The New York Red Bulls are set to host the Portland Timbers on Sunday evening at Red Bull Arena in a matchup of the 2015 Supporters' Shield Winners against the defending MLS Cup Champions.
Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m., with coverage on ESPN2, Watch ESPN and Red Bulls Radio on TuneIn.
Fans are invited to arrive early, as the Biergarten at Red Bull Arena (located near Gate B) will open at 2:30 p.m. for a full day of soccer viewing.
Red Bulls Radio gets underway at 5 p.m. with Countdown to Kickoff, hosted by Matt Harmon. Harmon will call the match in English with former Red Bull and MetroStar Steve Jolley, while Ernesto Motta provides Spanish play-by-play beginning at 6 p.m.
New York returns home for an MLS matchup for the first time after an extended road trip that saw the team play matches at Real Salt Lake, Columbus, Philadelphia (U.S. Open Cup) and at New York City FC in a 12-day span.
New York went 0-3-1 on the road trip including the Open Cup loss to the Union. New York had previously won five straight, all shutouts, across all competitions. The Red Bulls are 5-3-2 over the last 10 league games, and have outscored opponents 20-6 in that span.
Bradley Wright-Phillips leads the Red Bulls with nine goals this season, tied with Portland's Fanendo Adi for third-most in MLS. Sacha Kljestan leads the league with 10 assists. New York is 4-0-2 when Wright-Phillips has a goal or assist, and 5-1-1 when Kljestan gets on the score sheet. The Red Bulls are 3-0-1 when both players are involved in the scoring.
Luis Robles continues his MLS iron man run, currently at 124 consecutive, complete regular season games played for New York. With a start Sunday, Robles will add another line in his record book by tying Tony Meola's franchise record for starts and appearances in goal.
New York is 3-1-2 all-time against Portland, and has never been shutout by the Timbers. New York is 2-1-0 in matchups at Red Bull Arena, with Portland taking the last contest in Harrison, 2-1 in May of 2014. The Red Bulls returned the favor by taking a 2-0 win at Providence Park last September with goals from Felipe and Damien Perrinelle.
Portland enters at 6-6-6 on the season, with an 0-4-5 road record. Adi's nine goals lead the Timbers, while Diego Valeri has contributed seven goals and five assists.
After Sunday, New York hosts Orlando City SC for the third and final meeting of the season on Wednesday, July 13. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., with coverage on MSG and Red Bulls Radio.
Tickets for all Red Bulls home matches can be purchased by calling 1.877.727.6223 or visiting www.NewYorkRedBulls.com/tickets.
2016 records:
- NY: 7-9-2; 6-2-0 at home
- POR: 6-6-6; 0-4-5 on the road
All-Time Series: NY is 3-1-2; 2-1-0 at home
Last meeting: NY defeated Portland, 2-0 in Portland, on September 20, 2015
