Facing Elimination, Crew Wants to ‘Stay Calm’ Against Red Bulls

Columbus Crew will host the New York Red Bulls on Wednesday in an Eastern Conference semifinal with the Crew facing elimination.

Columbus lost the first leg 2-0 at Red Bull Arena last week.

Despite facing an uphill battle, the Crew are confident they can turn things around at home. Captain Jonathan Mensah said the team needs to "stay calm" and "play our game" in order to have a chance of advancing.

"We know it's going to be a tough game, but we're confident in our abilities," Mensah said. "We just need to go out there and play our game and see what happens."

The Crew will need to be at their best to overcome the Red Bulls, who are one of the most in-form teams in MLS. New York has won four of its last five games, including a 3-1 victory over the Philadelphia Union in the first leg of their Eastern Conference semifinal.

The Red Bulls are led by striker Patryk Klimala, who has scored 10 goals in 16 games this season. Klimala is a dangerous threat in the air and on the ground, and the Crew will need to be careful not to give him too much space.

In addition to Klimala, the Red Bulls also have a number of other dangerous attacking players, including Lewis Morgan, Caden Clark, and Luquinhas. The Crew will need to be organized and disciplined in their defending in order to keep the Red Bulls' attack at bay.

The Crew will also need to be clinical in front of goal. The team has struggled to score goals all season, and they will need to find a way to put the ball in the back of the net against the Red Bulls.

If the Crew can do all of those things, they have a chance of pulling off an upset and advancing to the Eastern Conference final. However, it will be a tough task, and the Red Bulls will be confident of finishing the job at MAPFRE Stadium.