The New York Red Bulls sensationally knocked out defending champions Columbus Crew on penalties in the first round of the MLS play-offs. In addition to keeper Carlos Coronel, Emil Forsberg also excelled.
There will be a new champion in the MLS in 2024. Defending champions Columbus Crew surprisingly lost to the New York Red Bulls in the first round of the playoffs. After the 1-0 home loss, Columbus also lost in the best-of-three series at the Red Bull Arena in Harrison – in dramatic fashion.
The home side, coached by former Bundesliga professional and coach Sandro Schwarz, went behind after the break through Max Arfsten (55), but turned the game around thanks to Emil Forsberg: the former Leipzig player set up Dante Vanzeir’s equalizer from a tight angle with a through ball (64) and then converted a foul he won himself to make it 2-1 (80).
Columbus, who are not only the reigning champions but also the reigning League Cup winners, silenced the stadium once more when Christian Ramirez headed in a corner to make it 2-2 after half of the twelve-minute stoppage time and prevent an early play-off exit – but not for long.
In the penalty shootout, RB keeper Carlos Coronel, who was once also under contract in Salzburg, rose to become a hero. With the score at 4:3 for Columbus, Yevgen Cheberko could have decided the game, but Coronel made the first save. And after Forsberg had equalized – this time into the other corner – to make it 4:4, Coronel was also on hand for the next two Crew penalties. 21-year-old Daniel Edelman scored the winning goal and celebrated with his teammates and fans, shirtless.
Schwarz: “I will never forget this day”
“It was incredible,” Schwarz was also thrilled. ‘I’m so happy to see all these faces. Yes, it’s very emotional for me too and I’m very happy and very proud. I’ll never forget this day, and the best message – I said that to the team right away – is that the season is not over.’
The Red Bulls, who finished 19 points and five places behind Columbus in the regular season, will face either FC Cincinnati or New York City FC in their first Conference semi-final since 2018. The two teams will play their third and final game on Saturday (10pm CET) in Cincinnati.
