Red Bulls Face Tought Test in Seattle

Among all the excitement of the Gold Cup, as the final is now set, the MLS season is steadily rolling on with some mid-week action. Having just played in Portland on Sunday, the Red Bulls opted to stay on the West Coast through the week and they now take on the Sounders tonight at the newly-named CenturyLink Field in Seattle.

I expect it to be a difficult match, possibly even more so than on Sunday against the Timbers. The Sounders currently sit in third in a difficult Western Conference, whereas the Red Bulls are sitting atop the Eastern Conference level on points with Philadelphia, but ahead on goal differential. Since the opening day of the season the Sounders have lost just once at home, so its tough to expect the Red Bulls to be able to come in and pick up three points. However, considering the difficulty of the task, I think generally the Red Bulls would be alright with picking up another point on the road. The Red Bulls have also only lost once on the road this year in seven outings so I draw may seem like a likely result. Although, Seattle may feel they have enough to pick up all three points tonight, especially having done so on the road last weekend.

The suspension of Thierry Henry for arguably the softest red card the MLS has seen this season will be a big blow to the Red Bulls. Henry has been in very good form of late and really helped carry the team with the absence of those in the Gold Cup. With Luke Rodgers still injured I expect De Rosario to be up top again and probably the same midfield and back four to start. It will be interesting to see who partners with De Rosario up top. Perhaps rookie Corey Hertzog will get his first MLS start. However, after recently returning from Gold Cup duty with Jamaica, Dane Richards could also get the nod in the starting eleven. Overall I think someone will need to step up to lead the Red Bulls tonight, particularly offensively.

The Red Bulls have gotten by recently because, despite their questionable defending at times, their ability to score goals at crucial times, even if the goals did not reflect the run of play. Henry has been prominent in this role and with his absence tonight, the group will need to collectively raise their level to compensate, or someone individually will need to step up to fill Henry’s absence. We will see tonight as the game will be live on ESPN 2 with kickoff scheduled for 10 PM eastern time so tune in if you have the chance.

(image courtesy of Getty Images)