Berhalter vows not to pack defense in
Coach Gregg Berhalter’s biggest fear entering the first leg of Crew SC’s Eastern Conference semifinal Tuesday at Mapfre Stadium was how would his team respond after an emotional knockoutround win over Atlanta United.
“It was euphoria after the Atlanta game,” Berhalter said. “My big concern was coming out flat.”
Instead, the Crew flattened New York City FC’s defense, scoring a sixth-minute goal and taking advantage of a second-half red card to Alexander Callens to score three more times and take a 4-1 lead into the second leg Sunday at Yankee Stadium.
Momentum and playoff history are on the Crew’s side, but in the second leg, the challenge becomes staying true to the team’s identity. Players have embraced the chancecreation and danger of playing out of the back over a 12-game unbeaten streak, but they also will be aware of the scoreline.
Conference semifinals and finals winners are determined by total goals over two games. Away goals are used as a tiebreaker. It the teams are tied in total goals and away goals after 180 minutes, they play two 15-minute extra-time periods and, if necessary, finish out in penalty kicks.
That means the Crew merely needs to avoid losing 3-0 or worse to advance. A 4-1 loss would yield extra time. The Crew has not lost by three goals since falling 3-0 at Philadelphia on July 26.
“We’re going to give ourselves a good chance,” New York City coach Patrick Vieira said Tuesday. “Every time that we play (the Crew), we have the opportunity to score goals. Not just one, but a few goals. What will be important for us is we have to take our chances.”
The Crew’s three-goal lead is tied for the biggest advantage after one leg in Major League Soccer playoff history. All three teams to do it previously — Real Salt Lake in 2011, the Los Angeles Galaxy in
2012 and Seattle last year — advanced.
A large deficit means New York City will have to be aggressive and open up. The Crew will have chances to score as long as it remains aggressive.
“That’s who we are,” Berhalter said. “There’s no chance we’re going to go and (play with) 11 guys inside the penalty box. That’s not who we are. We want to try to score a goal there, and I don’t think the game plan would be any different if there was any other scoreline.”
In the history of twogame playoff series in MLS, the higher seed — NYCFC is the No. 2 seed and the Crew No. 5 — has lost the opening leg on the road 30 times. Of 30 those losers, 17 have then failed to advance.
The Crew and New York City know the series is not over. The Crew won in penalty kicks at Atlanta
but hasn’t won a road playoff game outright since 2002, and NYCFC forward David Villa has scored in each of his past five appearances against the Crew, including playoff games.
Crew defender Hector Jimenez was part of the 2012 Galaxy team that trailed 1-0 after one leg of the Western Conference semifinals but then scored three goals in 39 minutes on the road to advance. The Crew recognizes Villa’s ability to cause similar mayhem.
“Villa’s a guy that every time he’s played against us, he’s scored, and we didn’t like that, really,” Jimenez said. “I really didn’t like that, but hopefully this Sunday we’re gonna take it to them. Try to get a couple goals there and put the game away.”