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Red Bulls host Minnesota United looking to win third straight

Red Bulls group hug goal celebration vs Toronto FC March 5, 2022

Preview – Two games, two wins on the road. Now, the New York Red Bulls are back in Harrison for their home opener against Minnesota United FC. New York will look to make it three wins on the spin, while the Loons are still searching for their first victory.

Red Bulls host Minnesota United looking to win third straight

This will be the fourth all-time meeting between the pair and the first matchup since 2019.

Red Bulls: looking to stay hot with a third straight win

Things couldn’t have gone better for Gerhard Struber and his side. They’ve won back to back road wins to open a season for the first time in franchise history, and the first time since 2017 to win their first two games. Lewis Morgan was the hat-trick hero last week at Toronto FC and captain Aaron Long also grabbed a goal in the 4-1 beatdown. Furthermore, new signing Luquinhas has arrived in New Jersey. It’s yet to be determined how and when he gets integrated into the team in order to start.

Cristian Cásseres Jr has been upgraded to questionable with a hip flexor that sidelined him last weekend. Struber says loan signing Ashley Fletcher is still undergoing the visa process. On the pitch, Patryk Klimala has been lively and has shown his playmaking skills already with three assists to date. Tom Edwards saw action as a sub and may be in line to start. Given the early success, it’d be tough to see any big changes to the lineup or formation.

So expect the likes of Klimala, Morgan and Long to have a say in the outcome of this game. Midfielder Frankie Amaya has also been in great form to start the year and is a player to watch. With a win, the Red Bulls will have won three straight games to open the season for the first time in franchise history.

Minnesota United: Loons looking for first win after two draws

A pair of 1-1 draws at Philadelphia and home versus Nashville has seen the Loons wanting more. Now granted, it’s been a difficult start for Adrian Heath’s team having to now play three playoff teams off the bat. Heath knows about the challenges that lay ahead of the game Sunday night.

Minnesota ain’t a pushover by any means. Hassani Dotson and Emanuel Reynoso are formidable in attack, while Robin Los offers a threat as a winger or in midfield. However, a number of players may not be fully fit to play on Sunday night as the tweet below shows. It’ll be interesting to see how Minnesota will lineup and how they approach the game. Teams have been known to sit back and let the Red Bulls come to them. That could be a dangerous plan due to the hot start New York has made scoring goals. If Minnesota are light at the back, it could prompt Heath to change the setup of the team in order to not concede.

New York are favorites due to their form alone, but Minnesota won the last meeting between the teams. Add in the cold weather forecast, and it should make for a very intriguing game.

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