Sunday night at Red Bull Arena is Wings for Life night! In partnership with Team LeGrand and the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, we are shining a light on spinal cord injuries. For fans who use the promo code RBWFL, $3 from every ticket purchased will go directly to the Wings for Life Foundation. To purchase tickets on behalf of Wings for Life and the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, click here and apply the promo code.
MATCH INFORMATION
- New York Red Bulls vs. Los Angeles Galaxy
- Red Bull Arena, Harrison, N.J.
- April 26, 2015 5:00 p.m. ET (WEEK 8, MLS Game #72)
- ESPN2 │ ESPN Deportes │ WatchESPN
- #NYvLA
WEATHER FORECAST
SETTING THE SCENE
A long standing coastal rivalry is renewed this weekend as the LA Galaxy will travel across the country to Harrison, N.J. to take on the New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena on Wings for Life Night this Sunday. The match will be broadcasted on ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and WatchESPN with match coverage set to begin at 5:00 p.m. ET.
Tickets for all Red Bulls home games are available by visiting: www.newyorkredbulls.com/tickets.
This match will be the first and only contest between the two sides in 2015. MLS great Landon Donavan stole the show in the lone meeting between the clubs a season ago as he finished the match with three assists and a goal in LA's 4-0 victory.
The Red Bulls are coming off of an impressive 2-0 victory at home against the San Jose Earthquakes while the Galaxy won their second consecutive game, defeating Sporting Kansas City 2-0 at StubHub Center in Carson, California last weekend.
LAST FIVE REGULAR SEASON MEETINGS (3-1-1)
- 5/7/11: DRAW LA 1-1 NYRB @ The Home Depot Center
- 7/12/11: WIN NYRB 2-0 LA Galaxy @ Red Bull Arena
- 5/5/12: WIN LA 0-1 NYRB @ Home Depot Center
- 5/19/13: WIN NYRB 1-0 LA @ Red Bull Arena
- 9/28/14: LOSS LA 4-0 NYRB @ StubHub Center
PRE-MATCH FACTS
- The Galaxy have not won at New York in MLS regular season play since a 1-0 victory in 2010 in the inaugural season of Red Bull Arena.
- Red Bulls forward Bradley Wright-Phillips' three assists are tied for second most in MLS this season.
- The Red Bulls remain the only undefeated team in the league this season. Their +5 goal differential and 2.2 points per game are league bests while New York's four goals against are tied for the best in MLS.
- New York is tied for the best home record in MLS since 2012, going 34-7-12 since the start of that season. The 114 points accumulated at home in that span is tied for most with LA.
- Both clubs announced last week that they will both be competing in this summer's 2015 International Champions Cup along with MLS side San Jose Earthquakes.
NEW YORK RED BULLS
The Red Bulls (3-0-2), took over first place in the Eastern Conference last weekend with a 2-0 home victory against Western Conference side, San Jose Earthquakes. The Red Bulls are currently tied with D.C. United and New England Revolution atop the standings but hold the tiebreaker with a superior goal differential. New York also has a game in hand of D.C. and two games in hand on New England.
NYRB will look to continue their home dominance so far this season, having won both matches at Red Bull Arena by a score of 2-0. New York has yet to concede a goal at home and looked sharp at the back again in last weekend's match against San Jose. 19-year-old defender Matt Miazga was praised for his sharp defending and was named to the MLS Team of the Week bench for his efforts before joining the U.S. U-20 Men's National Team for training camp in Austria this week. Miazga will be available for Sunday's clash against LA as hamstring questions remain for a few other players.
Both Ronald Zubar and Roy Miller have not suited since the opening match but they could be inserted back into the lineup against the Galaxy with both defenders returning to full training. Zubar hasn't suffered any setbacks with his injured hamstring and Miller is also on track to be available on Sunday.
