The New York Red Bulls aim to capture their first win against the Montreal Impact on Saturday, March 12, at 4 p.m. ET (TV: MSG+2, MSG+; RADIO: Red Bulls Radio English/Spanish on TuneIn). This is the first away game of the 2016 season for New York, who finished with MLS’ second-best road record in 2015. Saturday’s game at the Olympic Stadium will be the first of three matchups between the clubs.
New York Red Bulls
- Record: 0-1-0
- Previous Match: Loss, 0-2 vs. Toronto FC
- Leading Scorer: none
- Assists Leader: none
- Saves Leader: Luis Robles (3)
Montreal Impact
- Record: 1-0-0
- Previous Match: Win, 3-2 at Vancouver Whitecaps FC
- Leading Scorer: Ignacio Piatti (2)
- Assists Leaders: Ignacio Piatti, Dominic Oduro, Harry Shipp (1)
- Saves Leader: Evan Bush (8)
All-Time Regular Season Series
- New York leads series, 6-2-2
- New York is unbeaten in last six meetings against Montreal dating back to March 2013
- New York has outscored Montreal, 23-14
Scouting Report
Coming off a gritty 0-2 loss to Toronto, the Red Bulls are looking forward the clash with the Impact to get their season on track. Despite the loss, some positives shone through during their home opener.
Center back Gideon Baah played an excellent 90 minutes in his Red Bulls debut, looking confident on the ball and combining with Ronald Zubar to slow down and frustrate the reigning MLS MVP, Sebastian Giovinco, for much of the match. Despite an overall positive performance, both goals conceded were a result of counter-attacks, something that the Red Bulls defense looks to address in time for Saturday.
Captain Dax McCarty looked positive against Toronto on the pitch as well, distributing the ball and helping push the attack. McCarty split two defenders and played in Bradley Wright-Phillips in the 65th minute, giving the Red Bulls one of their best scoring chances, but in the end Wright-Phillips couldn’t find the back of the net.
Montreal proved in their season opener that they are capable of launching a formidable attack, despite the absence of Didier Drogba. Ignacio Piatti will be the clear man to watch on Saturday after netting two goals and grabbing one assist against Vancouver. In the absence of Drogba, the Argentine took advantage of an offensive strategy primarily focused on one man. Piatti will be the number one concern for the Red Bulls defense.
Forward Dominic Oduro will provide more than a handful of speed for Montreal, adding to their attack and keeping the Red Bulls defense on their toes. The former Red Bulls forward scored against New York in their fixture of the season, a 1-1 draw at Stade Saputo. Goalkeeper Evan Bush is another player to keep an eye on, one week after posting a league-leading eight saves in Montreal’s season opener.
