After a very successful trip to London last weekend, the Red Bulls return to MLS action on Saturday as they face Real Salt Lake in Utah. Prior to last weekend, the Red Bulls form in MLS has been average at best, recording only one victory in their last nine attempts. During this run the likes of Sporting Kansas City and the Columbus Crew have crept up on the Red Bulls in the Eastern Conference to make things much closer and more interesting. For a while it seemed to be mostly a two-horse race for the top spot in the conference between the Red Bulls and Philadelphia. However, now things are wide open with the Crew and Sporting KC, and even the Dynamo, all in the thick of things. Hopefully the Red Bulls success at the Emirates Cup can translate into some good results in the MLS.
On the other side of things, Real Salt Lake has never seemed quite the same team since their loss in the CONCACAF Champions League final just over three months ago. They are still without a doubt one of the top sides in MLS and on their night are arguably the best side. Although to be fair, they have lacked the consistency that made them so strong previously. Real Salt Lake has dropped their last two contests, at home to Columbus and most recently away to Sporting KC, so perhaps it is a good time for the Red Bulls to face them. That being said though, its safe to say its been a very, very long time since RSL lost three consecutive games (I am not sure the actual number, but I’d assume its dates back pretty far). Playing at home, I’d expect Salt Lake to be completely up for this match and ready to take three points to turn things around.
It will certainly be a tough test for the Red Bulls, who, despite more than half the season being completed, still only have one win away from home. Fatigue may very well be a factor for the squad as they traveled to and from London, and now to Salt Lake, all within a span of about a week. All this traveling may catch up to the team, especially some of older players such as Tainio, Henry, etc. As much as the Red Bulls need to start picking up all three points from the upcoming matches, realistically a point from this match would not be a bad result. The Rio Tinto is still a difficult place to play and Eastern Conference teams have struggled when they have gone to play out west. As mentioned RSL will provide a stern challenge for the Red Bulls, so any points they are able to pick up can be considered successful. We will see Saturday night as the game is scheduled to kickoff at 7 p.m. in Salt Lake, 9 p.m. on the East Coast.
(image courtesy of newyorkredbulls.com)
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