HANOVER, N.J. – After a loss and a draw against D.C. United, the Red Bulls will be hoping the third time’s a charm this Sunday.
With the Atlantic Cup on the line, the two longtime rivals will do battle once more in 2016, this time at Red Bull Arena.
The rivalry hardly ever needs added fuel to the fire, but with United currently on the outside looking in at the playoff picture, the Red Bulls are preparing to take on a desperate and dangerous side.
“We always focus on all of our rivalries, but more importantly we want to get those points at home,” defender Chris Duvall told NewYorkRedBulls.com. “We’re reaching the end of the season and we want to get a bye for the first round of the playoffs so we have to win our games. Especially with D.C. in the playoff race, we know that they could be an opponent in the playoffs. It’s a big matchup just like it always is against D.C.”
Although coming off of a losing effort in a 3-2 result at New York City FC, United’s offense has been kicked into high gear as of late. In their last six matches, the capital club has bagged an impressive 15 goals including a six-goal outburst against the Chicago Fire.
If the Red Bulls are to come away with three points on Sunday afternoon, the defense will have to key in on new addition Patrick Mullins as well as old friend Lloyd Sam, who will presumably make his first appearance at Red Bull Arena since being traded from New York.
“Those two names have been huge for them,” goalkeeper Luis Robles said. “Lloyd has always been a dangerous player for us and he continues to do that for D.C. And when you look at Patrick Mullins and his goals per 90 minutes, he’s amongst some of the top names in the league. He’s been able to contribute right away, so we have to be aware of him just like any good striker we play against. If they get him involved, it’s going to be a long day for us.”
A Wake Forrest alum and frequent ACC opponent of Mullins’ while with the Maryland Terrapins, Duvall knows the New York defense will have their work cut out for them at the weekend.
“I’ve played against him for four years of college and my entire professional career,” Duvall added. “He’s a guy that I respect and I know that we’re in for a battle. But as long as we can win the physical part of the game, we’ve got a good chance of putting our mark on the game.”
In what Marsch previously described as the low point of the season, the Red Bulls bounced back nicely from a disappointing defeat to United in their first matchup of the season and put forth a much improved effort in their second trip to RFK Stadium on August 21. It wasn’t enough to secure the full three points, but the Red Bulls are confident that a home fixture with United will be a different story altogether.
“We have some real momentum and we want to capitalize on that,” head coach Jesse Marsch told reporters. “We know what’s on the line every time we play D.C.; we learned that in a really hard way [in a 2-0 loss] back in May. We’ve learned from that and we’ll be ready for what this game will present.”
