How They Stack Up: RBNY @ RSL – Western Conference Final

While most of Red Bull Nation is just starting to realize they aren’t dreaming, the Red Bulls find themselves less than 48 hours away from the final judgment. It’s sink or swim at Rio Tinto Stadium as the Bulls take on RSL in Utah for the Western Conference Championship.

This match will be unique in the sense that both teams symbolize a Cinderella story, much like Columbus in the *ahem* East. RSL and RBNY were never considered on anyones preseason predictions – yours truly included. But here we are, and the Red Bulls are one game away from their first finals appearance.

In a classic newspaper feature, which I will gladly rip off for the purposes of entertainment, ladies and gentlemen, here is how they stack up:

2008 HISTORY – Red Bulls 1 – 0 – 1
EDGE: Red Bulls
The Red Bulls have enjoyed spirited competitions against the Desert boys. The first game this season at the swamp featured plenty of goal scoring opportunities on either side, but it was a Van Den Bergh strike off of a funny deflection that sealed it. Then, the Red Bulls met RSL for the debut of their new home – Rio Tinto Stadium. In a playoff atmosphere, the Bulls were able to come away with a tie, but they nearly cracked under the pressure with 3 yellow cards, and a red to boot. The Bulls were awarded 10 corner kicks that game and they converted on 1. Hell, they started Stammler at CAM! But with all that said, RSL was not able to seal the deal. It’s for that reason that I feel history rides on the side of the Bulls (that, and a litany of ties in Utah).

COACHING EDGE: Red Bulls
Its the classic youth versus experience match up at the head coaching position, as Jason Kreis leads his surging RSL squad against Osorio’s Cinderella side, RBNY. On paper, this one is a no brainer. Osorio is a man with a resume that dwarfs most head coaches in MLS. This season, he has advanced in the playoffs with a lineup featuring alot of heart and little name recogntion. Add onto it that Jason Kreis considers Juan Carlos Osorio as his MLS coaching mentor, and you can close the book on this comparison. He knows Kreis intimately and may be able to exploit that knowledge.

GOALKEEPER
EDGE: Real Salt Lake
Nick Rimando would have been the Red Bulls keeper had desperation not driven RSL to a trade. Danny Cepero has long been on the Red Bulls radar as a potential and future starter. Guaranteed that neither expected to be where they are today. Nick Rimando has been given the opportunity the past two years to prove his merit and worth as a starter, and has come out of the scrutiny unscratched (barely). Rimando is a major part of RSL’s resurgence this season. On the other hand, Danny Cepero has come in like the preverbial cowboy on the white horse. Kick saves, glove saves, grabs in the air, scoring goals, stopping bullets – you name it, the kid has done it. Neither player has much playoff experience to fall back on. But Rimando’s experience makes it tough to judge Cepero the better man.

DEFENDER
EDGE: Real Salt Lake
For as commendable as Andrew Boyens and Diego Jimenez have been in their emergency road, the collective loss of Parke, Stammler, and Mendes along with the horror show on defense that Gabe Cichero has exhibited makes it difficult to say that the Bulls are the stronger of the two sides. But to their collective credit, Boyens, Jimenez, Goldthwaite and Leitch have been outstanding together, shutting down the Houston Dynamo on the road. But RSL, lead by this season centerback standout Jamison Olave, has been able hold opponents to under 2 goals a game for the past two months. Their continuity and additions make them the stronger defensive side.

MIDFIELD
STARTING 11 EDGE: Real Salt Lake
BENCH EDGE: Red Bulls
OVERALL EDGE: Real Salt Lake
From a coaching stand point, Juan Carlos Osorio’s options are so wide and varying that it makes the midfield especially dangerous and unpredictable. On the other side, Jason Kreis has been a bit more steady in his pieces, who’s cohesion may be all the edge they need. So it all depends on the way you look at the situation. Using the last game at RSL as a standard, RSL will most likely be featuring a midfield lead by Kyle Beckerman and the ever dangerous Javi Morales. Dema Kovalenko will be called on to give heavy minutes, as he is hungry to shove a win down Coach Osorios throat (the same person he called two faced all season long).

On the Red Bulls side, Dave Van Den Bergh and Dane Richards will be serving the middle all day and night with their equally distinct and dangerous attacking styles. CDM always seems to be a bit of a mystery, but with the way Luke Sassano has been playing, and with a leg breaker like Juan Pietravallo readily available, Coach Osorio has options. If history is any indication, we will be seeing a 4-5-1 on the road once more, so both may be featured when all is said and done. That leaves a CAM decision to be made; Ubiparipovic has been terrific, but Mike Magee and Jorge Rojas are both valuable commodities on that bench.

Again, it’s a matter of opinion – is it better to have options and unpredictability, or stability and steadyness? I tend to lean towards a steady side, lead by the dangerous Morales.

FORWARDS
EDGE: Red Bulls
Juan Pablo Angel, Mike Magee, Jon Wolyniec, and Macumba Kandji round up a nearly incomparable forward line. Though Clint Mathis, Yura Movsisyan and Robbie Findlay are nothing to scoff at, the Bulls collection of talent will add an unpredictability to the front line, and some options if they either gain or lose a lead. Juan Pablo Angel will be getting alot of unwanted attention, which will open up room for other offensive options. This particular category is strongly on the side of the Bulls.

PREDICTION: Red Bulls 2 – Real Salt Lake 1.

The Red Bulls have a few intangibles that lay in their favor. For starters, they are one of only three teams that has actual experience playing @ Rio Tinto Stadium. That game featured a playoff atmosphere, as stated earlier, that will be a tell tale sign of what they should be expecting. Secondly, the RSL has never beaten the Red Bulls. Odds would say they are due – but this is sport, and in sport, one more win to bury RSL would be considered a curse. Are the Bulls already in RSL’s head? Last but not least, Juan Carlos Osorio knows Kreis so well that he may be able to exploit RSL’s gameplan. You don’t think a young coach would share some intimate knowledge of circumstances with a veteran who has been around the world? This, along with the late season surge and unity, will be what pushes this Cinderella story to center stage.

The Red Bulls face RSL, Saturday, 9:30 Eastern time on Fox Soccer Channel.

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