Red Bulls taking new approach to Champs League
Nearly a year ago, the Red Bulls were in a similar, uneasy position in the CONCACAF Champions League. They weren’t as quick or as sharp as they’d like to be and were quickly ousted by MLS foe Vancouver Whitecaps, 3-1, on aggregate in the quarterfinals.
Much of their rustiness could be blamed on the MLS schedule. Similarly, with two weeks remaining in the 2018 preseason, the tired legs will likely be present and the Red Bulls won’t exactly look like the mid-summer Red Bulls, considering the team’s premier signing, Alejandro Romero “Kaku” Gamarra, won’t be available.
Despite all that, they still feel like they are in a better position to compete and contend in the Champions League than they were a year ago.
“Guys came in fitter and understand more from these periods exactly what the time crunch was,” head coach Jesse Marsch said ahead of the the Red Bulls’ first leg match against Honduran outfit Olimpia in the Round of 16 on Thursday night in San Jose, Costa Rica (10 p.m.; Univision). “They understand the urgency that we needed to include in everything we did. It’s never easy to throw a lot of elements into a short time frame, but I’m really proud of our group and the way they’ve committed themselves. I feel like as much as we can be — we are prepared.”
The Red Bulls’ preparation this season included relocating from Arizona, their preseason home for much of February, spending the last few days in Houston before landing in Costa Rica late Wednesday night. The match, which will be played behind closed doors at the neutral site due to political unrest in Honduras, should give the Red Bulls an even playing field despite not being fully ready.
Still, facing Olimpia, Honduras’ most decorated team with 30 championships, isn’t going to be easy. Considering Olimpia is in the middle of its season and undefeated in its past nine matches in Liga Nacional’s Clausura, the Red Bulls will be forced to adapt quickly while tinkering with a somewhat unsettled starting 11.
“From a fitness and sharpness perspective, Olimpia will be ahead of us.” Marsh said. “We’ll have challenges. That means we’ll have to grind things out. It means we won’t be perfect. It means that we’ll have to deal with certain moments that they can throw at us, especially late in games when fitness might become an issue.”
Questions remain about how the Red Bulls plan to replicate former captain Sacha Kljestan’s offensive production (17 assists) from a year ago. His replacement, Kaku, could be available for the team’s home leg next week. For now, it could mean midfielder Sean Davis playing more forward than box-to-box.
“We feel that the spine of our team is very good,” Marsch said.
The Champions League competition’s format was tweaked from a year ago. Instead of a split summer group stage and winter knockout round, the new format consists of a 16-team knockout tournament. The decision lowered the field to 16 teams from 24.
NYCFC added another weapon to its midfield, signing Ghanaian international Ebenezer Ofori on a season-long loan from VFB Stuggart in Germany’s Bundesliga.
NYCFC also have the option to purchase Ofori at the end of the 2018 season.
“I’m really excited to bring in Ebenezer — he’s a young player who is looking to improve, he is really dynamic and can cover ground,” head coach Patrick Vieira said in a press release.