The New York Red Bulls will look to get back on track when the club returns to Red Bull Arena this Saturday for a 7:00 PM match against the Montreal Impact.
In the Red Bulls’ most recent action, New York fell to the Colorado Rapids 2-0 during a Fourth of July trip to Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. Prior to that, the club posted a 2-0 win over the Houston Dynamo thanks to goals from Fabian Espindola and Jonny Steele, a prime example of the form New York will look to display this weekend against the Eastern Conference’s top team.
“First and foremost they have talent at almost every position,” said Red Bulls head coach Mike Petke. “They have a structure that looks simple but … they’ve done very well with it. They’re very organized and disciplined in what they do. Any time you play a disciplined, organized, talented team it creates a challenge for you and they’re always a challenge.”
This marks the third and final regular season match between the Red Bulls and Impact, a series that remains tied at 1-1-0. Montreal claimed the first victory earlier in the season when they defended home turf well after a 13th minute Marco Di Vaio goal held up and allowed the Impact to claim three points in a 1-0 finish.
The Red Bulls were able to flip the script on May 8 when the club received two tallies from Thierry Henry, including this impressive bicycle kick finish, to take a 2-0 lead in the 88th minute. At the sight of comfort setting in on the Red Bulls back line, Montreal’s Di Vaio managed to snag a goal in the 92nd minute and then again nearly tied it on one final desperation attempt right before the whistle. The final result was a 2-1 win for the Red Bulls, but also a reminder that no lead is ever too safe.
“He obviously has played at the highest level in his career but the main thing is he’s a footballer, he thinks well without the ball, I think that is the key with him,” Red Bulls midfielder Tim Cahill said of Di Vaio. “When he doesn’t have the ball, the space he creates and obviously the goals that he’s finished are pretty exceptional. I know he’s such a good player but they have other pretty good players as well. We had a good result against them earlier in the season and hopefully we can do that again.”
Already with two goals this season against the Impact, Henry will look to have another strong outing against a team he has a tendency of doing exceptionally well against. In three career matches against Montreal, Henry has scored six goals and added one assist, including his first-career MLS hat trick in 2012, and a brace in that season’s first meeting. Although scoreless in four straight, Henry still remains in the League’s Top 10 for the Golden Boot with six tallies on the season.
This match against Montreal may not only be a chance for the Red Bulls to get back on track, but also an opportunity for Henry to continue his dominance against one of the club's most newly-minted Eastern Conference opponents.
Get your tickets now to Saturday’s match by visiting Red Bulls Ticket Central, or call 877.RB.SOCCER.
