The Red Bulls’ quest to defend last year’s Supporters’ Shield — and add this year’s MLS Cup — starts Saturday in Vancouver, 3,000 miles from home against a team they never have beaten. And it could begin minus stars Thierry Henry and Tim Cahill, as well as defenders Jamison Olave and Roy Miller, underscoring the biggest question marks on the roster: age and health.
After spurring his team to the league’s best record in his rookie season as a head coach, Mike Petke saw his group upset by Houston in the playoffs. With Henry potentially retiring when his contract ends after this season, Petke admits the pressure is even greater this time around.
“I’d say for sure it’s always more,’’ Petke said. “It’s always more. Last year was a whirlwind, it really was. I didn’t have a moment to breathe, to step back and see anything other than what’s going on, we have to get ready for the next game.
“I had the offseason to think about things like that and it’s been a little different this season now. So, yes, the pressure has amped up. … This year, I have the pressure from myself, and now I realize the pressure from the top is a lot more.’’
That pressure starts Saturday at the Whitecaps (7:30 p.m., MSG2). The league is kicking off its season with the referees locked out, and the Red Bulls are starting theirs potentially shorthanded as they aim for their first-ever MLS Cup.
“[Sporting] Kansas City brought the championship back on the East, so we’re going to try to do everything to do what they did. But it’s difficult to call,’’ Henry said. “It’d mean the world to me if we could win it.’’
Cahill will rejoin his teammates in Canada after an 11-hour flight from London following his midweek international game with the Australian National Team. Left back Miller played for Costa Rica and joined the team Friday. Both will be available Saturday, but how much either will play is up in the air.
Petke was more coy about Henry and Olave, who rarely play on artificial turf because of long-standing injuries. Henry is 36, Cahill is 34 and Olave turns 33 next month, while Péguy Luyindula is 34, raising the question of whether this team can hold up over the long, hot summer months.
If age is the Red Bulls’ greatest threat, continuity and depth are their biggest assets. After shuffling 16 new players last offseason, they lost just three this winter, only one starter.
Newly acquired Spaniard Armando could start alongside Ibrahim Sekagya if Olave doesn’t play, and will compete with him if he does. Bobby Convey, the other veteran newcomer, should push left mid Jonny Steele and will fill in for Miller when the latter goes to the World Cup with Costa Rica.
But there is no more pivotal X-factor than Luyindula, who arrived last season rusty after inactivity overseas at Paris Saint-Germain and had to work himself back into form. When he did, he had three assists in the regular-season finale victory that clinched the Shield. He could provide the creativity in the middle of the field the Red Bulls have lacked since Amado Guevara was traded after the 2006 season.
“Péguy’s doing what Péguy does. Period. Let the guy settle, let the guy have a preseason, let the guy work a bit, then he showed midseason and at the end of the season that he was a player,’’ Henry said. “Let the guy settle, work hard, show his commitment and Péguy does what Péguy does. If you come the wrong way with Péguy [on defense], he’ll turn you … and play people through.
“He’s clever on the ball. I’ve known Péguy since I guess [age] 19-20, so I know what he can do and what he can bring to the team. Let him at least get his rhythm back and then judge him. I’m happy for him because people can see that he’s a player, and it’s good that he’s with us. When that guy is on tune he can unsettle any team in this league.’’