By BRIAN LEWIS
The Red Bulls’ job Sunday (3 p.m., MSG Plus) couldn’t be simpler; but it also couldn’t be any harder. The worst road team in MLS has to go play two-time league champion Houston at a stadium they’ve never won in. And they need a victory _ in regulation, overtime or PKs _ or their posteason is over.
Straightforward; but hardly easy. “Hopefully the guys execute what we’ve done and the team does well enough to deserve a result and that will be the case,” said Juan Carlos Osorio, whose club blew a lead with five minutes to play in Saturday’s first leg of their MLS Cup Western Conference semi, settling for a tie.
That draw was crushing, since they’re a league-worst 1-8-6 on the road, and 0-2-1 all-time in Robertson Stadium. And they haven’t outright WON a playoff game since 2005!
“We all agree we can do better, but there’s enough confidence throughout the team in the fact that we’ve matched them up, competed very well against them. Sunday’s game will not be anything different,” Osorio said. “I told them this is one game and only one game. We can’t think (what) we could’ve done. This is it.
“(The Dynamo) have to come look for the game, they have to win the game. That calls for a very tough game for both teams. We’ll have chances. We’ve proved we can score against the top teams in the league and hopefully that is the case again.”
Osorio benched his high-priced South American midseason acquisitions of midfielder Jorge Rojas, defensive midfielder Juan Pietravallo and struggling defender Gabriel Cichero; and since both defender Diego Jimenez (knee) and midfielder Sinisa Ubiparipovic (back) are healthy, he may stick with the same lineup that largely outplayed Houston here in the Meadowlands last weekend.
Now they have to finish the deal, and do it on the road. It’s straightforward and simple, but hardly easy.