New York Red Bulls striker Dante Vanzeir has always likened the synopsis of his job, which is scoring goals, to that of a ketchup bottle.
“Sometimes you have to shake it, and it doesn’t come out,” Vanzeir said. “But once it does come out, it’s all at once. So that’s a little bit how strikers go through moments.”
Vanzeir’s proverbial french fries had been bone dry for alarming portions of the season. With two goals in his first 10 MLS matches of the 2024 season, the 26-year-old Belgian went 18 games without a goal from May 11 to Sept. 14.
The Red Bulls won just six of those matches, sputtering along without Emil Forsberg, who was dealing with a lower-leg injury, and Lewis Morgan, who was called into action on multiple occasions with the Scottish national team.
Despite winning just three of their final 18 matches of the regular season and just sneaking into a non-wild-card playoff spot as the No. 7 seed in the East, the Red Bulls have regained their early-season form, which saw them hold a top-four spot in the conference during the first half of the season.
They upset the defending MLS Cup champions, the Columbus Crew, with a two-game sweep in the first round. They followed it up with a win in the first-ever postseason edition of the Hudson River Derby by defeating an NYCFC that beat them twice in the regular season by a score of 2-0. The victory punched New York’s ticket to the Eastern Conference Final for the first time in six years.
Vanzeir has played a direct hand in all of this. He scored a 64th-minute equalizer in Game 2 against Columbus, which ultimately led to the penalty shootout won by New York. He then nabbed the Red Bulls’ second and final goal of the Eastern Conference semifinal against NYCFC in the 24th minute when he poked a loose ball off a corner off the right post and in.
“I know in the playoffs, it’s when it matters the most, and I try to give my best for the team. I’m happy that I can help the team now in those two games with a goal,” Vanzeir said. “But sometimes, you also have to be lucky, and some shots go in, and some don’t.”
Vanzeir now has four goals in his last eight games, while his assist on Felipe Carballo’s opening goal against NYCFC brought his season total up to 11 in all competitions — the most by a Red Bulls player in a single season since Bradley Wright-Phillips in 2018.
If one were to look for why Vanzeir’s play has turned around the way it has, let him know when you find out.
“I don’t know, I don’t have any answer for that,” Vanzeir said. “I think we’ve grown as a team, and, of course, in the season, you have some ups and downs. It’s normal. But I think the most important thing is just to have belief in yourself, even in the difficult moments.”
In a way, the unwavering confidence is a microcosm of the Red Bulls’ philosophy. Even as they ended the regular season on a concerning note, there was never much doubt from within their locker room that they could make a deep playoff run.
“This is the best example to see that you are responsible for yourself,” Red Bulls head coach Sandro Schwarz said of Vanzeir. “It’s good to see he has this feeling.”
The Red Bulls will hope that the good feelings follow them down to Florida as they take on Orlando City in the Eastern Conference Final on Saturday. They hope to reach the MLS Cup Final for the first time since 2008.
“Hopefully, [the goal against NYCFC] is not my last goal of the season, and I can help the team a little bit more,” Vanzeir said.
