New York Red Bulls midfielder Emil Forsberg (10) takes the field for the second half against Orlando City at Red Bull Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark Smith-USA TODAY Sports
ONLY IN AMNEWYORK
Emil Forsberg has been in some similar situations like the one he and his New York Red Bulls are currently facing this week when they meet the reigning MLS champion Columbus Crew in their best-of-three first-round playoff series, which begins on Tuesday in Ohio.
Granted, Forsberg’s past experiences have come on much larger stages, but the first thing that popped into his mind was when he helped lead his Swedish national team to a two-legged, 1-0 upset over powerhouse Italy to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
“No one thought we were going to win and we beat them,” Forsberg told amNewYork. “What I felt at that time was everything is about how you mentally work. If you’re ready to do whatever it takes to win, you’re going to achieve it.
“That’s the kind of mentality we have to bring in now as well.”
Forsberg and his Red Bulls are underdogs against Columbus after sputtering and wheezing over the finish line of the regular season to clinch a 15th successive postseason berth. The extension of such a streak provides little consolation, especially because New York won just three of its last 15 matches to sink from fourth in the Eastern Conference to seventh.
The downturn in play directly coincided with Forsberg’s injury suffered in early June with the Swedish national team. The lower leg issue held him out for nearly four months, halting his first season in New York after making the jump from Red Bull Leipzig in Germany, and the progress made from a blistering start to the 2024 campaign in which the Red Bulls won eight and drew five from their first 16 games.
“It’s been a tough year with the injury. I didn’t count on it,” Forsberg said. “It was a complicated injury with the Achilles. You got to be careful, and it was hard…
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