The New York Red Bulls will hope to continue their undefeated streak at home when they host the Portland Timbers Sunday night for a 7pm kickoff at Red Bull Arena (watch live on MSG+). While the Timbers have been noticeably struggling this season, with a Western Conference-worst record of 5-12-6, no one on the Red Bulls is planning to take this club lightly. New York head coach Hans Backe emphasized this following the team’s training session Friday afternoon.
“It doesn’t matter who you play in this league,” Backe said. “That’s what it’s all about. Every game is even. You have to just have the same attitude, spirit as we had against Houston at home. That’s what it’s all about and then you can pick up three points.”
Portland has recorded a point in each of its last two matches, a 1-1 draw against FC Dallas on August 5 and a 2-2 draw against Toronto FC Wednesday night. For Red Bulls newcomer Tim Cahill, the match against Toronto provided an opportunity to get an inside look at Sunday’s opponent and prepare for what the Timbers will bring to town.
“I watched the last game they played, just in the weekend,” Cahill said. “Decent team; got some good players. I think for us we’ve had a really hard week tactically, physically. You know a lot of the boys coming back from injury and working on trying to stabilize what we did against Houston at home. We’re sitting in a good position in the table, but the same discipline and consistency for the last game has to be brought into Portland.”
Over the past two weeks, Backe has stressed the importance of raising the bar during the team’s training sessions at Montclair State University. The recent 2-0 result against Houston speaks for itself and sets the standard for what the Red Bulls aim to bring for the remainder of the season. With the playoffs right around the corner, a healthy squad of players competing for starting positions will only strengthen the Red Bulls for the road ahead.
“It’s healthy for the team. Good for the manager and good for the players,” Cahill said of the team’s intense workouts. “Even in training there’s some crunching tackles and that’s what I like to see – competition for places and also a competitiveness that’s going to rub off on the football pitch on the weekend.”
New York will look to get three more points with a win over Portland Sunday and improve upon their undefeated home record. Watch all the action live starting at 7pm on MSG+ or get your tickets now at Red Bulls Ticket Central.
