New York Red Bulls are 90 minutes (or more) from lifting the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy for the first time in club history.
There have been trials and tribulations during a roller-coaster season. Still, New York emerged as Eastern Conference champions and will visit LA Galaxy for MLS Cup 2024 presented by Audi on Saturday afternoon (4 pm ET | Apple TV - Free; FOX, FOX Deportes; TSN, RDS).
How did they do it? Let’s look back at five defining moments of New York's 2024 campaign.
Red Bulls fans clamored for the front office to splash cash on a big-ticket, high-impact Designated Player signing – and they did just that when acquiring the Swedish international last December.
Emil Forsberg arrived with a winning pedigree from sister club RB Leipzig, bringing leadership and experience to a young Red Bulls side. He posted 9g/5a in 19 regular-season appearances (15 starts), numbers that certainly would've increased if not for a lower-leg injury that sidelined him for three months.
Without their captain and primary playmaker, RBNY struggled, winning just once in that nine-match span. The No. 10 has provided a spark since returning in late September, tallying 1g/1a in the clinching Round One game against Columbus Crew.
Speaking of RBNY fans, there were more than a few vocal about letting interim coach Troy Lesesne walk, and then seeing him end up at rival D.C. United. But Red Bulls brass went back to Germany and hired Sandro Schwarz as head coach last December.
The Bundesliga veteran encountered growing pains during his first year, but made some important tactical tweaks to the Red Bull high-pressing style, bringing more comfort on the ball at times. He altered that approach in the postseason, becoming more direct with New York winning first and second balls.
Ultimately, Schwarz became the 12th coach in league history to reach MLS Cup during their first season in charge.
After being limited to just five appearances in 2023 amid multiple injuries, and then undergoing hip surgery, Lewis Morgan returned with a point to prove.
He delivered, leading RBNY in goals (13) and sitting second in assists (7). Morgan has also provided two assists this postseason, helping New York (No. 7) become the lowest-seeded MLS Cup finalist in league history.
The 28-year-old, who returned to the Scottish national team after a six-year hiatus, earned MLS Comeback Player of the Year honors.
New York made the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs for a record 15th consecutive season, but weren’t exactly trending in the right direction when facing reigning champions Columbus. Schwarz's group had won just two of their last 14 games, and Wilfred Nancy’s Crew were among the favorites to repeat (or at least make a deep run).
But in an upset-filled postseason, RBNY’s Round One sweep of Columbus was the first seismic one. DP midfielder Felipe Carballo, signed in August from Brazilian top-flight side Grêmio, scored an opportunistic early set-piece goal and goalkeeper Carlos Coronel (more on him coming) was outstanding in a 1-0 road win.
New York followed that result with a home penalty shootout win to stun Columbus. With that upset victory came added belief behind the motto that now takes RBNY to Carson, California, delivered by Forsberg himself.
"Why can't we?"
Come the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Red Bulls turned New York red with a 2-0 victory over New York City FC, led by Carballo and Dante Vanzeir scoring inside the opening half hour.
It was the biggest of 30 all-time Hudson River Derby meetings and the first in the MLS Cup Playoffs, giving RBNY bragging rights (not to mention even more momentum).
Coronel has reversed his late-season form, coming up clutch in the postseason (to be fair, he wasn’t alone in doing so).
The 27-year-old Paraguayan international made 10 stops across two wins over Columbus, and added three consecutive saves in the decisive penalty kick shootout in Game 2. Then he outdueled NYCFC’s Matt Freese in the derby win, making six saves.
Coronel wasn’t tested as much in the Eastern Conference Final at Orlando, but came up with a massive denial of Facundo Torres’ point-blank shot – securing a third playoff clean sheet and New York's second-ever MLS Cup berth (first since 2008).
