by RUSS McKENZIE

HANOVER, N.J. – The Red Bulls face one their biggest challenges this season in the Eastern Conference Finals.

With both of their projected starting centerbacks on yellow cards, coach Jesse Marsch is staying the course. He has given direction to Matt Miazga and Ronald Zubar to stick with the game plan when New York faces the perpetually dangerous Kei Kamara and the Columbus Crew.

“We plan to be cautiously aggressive or aggressively cautious, whichever combination you want to use,” Marsch said after training on Thursday.

Kamara was in the running to win the MLS Golden Boot, but faded a bit at the end, finishing with 22 goals and 8 assists. Kamara is known for being a physical presence up top which presents a unique challenge for Miazga and Zubar, who would face suspension for the 2nd leg with one more yellow card.

Zubar acknowledged Kamara’s presence when asked about it after training. “We know what (Kamara) is about. He’s a big guy in front, good on the ball, good in the air. So, we have to be prepared to compete for (the full match). He’s always a presence in the box,” Zubar said, comparing him to Didier Drogba.

“We just step on the field and make sure we’re aggressive, but in a good way, and make sure we don’t cross the line.”

With Miazga away from the club, having been called up to the US Men’s National Team who faces St. Vincent & Grenadines on Friday in 2018 World Cup Qualifiers, Zubar has had only a limited amount of time to adjust to his defensive partner. The Frenchman has no problem with his partner’s absence, however.

“I’m always ready to play with anybody,” he said. “The main thing for us is talking. I think we need to improve talking on the field.”

Of course, it hasn’t been all about Kamara in Red Bulls training. On Tuesday, Marsch’s troops participated in a tradition that has followed him from his days at Chivas — an event he labels “Tournament Day.” Captain Dax McCarty said this about Tournament Day – “Tournament Day is a frustrating day for a lot of people. It’s tough, it’s aggressive. It’s for pride, and as professional athletes, we have a lot of pride. You never want to lose.”

Marsch explained further, “It started with Bob Gansler, it was passed down to Preki at Chivas, and I brought it here. I often joke around that those days are a bloodbath. What it does more than anything is cultivates the competitive spirit.”

On Tournament Day, the coaching staff breaks the roster up into 5v5 teams, which play for 12 minutes each game. However, there is only one winner. “(The players) have taken total ownership of it. They want to win those games. I believe that it’s been an important part of our process in becoming good competitors.”

Scoring has been ongoing throughout the 2015 season, and according to Marsch there are two clear leaders – midfielder Sacha Kljestan and defender Roy Miller. Marsch recognized the quality of his roster’s training habits, however, stating, “This team trains really hard and I think that’s exemplified every tournament day.”