Winning last time out against NYCFC was a major coup for the New England Revolution. The other half of New York awaits next, the Red Bulls. Every game is massive for both of these Eastern Conference teams, but particularly the Revs given their precarious place in the standings.
A Huge Fixture for the Revs In New York
Mixed Fortunes
Both the Revs and the Red Bulls have had a hit-and-miss month or so in MLS. Last time out, the former put three past NYC. Prior to that, Bruce Arena’s men were winless four, including back-to-back defeats against LA Galaxy and CF Montreal.
A familiar face in Tommy McNamara netted against NYCFC as well as 17-year-old Noel Buck on just his second start for the club. Another key player once again was goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic, and this hasn’t gone unnoticed with those around him. Defender Andrew Farrell spoke very highly of the Serb, “The saves he makes, that are some of the hardest saves for some goalkeepers, and he makes them look easy.”
Dru Yearwood was sent off after he kicked a ball in the stands and injured a couple of fans. He was turned away from consoling them after he jumped into the stands. pic.twitter.com/NC0kf7eesk
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) September 4, 2022
On the flipside, the Red Bulls are coming into this one after a defeat. Mikael Uhre and Daniel Gazdag are both having great seasons in Philadelphia and the Union duo were on target in a win over Gerhard Struber’s side. The match was further marred by a moment of madness from Dru Yearwood. The Englishman smashed the ball into the crowd in frustration and ended up hitting some supporters.
Before that, Red Bulls were unbeaten in four, three of these being victories. They won on the road at CF Montreal and Atlanta United whilst Phil Neville and Inter Miami returned to Florida empty-handed. The one fixture which saw Red Bulls drop points in this stretch was against FC Cincinnati as USMNT defender Matt Miazga came back to bite his old side.
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An Evenly Balanced Fixture
Both the Red Bulls and the Revs have their own respective histories in Major League Soccer. When it comes to the pair facing off, it has been fairly even in recent seasons. Focusing on the last five meetings and there wasn’t a single draw. New England prevailed in three whilst the other two went the way of the New Yorkers.
In the last meeting, Red Bulls edged what was a fiery affair back in April. The only goal of the game was scored by Matt Polster but at the wrong end whilst both sides saw a player dismissed. Frankie Amaya saw red with twenty minutes left and then a hot under the collar moment from Adam Buksa at the death led to him picking up two yellows in quick succession.
It was unfortunate that Polster recorded an own goal against RBNY due to a deflected clearance.
Two weeks later he scores a goal by getting in the way of a clearance #NERevs pic.twitter.com/i5fes5qpC0
— Seth (@SethMan31) April 17, 2022
This trip to Red Bull Arena will put the credentials of the Revs on the road to the test. Arena was honest when discussing how his side fare away from Gillette Stadium. “We haven’t been a particularly good road team this year. We were last year.”
Meanwhile, Farrell analysed the famous Red Bull style of play. “The first 15-20 minutes of every game against the Red Bulls is hectic. They press better than a lot of the teams in the league, probably one of the best teams pressing in the league. They try to turn you over early on, especially at home. They’re really, really good.” No matter the outcome, this promises to be a must-watch fixture from Red Bull Arena!
