It’s MLS Cup-or-bust for New York, and it’s nothing new. MLS Cup has long eluded the organization since its inception in some of the most heartbreaking of fashions. It’s a cloud that hangs over the head of the club, and it certainly has an effect on team veterans. Players like Bradley Wright-Phillips and Luis Robles know how meaningful the cup would be to the franchise. Those vets also know the pain of falling just short, despite having historic regular seasons and well-built rosters.
But this is a new team in 2018, one that Red Bull supporters have never quite seen before.