On Sunday, the Red Bulls will square off against first place Atlanta United, and will look to inch closer in the Eastern Conference and Supporters' Shield standings.
The Red Bulls took the first leg against Atlanta 3-1, but this time will have to do so without the services of leading goal scorer Bradley Wright-Phillips, who due to yellow card accumulation, will have to sit out the match.
Although New York will be missing one of their leaders, the team has been in this situation before, coincidentally also against Atlanta United. In their first meeting this season, the club was without goalkeeper Captain Luis Robles, which called for backup goalkeeper Ryan Meara to step up in his absence.
With Wright-Phillips having to miss the game on Sunday, Head Coach Chris Armas' confidence has not wavered, and believes his club is more focused on the players who will be available, rather than those who aren't.
"Last time it’s our captain, and Ryan [Meara] steps in and did amazing, we saw that," Armas said. "Now it’s Brad, one of our other leaders that we all look to for leadership and the goals that he produces - what he actually gives on the field. As we get closer to the game that might even be something that we feel, but we believe in the guys that can come in and help and the guys on the roster. We don’t focus on who’s not in. We’re already past that and we’re thinking hard about how we can challenge Atlanta."
Sean Davis, who spoke with the media after training, feels as though this is a great opportunity for other players to step up and contribute.
"It’s a great opportunity for other guys to step up and like you saw in the Atlanta game at their place when we were missing a leader, Ryan [Meara] came in and more than held his own," Davis said. "I think the team’s ready to fight without Brad, I think, you know we want to win this game for him, we know it’s not easy for him to be on the sideline but it’s a good opportunity for a lot of guys."
The Red Bulls have never lost to Atlanta (2-0-1) in their three meetings, and even though the task isn't as easy without Wright-Phillips available, Marc Rzatkowski knows the team is up for the challenge.
"We know that we have a good squad also," Rzatkowski said. "We are proud of everyone and we know everyone has his own qualities, so we are excited to show what we can."
