With New York needing a win on Sunday in the second leg of its Eastern Conference Semifinal Series with D.C. United to advance into the next round of the playoffs, the Red Bulls know that they will have to get off to a fast start in front of a hostile crowd at RFK Stadium.
"That first goal is really big in this game," Dunivant said. "If we can tie it up on them, they are going to feel the pressure. At the same time, if they score one on us we still have to keep our heads in it."
New York, which lost 1-0 last Saturday at Giants Stadium in the first leg of a two-leg aggregate-goal series, was 7-1-6 in the regular season when it found the back of the net first. Given the circumstances however, Dunivant acknowledged that the team cannot be too offensive-minded, which would increase the chance of D.C. going on the counterattack.
"I think we are going to be smart about it," Dunivant said. "We can't just throw everybody forward and get countered on. We're not looking to score two or three goals right away, we're just trying to make those little adjustments, and hopefully over the course of the game, it works to our advantage."
For Dunivant, he hopes those little adjustments can spark a play that will make the difference for New York. Last week, the one play that turned the tide of the series was a well-executed Christian Gomez 77th minute goal in which he lobbed it into the net after playing a nifty one-two with Jaime Moreno.
"I think a good start to the game is a point," said Red Bulls head coach Bruce Arena. "We need to start the game better than we did the last time."
If D.C. United was able to strike first, the Red Bulls would be forced to make a tough comeback and score at least two goals, which is a difficult feat in itself, let alone in the playoffs.
But, as some players on this roster have seen, it can be done. Last season, New England came back to defeat New York with three goals in the last 23 minutes in the Eastern Conference Semifinals after the Revolution fell behind 2-0 on aggregate.
"Stranger things have happened," Dunivant said.
For Arena, he is only focused on one scenario.
"I'm not worrying about he goal differential, that's not as important as you have to go and win the game," Arena said. "Our task is simple, we have to win the game."