Midfielder Lloyd Sam limped off the field in the 76th minute of Friday's win over San Jose with an apparent hamstring injury, but head coach Jesse Marsch says that Sam could be back in time for Sunday's contest. Sam leads the Red Bulls in assists this season and has been a key cog in Marsch's high pressure attack. Midfielder Marius Obekop is also listed as day-to-day after having to leave the field with a hamstring injury in NYRB II's match against Wilmington Hammerheads on April 12.
This will be the second match of New York's three game home stand which includes a mid-week clash against Western Conference foe, Colorado Rapids, on Wednesday April 29 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Injury Report:
- DAY-TO-DAY: D Ronald Zubar (slight hamstring injury)
- DAY-TO-DAY: M Lloyd Sam (hamstring)
- DAY-TO-DAY: M Marius Obekop (hamstring)
LA GALAXY
The Galaxy (3-2-2) look to continue their winning ways on the East Coast coming off of consecutive home victories the last two weeks. LA defeated the Seattle Sounders 1-0 on April 12 and then took care of Sporting Kansas City last weekend 2-1 thanks to a stoppage time goal from U.S. National Team defender Omar Gonzalez.
Galaxy Homegrown Players Oscar Sorto and Jose Villareal will both be available for Sunday's match against the Red Bulls after being called into the U.S. U-23 squad for a mid-week match against Mexico at StubHub Center. Villareal has started four matches for the Galaxy this season while Sorto has made four appearances for LA Galaxy II in USL.
Irish international forward Robbie Keane hopes to return to the field after sitting out the last two games with a groin issue. Keane also missed LA's only trip to the East Coast so far this season—a 1-0 loss to D.C. United—due to Ireland's Euro 2016 qualifying match against Poland. Keane has two goals in four starts for LA this season and finished third in MLS in total goals last season (19), behind Kansas City's Dom Dwyer (22) and New York's Bradley Wright-Phillips (27)
Brazilian defender Leonardo's status is also in question as he has missed the last three matches for LA after starting the first four. Midfielder Kenney Walker has not played since he started the opening match of the season and former New York Red Bull striker Edson Buddle is also pushing for a return from a hamstring injury.
LA will try to establish some consistency on the road as they have only earned one point in three matches away from StubHub Center in 2015. The Galaxy sit in third place in the Western Conference with 11 points through seven matches.
Injury Report:
- OUT: GK Brian Perk (dislocated and fractured ankle, out for season)
- QUESTIONABLE: D Leonardo (quadriceps strain)
- QUESTIONABLE: M Kenney Walker (groin)
- QUESTIONABLE: F Robbie Keane (groin)
- QUESTIONABLE: F Edson Buddle
PREGAME CHATTER
Head coach Jesse Marsch on this weekend's test…
"The New York/LA rivalry has always been a good one. We have a lot of respect [for the Galaxy] but they're coming to our place and we're going to put the game on our terms and go out and go after the win."
LA Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena on the matchup…
"It sounds sexy doesn’t it, [this] matchup? I guess that’s why it’s on national television, right? It’s LA and New York. [New York is] off to a good start. We’ve been adequate over the last couple of games, so we’re hoping for a good game.”
WINGS FOR LIFE NIGHT
The New York Red Bulls have partnered with Team LeGrand and the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation in support of spinal cord injury surgery to celebrate Wings for Life Night this Sunday April 26 vs. the LA Galaxy. A portion of every ticket sold will go directly to the Wings for Life Foundation and former Rutgers football player Eric LeGrand will be honored for his efforts helping these foundations by delivering the game ball during a pre-match ceremony.
To purchase tickets on behalf of Wings for Life and The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, click here and use the promo code RBWFL.
For more information on Wings For Life Night at Red Bull Arena, visit our Wings For Life Announcement.
THE RETURN OF JPA
In honor of the 20th season of Major League Soccer for the New York Red Bulls, the club will pay tribute to the best 20 players of the past 20 seasons at home matches throughout the year. This Sunday, the Red Bulls will be honoring club great, Juan Pablo Angel, who will be holding a 30 minute autograph session in the Bullevard before the match. JPA will be also be recognized during a special pre-match presentation.
