong side of any challenge for trophies. It has so defined the team that their own fans coined the phrase “That’s so Metro” to describe the moments of madness and meltdown so often experienced by the team. In fact, their playoff futility runs so deep, that in the almost two decades of MLS’ existence, the Red Bulls have only managed to advance past the first round of the playoffs three times. Their opponents in the Conference Final have just as much futility in the playoffs, although to a much different degree than the Red Bulls. It makes for a strange rivalry between the two teams as neither one could ever ascend the highest heights.
The rivalry can be traced back to an event that New York fans will remember as long they will live. In the team’s first home game in league history, the Metrostars faced the New England Revolution. In front of 46,000 fans, a botched clearance by Nicola Caricola landed in the back of the net with just 15 seconds left in the match. The ball was played across the six yard box. Tony Meola knocked the ball out to Caricola who was facing the goal. His attempt to lift the ball over the net was mishit, and the Curse of Caricola was born. Much like the Boston Red Sox, the curse weighed heavily on fans minds from day one. Any time anything went wrong for New York, the Red Bull fans would give credence to the curse all over again. The Revs would forever be linked with that curse. Perhaps they too were victims of the black magic prevalent in the building that night.
Between 2002 and 2007, the Revs made 6 consecutive Conference Finals, and 4 MLS Cup appearances. Each time they came up short. This year marks their first return to the Conference Final since the 2007 MLS Playoffs. New England indeed holds the same number of trophies as the much maligned Red Bulls, but the perception of the team, at least in the mid-aught’s, is that of a perennial winner. To be fair, the Revs had far more success in the playoffs than the Red Bulls, but they seem to be just as snake bitten when you look at their trophy case.
New England could rightfully be called the Buffalo Bills of the MLS thanks to their four losing performances in the MLS Cup Final. Their first trip, in 2002, could qualify as one of the greatest heartbreaking defeats of all time. It was played in front of a sold out crowd of 60,000, at the brand new Gillette Stadium. It was the largest crowd ever for an MLS Cup Final, and with the Revs at home, they were surely the favorites. New England and LA played a tight, physical game, where neither team could find an edge. This lasted the entire 90 minutes and sent the game into extra time. In 2002, MLS still employed the golden goal rule, and the game became the longest MLS Cup Final in history. In extra time, New England hit the cross bar, and Carlos Ruiz put one just wide for the Galaxy. Finally in the 113’, Ruiz sprinted into the box and snuck one into the far post, setting the precedent for future New England failures.
It would be three more years before New England would return to MLS Cup. On the road to the Cup, the Revs would face the then Metrostars in the Eastern Conference Semi-Final. The Metrostars carried a 1-0 aggregate score into Gillette Stadium. Youri Djorkaeff put the Metrostars up in the 59th minute giving New York a 2-0 aggregate lead on the road. Victory seemed all but assured. In the final 22 minutes, the Metrostars would give up 3 goals to lose the series 3-2 on aggregate. It was the final game that the Metrostars would play. The team was rebranded in the offseason, but their history of mediocrity could not be expunged so easily.
The Revs advanced to the final for the second time in team history. The LA Galaxy would once again be their opponents and the underdogs. This time the game was played at another brand new stadium, Pizza Hut Park (Now known as Toyota Park) in Frisco, TX. Stop me if you heard this one before. The two teams played a tight and physical game, and neither team could find a goal in regulation. LA had the better of the play, but Matt Reis kept the Revs in the game. In the second half, the Revs woke up and applied more pressure, but it didn’t change the result. In a near identical situation, LA and New England headed to extra time. This time the goal came 7 minutes earlier, in the 107’, courtesy of Pando Ramirez, a forgotten bench player for the Galaxy. Again, LA emerged triumphant, and New England headed into the off-season licking their wounds.
