Mike Petke at Fault for New York's Disadvantage Heading into Second Leg

The New York Red Bulls suffered not one, but two key losses during the first leg of the Eastern Conference Final Sunday against the New England Revolution. 

In the 2-1 loss at Red Bull Arena, Golden Boot winner Bradley Wright-Phillips picked up a silly yellow card in the 60th minute for bothering Revolution 'keeper Bobby Shuttleworth before a goal kick. 

By picking up a yellow card in the softest way possible during an extremely chippy match, Wright-Phillips earned himself a one-game suspension for yellow-card accumulation. 

After the match, Wright-Phillips and his teammates had no idea that a yellow card would earn him a suspension. New York manager Mike Petke failed to tell his players about the rule because he didn't want his team playing scared.

How a manager fails to tell one of his key players something so important before a big match is just baffling. Petke's decision to not speak about the rules could end up costing his side in the second leg at Gillette Stadium Saturday. 

The opportunistic Wright-Phillips found the back of the net on 27 occasions in the regular season and four times in the postseason. Although he may not be the most talented player on the pitch for New York, Wright-Phillips is a game-changing forward. 

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He has benefited greatly from his connection with Thierry Henry, and he has been in the right place at the right time to clean up plenty of mess inside the box this season. His 27th-minute strike Sunday is a perfect example of how he has been scoring throughout the 2014 campaign. 

Now with Wright-Phillips not available for selection, Petke finds himself in a massive jam, as he has to search for someone to score a crucial away goal or two against a dangerous New England team.

The good news for Petke is he can redeem himself by picking a lineup that challenges New England from the opening whistle on the turf at Gillette Stadium. 

His selection dilemma starts with where to place Henry, who has lined up on the left side of a 4-2-3-1 over the last two months. The French star has scored on 10 occasions in 2014, but only two of those strikes have come on the road. 

Luckily for the Red Bulls, Henry will overcome his vulnerability to turf in the second leg. Henry insisted he will play Saturday, which is a step forward compared to every other trip he has made to New England. The 37-year-old usually sits out matches played on the surface. 

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Petke also has a chance to take advantage of the red-hot Peguy Luyindula in attack, but where he places the Frenchman on the field will be crucial. If he keeps Luyindula in the middle of the attacking trio, he would have to push Eric Alexander out wide and place Tim Cahill in one of the defensive midfield positions.

Since moving to the 4-2-3-1, Petke has utilized Alexander in the defensive midfield next to Dax McCarty. Before he exited the first leg, Alexander neutralized the threat of Most Valuable Player candidate Lee Nguyen. Tweaking that successful midseason adjustment could prove to be a fatal move for Petke and the Red Bulls. 

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Another suspension that limits Petke's lineup changes is the one of Roy Miller, who is ineligible for both legs after a stupid high challenge saw him receive a red card in the second leg of the Eastern Conference Semifinal. 

If Petke had Miller available for Saturday's match, he could have moved Ambroise Oyongo up to the left wing and placed Henry up top. That would have been the ideal move for Petke, and it still may happen if he feels comfortable putting someone other than Oyongo at left-back. 

Ultimately, Petke is at fault for putting his side in this situation, and he will have to pull them out of it to advance to MLS Cup.

The young manager has earned plenty of praise for his tactical moves over the last few months. But if he finds a way to come out of New England with a win Saturday, he will be praised for overcoming his biggest mistake yet. 

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.