Red Bulls Playoff Outlook, Five Games Left
The New York Red Bulls have five games left in the regular season. The New York Red Bulls are currently below the MLS Cup Playoffs line.
The New York Red Bulls have been eliminated from both the Leagues Cup and the U.S. Open Cup.
It is playoffs or bust to save the 2025 season.
With a tight Eastern Conference race at the bottom of the playoff picture, RBNY have a lot to do if they want to dance in October and November.
Disappointing recent results against Charlotte and Columbus have done little to make fans think they can do it. Though a 1-0 win against the Philadelphia Union last month did turn heads.
The Stakes for the Red Bulls
The New York Red Bulls reached the MLS Cup in 2008, losing to the Columbus Crew. The next year, the team finished last in the league and missed the playoffs.
Starting in 2010, the New York Red Bulls have played in the MLS Cup Playoffs every year since.
Through different head coaches, a new stadium, a pandemic, and so much more. Through ups and downs, the Red Bulls have been interlocked with the playoffs.
The Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League held a league-record 25-season playoff streak from 1990-91 to 2015-16. In that time, the team won four Stanley Cups.
New York has not had the luxury of winning any MLS Cups, though the team has lifted the Supporters’ Shield three times in that span.
Are the Red Bulls doomed to miss the playoffs as a result of a cup appearance hangover for the second time ever?
The Last Stretch
The Red Bulls have five games left, starting with a road match against the Portland Timbers this Saturday. Right now, the Timbers are seventh in the Western Conference. The side has not won since July 25 and hasn’t won at Providence Park since July 5.
New York will visit CF Montreal next weekend, likely the only “reasonably easy” game to win left on the schedule. Already eliminated from the playoffs, Montreal only has 24 points this season – a grand total of five wins and nine draws.
After that is a tough three-game stretch against playoff teams, including a two-game homestand. New York City FC comes to Sports Illustrated Stadium on September 27 for a Hudson River Derby clash. As of now, NYCFC is ahead of RBNY by four points. Plus, the Blue Guys have two games in hand over the Red Bulls, which means that the late September game could already see them far ahead of the pack.
Then comes the last home game of the season against FC Cincinnati the following week. As of now, FCC is second in the East and third in the Supporters’ Shield standings. A tough task for New York, which opened its season with a 1-0 loss on the road to Cincy many months ago. Decision Day will be in Ohio on October 18, where the Columbus Crew hosts the New York Red Bulls. The Crew have slipped down the standings in recent weeks, potentially even falling into the wildcard race. With 28 games played, one less than New York, the team has 46 points – two more points than NYCFC.
Can the Red Bulls Do It?
The Red Bulls are coming off a Cinderella run to the MLS Cup Final last year, where they entered the playoffs as a low seed. In fact, seventh-seeded RBNY is the lowest seed to ever make the championship game. That said, a lot of pieces have left the team since then. Last year’s total of 47 points may not be enough to make the postseason in 2025.
Sandro Schwarz has seemed frustrated in recent weeks as more questions are asked of him that he realistically can’t answer – things about the transfer deadline and a 16th consecutive playoff appearance being in jeopardy.
Combined with both the Chicago Fire and New York City having games in hand, alongside New York’s brutal final three games, it’s tough to see the team getting over the line. Right now, playoffstatus.com has RBNY at a 37% chance to make the playoffs and a 64% chance of missing out.
There are no reinforcements besides Midfielder Gustav Berggren. The team is going to have players back from international break this weekend, but these same players haven’t gotten points in the last few months.
The decision comes long before Decision Day. If New York wins its next two games against Portland and Montreal, there can be hope. However, RBNY has only won back-to-back games in the regular season one time in 2025.
If they fail to do that, I have no issue calling the season lost.
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