The Monday edition of the Toronto Sun may have given the New York Red Bulls some bulletin-board material ahead of their Eastern Conference Semifinal Leg 1 vs. Toronto FC.
With top-seeded TFC’s Audi 2017 MLS Cup Playoffs run set to begin with a visit to Red Bull Arena on Monday night, the Sun gave the Reds pride of place on both the front page and the cover of the sports section, highlighted by a blaring headline on the former calling RBNY “Red Bullies” in reference to their perceived excess physicality in the eyes of TFC.
Sun reporter Kurt Larson upped the ante even further, dubbing the Red Bulls “perennial losers who’ve disappointed more times than not” in the lede of his feature story, where Toronto coach Greg Vanney predicted a rough-and-tumble approach from New York and their high-press system.
“[The Red Bulls’ identity] depends on a certain level of energy and a certain level of feistiness and a certain level of real engagement,” Vanney told the Sun. “The bigger part of all of that is they haven’t won anything yet. There’s been a question of whether they can win big games.
“A lot of that has to do with their energy and defensive engagement and closing together. Some of it has to do with being physical because sometimes the referee won’t call it,” Vanney added. “It will be a feisty, hotly contested game. Again, in the moments they feel they can be really physical, they will. They’re going to live and die off those transitions. So I think it will be natural that they try to impose themselves into challenges.”
Drew Fischer is the referee for Monday night’s encounter at RBA (7 pm ET | FS1; TSN4, TVAS), where TFC have only won once all-time.
