Berhalter: Road team can focus in tied series
Crew SC carried a 4-1 lead into the second leg of the Eastern Conference finals against New York City FC earlier this month, and with that came a mental burden.
An away goal would have effectively put the series out of reach, but the Crew also knew that it couldn’t really
open up against an aggressive team whose only focus was scoring three goals.
Crew SC had a few aggressive moments at Yankee Stadium but spent a desperate last 35 minutes defending its way into the Eastern Conference finals. After the game, coach Gregg Berhalter discussed the difficulty of being caught between two game plans: The Crew couldn’t commit completely to offense or defense to start the game and wasn’t particularly adept on either end.
Call it reverse psychology, but on Friday Berhalter said there are aspects of a 0-0 scoreline
heading into Toronto on Wednesday that are somewhat easier to manage than what the Crew faced entering NYCFC.
“The important thing is we can’t lose the game,” Berhalter said. “So there are a couple of different dynamics going into it, but — and it sounds ridiculous — it is somewhat easier going into this game than it was the New York game.”
Asked their thoughts on how the mental preparation for Wednesday’s second leg differs from the second leg in New York, players said they know a few things to be true.
An away goal significantly changes the series and would force Toronto to score twice to win, and Toronto, the league’s highest-scoring team this season, doesn’t want another scoreless tie, which would mean having to play extra time at home.
“I kind of have that mentality that if we score a goal they have to score two, so it’s very tough (for Toronto). I think the tough position here is them,” forward Ola Kamara said. “Of course they want to go out and win on their home field, but you can’t commit too much (on offense). Even at 1-0 (Toronto), it’s still (a series loss) for them if we score, so they almost need two. It’s very hard for them to attack and have confidence in that game, so we’ll see.”
Midfielder Mohammed Abu, who is expected to replace Artur (yellow card accumulation) in the lineup Wednesday, echoed Kamara’s thoughts. Without an away goal in the first leg, he said, Toronto now has two elements to ponder Wednesday.
“I think they’ll be under pressure because it’s like they have two things to consider: To score and to not concede a goal. It’s something that we have to know,” Abu said. “We are in a good situation and we need to try to be calm. Just imagine if we were concerned with doing two things, sometimes it’s a little bit difficult.”
Scoring against Toronto FC, which allowed the secondfewest goals in MLS this season, will be easier said than done, and there is not a cushion for the Crew as there was for the second NYCFC game. But relatively speaking, Crew SC enters Wednesday’s game with a clearer focus.
“We were playing on a small field against an opponent that had absolutely nothing to lose,” Berhalter said of NYCFC. “It was challenging, but thankfully we navigated through it.”