MLS Cup 2006 was once again held in Dallas. This time, the Revs went up against the Houston Dynamo. Notably the game featured Brian Ching and Taylor Twellman. The two were pitted against each other for the final USMNT roster spot at the World Cup earlier that summer. New England came out holding possession, and Houston was reduced to playing the counter attack. Twellman and Ching couldn’t break through, and the MLS Cup would once again go to extra time. Miraculously, New England finally found a goal, as Twellman found the far post, and all signs pointed to the curse finally being lifted. Seconds later, Brian Ching would equalize to drag the Revs right back down. The game could not be decided in extra time, and went to penalty kicks. With Houston up 4-3, current Revolution coach Jay Heaps hit a soft shot that Pat Onstad easily saved, winning the Houston Dynamo their first MLS Cup.
The last time New York and New England met in the playoffs was in the 2007 Eastern Conference Semi-Final. New York controlled the first leg in Giants Stadium, but could not find the back of the net. At Gillette Stadium, the Red Bulls found themselves in a Metro moment. Juan Pablo Angel challenged Jay Heaps for a header. Angel’s head collided with Heap’s knee on the descent. Angel went down with a concussion. While the Red Bull’s staff was evaluating their star striker, Taylor Twellman took advantage of the Revolution’s superior numbers and put away the only goal of the series. New York’s playoff exit was a perfect echo of what New England would experience only a few games later at MLS Cup
MLS Cup 2007 was held in Washington DC at RFK stadium. For the second straight year, the Houston Dynamo was their opponents. Houston was missing two of their best players in Brian Ching and Ricardo Clark. Clark missed the game due to a violent act against Carlos Ruiz. New England would surely be the favorite with the full complement of their roster and their high flying offense. The game was once again intense and physical, but this time, New England found a goal in regulation on a Taylor Twellman header. As good as their offense was in 2007, New England’s defense was not quite up to par. Despite scoring the second most goals in the league (51) that season, they only had a goal differential of +8. Houston would capitalize on two costly mistakes from the Revs. The first came in the 61st minute. A probing ball came in across the 6-yard box to Joseph Ngwenya, who whiffed on his first attempt, but New England was unable to clear the ball and Ngwenya finished his second attempt. 15 minutes later, Houston would strike again. Dwayne De Rosario was unmarked in the box, and an in-swinging cross from Brad Davis was redirected past Matt Reese. The goal would prove to be the winner, and the Revolution completed their fourth collapse in the MLS Cup final.
New York’s sole appearance in MLS Cup came from an unexpected place, the Western Conference. New York qualified through the Wild Card. In 2008, the playoff teams would be the 10 teams with the highest points total in the league standings. Playoffs were still split by the East and West. The Red Bulls have qualified as the 10th team and had to play the number one seed in the West, 2-time Champion Houston Dynamo. A surprise win on the road launched the Red Bulls into the Western Conference final against Real Salt Lake.
Dave Van den Bergh played hero on the night at Rio Tinto Stadium after cleaning up a spilled save from Nick Rimando. The Red Bulls played the rest of the game on their heels. Defending was nearly non-existent. One of the greatest run of goalkeeping performances in team history kept the shutout and launched the Red Bulls into their first MLS Cup as winners of the Western Conference. In MLS Cup they faced the Supporter’s Shield winning Columbus Crew. The Crew went into halftime with a 1-0 lead. The Red Bulls managed to tie the game up shortly after halftime thanks to the only Red Bull player to ever score in an MLS Cup Final, John Wolyniec. Just two minutes later, Columbus would retake the lead for good through a Chad Marshall header. The nail in the bull shaped coffin was firmly planted by Frankie Hejduk in the 82nd minute. It was one of the most lopsided Cup Final in league history.
Heading into Sunday’s sold-out match at Red Bull Arena, the Red Bulls will look to continue their strong home form in their attempt to win it all for long suffering fan base and an aging hero who will be playing his final game at Red Bull Arena this season, and possibly his career. New England’s scrappy defending and quick counters will be on display against a Red Bull team that likes to hold possession and set the pace of the game. It is a game that could turn lopsided for either team and could very well determine the outcome of the series. Most importantly, it will become another chapter in the curse that has haunted both teams from the beginning.
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