MATT KREMKAU - EMPIRE OF SOCCER

by DAVE MARTINEZ

When two of the three professional New York soccer teams fall out of the postseason in a blaze of disappointment, you have to memorialize the occasion.

We here at EoS will refer to it as “Black Sunday.”

A day that started with such promise ended with not one, but both New York soccer teams seeing an early ouster from the MLS playoffs.

The New York Red Bulls were certainly the more surprising of the two results. While they walked into Red Bull Arena down 1-0 on aggregate, the Red Bulls were fingered by several pundits and journalists as the favorite to win this year’s MLS Cup. That scoreline did little to change those projections.

Instead, the Red Bulls fell in spectacular fashion to the Montreal Impact by an aggregate 3-1 scoreline.

In almost prophetic fashion, the second leg of their playoff semifinal saw the team down 2-0 shortly after the half, a scoreline that has haunted the team — at least on the offensive side of the ball.

Likewise, New York City FC suffered their own nightmare of a scoreline, falling to Toronto FC by an aggregate 7-0 result — and we don’t need to explain the significance of that number.

For both sides, the semifinals exposed the soft underbelly of what were viewed as two of the strongest teams in the Eastern Conference. For all of his tinkering and disguising this season, Patrick Vieira’s defense was unmasked against the potent Toronto tandem of Sebastian Giovinco and Jozy Altidore. No formation dug up from the World War II era nor any substitution could save NYCFC from themselves, with Frederic Brillant, Maxime Chanot and RJ Allen suffering their worst two-match stretch since the start of the season. Age also began to take its toll as well, with Andrea Pirlo and Frank Lampard failing to put a stamp on the match.

The Red Bulls, meanwhile, simply had no answers for the physical and opportunistic Montreal Impact. And the funny thing is that Jesse Marsch may have very well seen it coming. When it comes to the regular season, the Red Bulls are built to win. Their high press style puts high demands on their offensive players, but also manages to stretch the opposition, forcing opportunities and goal scoring chances through their pressure system.

In the more tentative world of the MLS playoffs, that style can also leave you exposed. This is one of many reasons why the Red Bulls explored a five-in-the-back formation throughout the summer months, offering a viable defensive formation to compliment and protect their high-octane gains.

That tactical tweak never sat with the Red Bulls — and come playoff time, their tentative approach served more to disrupt than build upon the team’s offense. With one tried and true tact to guide them, the Red Bulls were the living embodiment of the definition of insanity, banging their heads up against the wall with the same approach — and getting nowhere for their efforts.

By night’s end, both teams suffered the brunt of their own deficiencies, leaving the Red Bulls and New York City out in the cold and in a state of reflection.

The good news is that Black Sunday’s results give both teams a clear vision of what to prioritize this offseason. For NYCFC, it is defense, defense, defense. On the Red Bulls side, some needed upgrades on the offensive and defensive flanks — along with a richer approach to their predictable tactical form.

Until the offseason really gears up, however, fans are left to wallow in their misery and wonder where it all went wrong.

That is what will make Black Sunday so memorable — for all the wrong reasons.