Let’s take a look ahead at a few storylines as the Red Bulls prepare to host D.C. United this Saturday at 8:00 PM. Looking for tickets to the final regular season match between these two rivals? Visit Red Bulls Ticket Central or call 877.RB.SOCCER.
Squashing a Rival
Admittedly D.C. United isn’t having all that great a year, sitting in dead last in the East off a 14-point, 3-17-5 record. The home-opening draw on Mar. 16 kicked off the best-of-three series between the two clubs, but the Apr. 13, 2-0 win at RFK provided the Red Bulls with the slight advantage. Now it’s about closing out strong and taking the series (and Atlantic Cup) against D.C., but more importantly gaining three big points in the tight Eastern Conference standings.
Continue Scoring
Seems like the most logical and literal headline if ever there was one, but it’s true. After two scoreless efforts against the Columbus Crew on Aug. 10 and the Philadelphia Union on Aug. 17, the Red Bulls managed to find the back of the net two times against Chivas USA last weekend. Unfortunately it wasn’t enough to get a result, but hopefully that offense is just the spark New York needed to keep finding the back of the net.
Bouncing Back at Home
Home. Away. Home. Away. It seems like every time the team picks up a result at home they’re back on the road again. But that’s the rigors of the MLS schedule for you. This week is no exception, as the Red Bulls will shoot off to Houston following the match against D.C. United, one they will hope ends with three points at home. So far this season the Red Bulls are 7-2-3 at home, accounting for 24 of the club’s 39 points. On the road? 4-7-3. Believe it or not that ties the Red Bulls with the New England Revolution for the third highest league-wide point total on the road (15), behind Sporting KC and Real Salt Lake (18 points each) and the Philadelphia Union (16). Case in point, you have to make those home games count.
Take No Team Lightly
I touched upon D.C.’s rough season earlier in this post, but the same can also be said of last week’s match against Chivas USA. D.C. may only have three wins on the year, but they’ve tagged a few good teams in the process – Western-Conference leading Real Salt Lake on Mar. 9, and current Eastern Conference leader Montreal Impact on Aug. 3.
