The New York Red Bulls complete a two-game road trip on Saturday, September 9 with their match against the Chicago Fire at 4 p.m. ET (TV: UniMás, RADIO: New York Red Bulls Radio on Tunein).
With an important road match looming, here are seven reasons to catch Saturday’s match.
Six-Pointer
This weekend’s match against the Chicago Fire could see a six-point swing with a winner on Saturday in a tight Eastern Conference playoff race.
The fifth-place New York Red Bulls (12-10-4, 40 pts.) trail the third-place Chicago Fire (13-9-5, 44 pts.) by four points with one game in hand.
A win for the Red Bulls this weekend would propel them into fourth place above Columbus Crew SC (13-12-3, 42 pts.), who do not play until Sunday.
New York has two games in hand on Columbus.
Defenders Return from International Duty
After missing New York’s previous match against FC Dallas due to international duty, defenders Kemar Lawrence (Jamaica), Michael Amir Murillo (Panama) and Fidel Escobar (Panama) have returned from international duty.
Panama finished their September World Cup Qualifiers with a win against Trinidad & Tobago and a loss to Mexico.
Jamaica fell to Canada, 2-0, in a friendly.
BWP vs. Nemanja Nikolic
Bradley Wright-Phillips looks to etch his name on the scoresheet once again on Saturday against Nemanja Nikolic and the Fire.
Both players lead their respective clubs in scoring: Wright-Phillips with 14 MLS goals, Nikolic with 16.
BWP has scored five times in the last six games, while Nikolic has not found the back of the net since July 1.
Both players scored one goal in their previous encounter this season.
Potential Playoff Preview?
Could this weekend’s match be a preview of what’s to come in the 2017 MLS Cup Playoffs?
As it stands, the Red Bulls and Fire both occupy Knockout Round spots, and would face each other in a 4-5 or 3-6 finish in the standings.
The clubs have met in the playoffs just once in a three-game series in 2000 won by Chicago.
Recapturing Road Magic
After winning four-straight road games in all competitions from June-July, the Red Bulls look to recapture their road form in Chicago.
New York tied FC Dallas last week, 2-2, and are 1-0-1 in their past two games at Toyota Park.
Return of Daniel Royer?
After going down with an injury in the New York Derby on August 6, Daniel Royer could make his return this weekend.
“Having Danny [Royer] back would be key…but we can rotate different guys into that spot,” Jesse Marsch said. “We have a few more options for how we can rotate guys and use different guys.”
The winger has missed four games with a hyperextended knee and bone bruising.
Bastian Schweinsteiger
It remains to be seen if Bastian Schweinsteiger will be healthy and ready to go on Saturday, but if he does, the former German international could make a big impact on the match.
Schweinsteiger picked up a knock towards the end of the match last weekend after scoring the game-winning goal against Montreal.
Last time out against the Red Bulls, Schweinsteiger started and played the full 90 minutes in a loss for the Fire, 2-1, at Red Bull Arena.
