No Thierry Henry? No Jamison Olave? No Bradley Wright-Phillips? No problem.
When the MLS-leading Red Bulls travel to Seattle Sunday (9 p.m., ESPN) to face the Western Conference-leading Sounders, they’ll do it minus three important starters. But despite Tim Cahill acknowledging it’ll be their toughest test of the year, coach Mike Petke says it’s not about the few that are sidelined but the 11 that suit up – and he has faith in those 11.
“If we’re about two players, well then we might as not well go to Seattle,’’ Petke said Friday at practice. “It’s two players, very important players of course. But the quicker we get that out of their head that they’re not going to be here, the better off we’ll be.
“It’s not about two players: It’s about the 11 who suit up, and I have confidence in the 11 who suit up. Are we the underdog? Of course we’re the underdog. Even if Thierry and Olave were there, we’d be the underdog, and that’s fine. We’ll see what type of mentality we have see what type of character we show in this game.’’
Wright-Phillips may be sidelined for awhile after injuring his hamstring last weekend, while Henry and Olave are being rested for precautionary reasons, an Achilles and knee, respectively.
Those latter decisions have caused consternation among the fans, since a win in Seattle – a point behind in the standings, but with two games in hand – could put the Red Bulls in great position to win their first-ever Supporters’ Shield.
“It’s going to be our toughest test for sure this season,’’ said Cahill. “Thierry, Olave, Bradley Wright-Phillips, very influential players, a big loss. But it’s an opportunity for other players to step in stake a claim and help the team. That’s why it’s down to a squad for the full season. But it’s definitely going to be our toughest test throughout the season.’’
It remains to be seen if Petke will start Cahill up front next to Fabian Espindola and put Eric Alexander in central midfield, or if he’ll deploy Cahill back in the middle and try little-used Peguy Luyindula up top.
Ibrahim Sekagya should step in for Olave, and will have to deal with a front line of Obafemi Martins and Eddie Johnson. And even if Clint Dempsey doesn’t play for Seattle, the Sounders will be favored with what Cahill calls a stacked roster.
“There’s not many teams in MLS I can name the starting XI, but I can name every single player that starts in Seattle, and their bench. They’re a really stacked team with a lot of quality. They’d give any team a problem,’’ said Cahill. “They’re on top of their conference for a reason. It’s a great squad. Their team is stacked.
“The best thing for us is that there is no pressure, there’s no pressure on us. We got to go there with no fear and just play football, enjoy the moment.’’
They’ll enjoy playing in front of a massive crowd of 60,000 at CenturyLink Field. Pull out a result, and leave themselves just three games away from their first Supporters Shield, they’ll enjoy the moment even more.