Red Bulls coach Hans Backe admitted yesterday he was shocked the MLS hadn’t postponed tonight’s Eastern Conference semifinal because of the stormy weather forecast.
Still, the Red Bulls are scheduled to face D.C. United, with Backe labeling this his most talented Red Bull team yet.
Thierry Henry said it’s MLS or bust.
“For me, for everybody, I would like to think. When you enter a competition, it is to win it. There is only one winner, one team that is satisfied at the end of the season,’’ said Henry, adding they’ll have to raise their game from Saturday’s first-leg 1-1 tie at RFK Stadium. “To be fair they played way better than us at their place, so we’re going to have to step it up.’’
With many in the area still without power due to the impact of Hurricane Sandy — which forced the teams to flip-flop the first leg and play it in Washington instead of Red Bull Arena — another storm is expected tonight.
“I’m a bit surprised the league [decided to] stick to an 8:21 kickoff, instead of moving it to 2 or 4 p.m. in the afternoon,” Backe said. “What I’ve had heard it will peak around 8 p.m. with rain, wind, perhaps snow. Then the game would have to be [postponed] and played on Thursday.”
MLS policy states if a playoff game is interrupted and can’t be completed that calendar date, it will resume from that point at another date.
Either way, D.C. will be without Andy Najar (red-card suspension) while the Red Bulls expect to have both Rafa Marquez and Tim Cahill back from calf injuries.
“That is a good percentage [Marquez will play]. I’d say as much as nine out of 10. It’s a soft, soft, soft calf … He will be, I’m almost 100 percent sure,’’ Backe said of Marquez, who has played just 987 of 3,060 minutes, and whom Henry has repeatedly called the key to the Red Bulls’ MLS Cup hopes.
Backe was noncommittal on whether he would go back to forward Kenny Cooper, whom he benched in favor of speedier Sebastien Le Toux Saturday despite the former’s MLS-runnerup 18 goals.