After fighting so hard for the right to have a first-round bye in the MLS playoffs, New York City FC could see it all go for naught if it cannot pull off a blowout victory against Columbus Crew SC on Sunday.
Fifth-seeded Columbus routed second-seeded New York 4-1 in the first leg of the Eastern Conference semifinals Tuesday on goals from Ola Kamara, Artur, Justin Meram and Harrison Afful.
As a result, NYCFC must either win 3-0 or by four goals or more to take the total-goals series and advance beyond the semis for the first time in team history. Any other result would send Columbus to the conference finals, save for a 4-1 New York victory that would send the series to overtime.
"We know that it's going to be a difficult task," New York coach Patrick Vieira said. "But it's not impossible."
New York did not play as poorly as the final score indicated in the first leg, which turned when center back Alexander Callens was sent off seven minutes into the second half for throwing an elbow at Meram.
But with Maxim Chanot missing due to hernia surgery and Callens serving a suspension for his red card, Vieira's group will face a daunting challenge without its best two center backs.
Goalkeeper Sean Johnson knows there is little room for the errors he and his teammates made in the first leg.
"We've showed at times that we're extremely potent in the attack and we're extremely good in the back," he said. "So everything's got to come together on Sunday."
Meanwhile, Columbus has gone unbeaten in its last 12 matches between the regular season and playoffs. It won Tuesday after advancing from the knockout round on penalties following a 0-0 draw at Atlanta United.
What was more impressive in the first leg was its willingness to continue pressing for more, including Afful's brilliant goal in second-half stoppage time that came after he sliced through five defenders in New York's penalty area.
Afful's strike came 15 minutes after David Villa had pulled a crucial away goal back for NYCFC.
"I think we needed that goal because when they got their goal it was a bit scary for us," Afful said. "Winning 3-1 is not going to help us."
The idea that a two-goal victory wouldn't have been enough shows Columbus' respect for New York City and particularly Villa, who has scored eight goals in his last five matches against Crew SC.
Villa had a goal and an assist in a 4-1 home victory against Columbus to close the 2016 regular season, the kind of game New York will need to replicate Sunday.
The difficulty of completing any three-goal victory in MLS has the Crew SC feeling confident. But not comfortable.
"We had a good moment, and all the team enjoyed the moment," Columbus midfielder Pedro Santos said. "But all the people know we start to focus for the next game. It's an important game for us and we will all be ready."
