Good news Red Bull fans: your team is making its last trip out to the West Coast for a match this regular season. After tonight’s match against the Vancouver Whitecaps, New York will be going only as far as Houston to play games, sticking mainly to the northeast. That’s about the only good news with tonight’s matchup, however. The Whitecaps (7-3-4, 5-1-2 at home) sit in third place in the Western Conference while the Red Bulls (8-4-2, 4-4-0 on the road) sit in third place in the Eastern Conference. NY has scored 10 more goals than Vancouver but also let in six more goals than the Caps have.
The hits continue, as New York will definitely be without Thierry Henry and Rafa Marquez due to injury. Mehdi Ballouchy with his troublesome visa issues traveled back to New York after the Chicago match. New York’s head coach Hans Backe will not be present at BC Place, attending to personal matters, leaving Jan Halvor Halvorsen and Mike Petke in charge of the team. On Monday, Backe said the team would go through changes against Vancouver. Central defender Wilman Conde will most likely start the game on the bench as he is still recovering from a groin injury that sidelined him a considerable time. With a major matchup with rivals DC United on Sunday, a midgame tilt on a turf pitch would be less than ideal conditions and could see a setback in the Colombian’s season. Heath Pearce looks like he’ll switch to centerback next to Markus Holgersson, leaving Roy Miller at left back. Miller who looked absolutely gassed in the first half against Chicago after playing over the international break with Costa Rica. Backe also said that things would change up top though Kenny Cooper would remain the constant. Whether it is Cooper playing up top solo, behind Jhonny Arteaga or in front of Joel Lindpere, it will look different. This means Dane Richards will go back to burning down the flanks instead of being static up front. After seeing Richards play twice up top this season, it is clear he is at his best down the flanks with his speed. I’m not sure if Backe, or Halovrsen and Petke, would change much after that or if they really can change much after that. If Lindpere goes up top maybe Solli slots centrally and Lade comes in o the left wing but that’s about it.
New York is facing a very stingy Vancouver team that gives up fewer goals than it normally concedes. With the likes of DeMerrit and Bonjour in the middle, Cooper will have his work cut out as Vancouver’s center back pairing are very strong. In front of one of the top keepers in Joe Cannon, NY cannot afford to miss its chances. Vancouver also has a dangerous attack, which even without the mobile Mattock’s can hurt a slow backline. Mattock’s is serving a one game suspension after the rookie picked up two yellows in the matter of a minute against Colorado. Vancouver still has Eric Hassli, Sebastien Le Toux, Davide Chiumiento, John Thorrington, and Camilo to attack New York’s shaken up backline. Let’s not forget they have two very dangerous fullbacks in Young-Pyo Lee and Alain Rochat who have. The Rd Bulls have gotten a bit better on defending set pieces but Vancouver is one of the more dangerous teams on set pieces. New York will need to be careful to give up free kicks in a dangerous spot.
Three games in eight days is tough for any team but a team can manage to get points if they use their depth properly. With the injuries and suspensions that rocked New York from April throughout May, the Red Bulls pulled off an impressive five game winning streak. Now, New York will need to use some of those players in important positions to gain vital points on the road. However, if the Red Bulls enter the half taking a beating, Haloversen and Petke should look to sub and save some of the more important legs ahead of a rivalry match on Sunday.
(image courtesy of newyorkredbulls.com)
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