Emil Forsberg ‘desperately’ wants to help Red Bulls win first MLS Cup

The Red Bulls are riding the longest postseason streak in North American men’s pro sports, and in MLS history.

But they’ve still never won an MLS Cup.

That’s exactly why Emil Forsberg came to New York: to change that.

Speaking with The Post for his first interview since arriving in the U.S., the Red Bulls’ first top-flight star in a decade — a World Cup standout for Sweden — said helping them break through to claim their first league title is why he left RB Leipzig in Germany for their stateside sister club.

“That’s the goals, why I’m coming: It’s the challenge. I want to win something, and I want to win something bad,” Forsberg, 32, told The Post. “I did it in Leipzig. I came there, we went up, we [won] the Cup two times, we won the Super Cup. So I’ve done the journey, I know how hard you have to work for it. But that’s why I came here, because I desperately want to win with New York Red Bulls.

“Every player plays to win, and we have to get this in our heads and to push each other on every training to do as we’re told and to have fun together. … We can have a lot of fun this year, because everything is possible.”

The Red Bulls have 14 straight playoffs without a title.

The past decade has seen a Moneyball-style youth movement, but Forsberg could represent a pivot.

Costing a $3.3 million transfer fee per Transfermarket, and reportedly earning $5.89 million annually on a three-year deal with a 2027 option, the attacking midfielder is the Red Bulls’ biggest investment since Thierry Henry’s 2014 retirement.

He’s also one they’re familiar with, and he knows them.

In nine years with Leipzig, he helped them get promoted to the Bundesliga, had more assists (69) and Champions League appearances (41) than anybody in team history, and was tied for the most Champions League goals (11).

“I felt as always really appreciated inside Red Bull. And when this solution came up, I felt it was a no-brainer for me. I really, really wanted to do it, and I showed it,” Forsberg told The Post. “I had good talks with Jochen [Schneider, Red Bulls head of sport] and everybody, and we felt that this is going to be amazing, and we want to do it because we want to get even better and to have a fantastic season this year.

“I’ve been nine years at Leipzig now, seen everything, almost done everything, and I felt I was ready for a change. And the challenge here in New York with Red Bulls is amazing. We want to push even more, and to do even better than last year and the years before. That’s why I came, because I love a challenge and the challenge was to come here and to make it better. And that’s what I want to do.”

Forsberg talked to Schneider, who’d been Leipzig’s head of sport and internationalization, and former Leipzig CEO Oliver Mintzlaff, still highly placed within the Red Bull corporation.

He spoke to Red Bulls coach Sandro Schwarz, a Bundesliga vet expected to play a familiar pressing style.

He even reached out to ex-Leipzig teammates Tyler Adams and Caden Clark, who gave scouting reports from their playing days in New York.

In short, the move wasn’t haphazard.

But from the time the option opened up in September or October, Forsberg and wife Shanga were sold.

“We’re both really excited for the change, to just start a new life in New York, New Jersey,” Forsberg told The Post. “We’ve been in Germany for nine years, and we both said to each other straightaway that this is an amazing opportunity. For me it’s sport wise, and for her lifestyle and everything just to have a change. And we don’t need to speak German anymore — that’s good.”