HANOVER, N.J. – They may be shorthanded, but there’s no shortage of confidence within the Red Bulls locker room.
Heading into a crucial Eastern Conference showdown with the Montreal Impact, New York will be missing some key pieces like defenders Connor Lade and Damien Perrinelle and captain Dax McCarty, which should serve to test the depth of the squad. It’s a test, however, that midfielder Felipe expects to pass with flying colors.
“It’s not about two or three guys, it’s about 11 guys being ready for the challenge,” he said. “We have to be compact and work as a team.”
At Red Bull Arena, New York has been particularly stingy giving up just one goal over their last nine home games in all competitions. On Saturday night, defender Aurelien Collin will have the unenviable task of matching up with Montreal’s star striker Didier Drogba, a legend who needs no introduction.
“It’s always very special to play against Didier Drogba,” the Frenchman said. “He’s a very big player, a legend, so it’s a big challenge. He’s very strong, jumps high, very technical, and he’ll shoot from anywhere. You have to be focused from the first minute to the last.
“As a defender, you always appreciate when you play against a big striker like him. It’s going to be a big fight, but we’re excited for it.”
Drogba may be the first name that leaps off the page on the Imapct team sheet, but perhaps their most dangerous player lurks out on the wing. Argentine maestro Ignacio “Nacho” Piatti stands tied with Bradley Wright-Phillips on the goal scoring charts, both with 12 on the season.
“When I think about Montreal I think about Piatti,” former Impact midfielder Felipe added. “He’s the main guy there and I was fortunate enough to play with him. They have a lot of good players, but Piatti is a huge piece there.
“They’re in a good position now. They have a good mentality, a good team, but we’re going to approach this game the same, business as usual.”
Bottling up Montreal’s potent attacking core won’t be easy as the Impact have a variety of weapons at their disposal with the pace of Dominic Oduro and the trickery of Harrison Shipp also looming large. The key to limiting these dangerous attacking pieces? Keep them off the ball, says head coach Jesse Marsch.
“We have to make them defend, make them have to deal with us, make them have to cover ground,” he said. “It’s going to be a hot day so we’re going to try to push the tempo of the game and make it hard on them. At Red Bull Arena, we always challenge teams to keep up with the game.”
