New York Red Bulls vs. Colorado Rapids Preview

The New York Red Bulls are on the slide, without a win in three games after snatching a late draw against the Houston Dynamo on Saturday. Next they face a stern test as the MLS Cup Champion Colorado Rapids visit Red Bull Arena on Wednesday night. New York has taken just two points from nine and conceded six goals -- three times as many as in the previous seven games.

The Rapids have enjoyed another mostly solid start to the season, and sit level on points with the Red Bulls in the overall table. However, they've drawn their last three matches (against New England, DC United, and Toronto FC) and only won one of their last eight matches, picking up only seven points from a possible 24. Their defense has been good, only conceding more than one goal on two occasions this season, but they've only scored four times since dismantling DC at the very beginning of April.

New York has had a mixed run of form against Colorado; the games between these two sides have tended to be high-scoring, with 28 goals scored in their last six meetings, and only one match that featured fewer than four goals. Last season was the first time the Red Bulls took more than three points off the Rapids since 2006, with a solid 3-1 win at Red Bull Arena and a gritty 1-1 draw thanks to a possession-based 4-5-1 system out in Colorado.

On the injury front, Carl Robinson and Chris Albright are both long-term absentees, and Rafael Márquez may not play due to a groin strain, but Thierry Henry should be back in the team after missing out on the trip to Houston this past weekend. Dane Richards has already left to join up with the Jamaican national team for the Gold Cup, while this will be the last match before the tournament for Tim Ream, Juan Agudelo, Márquez, and Dwayne De Rosario. For Colorado, Omar Cummings and Caleb Folan are likely to miss out, while Conor Casey should be fit. Oh, and Wells Thompson may miss out on the game due to the End of Days.

Kickoff is at 8:00 PM and the game is on MSG+ if you're not headed to Red Bull Arena. We'll have a Match Thread going here, as always, but I will not be participating -- I'm making a triumphant return (a return, anyway) to the Cathedral of Football (Section 132, 2008 Dave van den Bergh jersey, say hi if you're around), so you Match Thread-ers will have to survive without me. Let's not mess this game up.