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Red Bulls on Miller's red card and Henry-on-turf ahead of Revolution series

Two tidbits in the dead time between now and when the Revs and Red Bulls kick off the Eastern Conference final next weekend.

Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Two bits of New York Red Bulls news to hold you over during the international break:

After Roy Miller's yellow and straight red card, he's set to miss the entire two-legged tie against the New England Revolution. But not if the Red Bulls have anything to say about it.

Head Coach Mike Petke told the press this afternoon that they plan on appealing Miller's red card as, Petke said, according to Dave Martinez at Empire of Soccer, there was plenty of other roughhousing during the away leg in D.C.

"If that is a red card, you look at [Richard] Eckersley in the 73rd minute getting kicked in the head, blatantly kicked in the head, and there's only a foul called, no card. Maybe it's because Eckersley didn't go down because he's a bit tough. He put his hand on his head because it did hurt him, but there was a foul called and no card issued.

"Then you look at the 93rd minute when [Ibrahim] Sekagya gets kicked in the head with a lump in the head," he continued. "Foul called, not even a yellow card. Then you look at [Jamison] Olave getting elbowed in the face in the 95th minute. Elbow straight to the face, splitting his lip, four or five stitches bleeding everywhere Not even a foul on that.

"My question is: if what Roy did is a straight red card, where is the consistency? Not only is it not consistency, but there was not even a yellow card, not even a talking to with those players. We have the head wounds to prove it. The lump on Sekagya's head, Eckersley as well. And they are all on video."

Petke says both Miller and Sean Franklin, who was allegedly kicked in the head, were looking at the ball and that Miller's errant cleat didn't get Franklin in the head at all.

And on to what could be the story of the series -- Theirry Henry and his turf-phobia -- the Red Bulls aren't saying whether he'll play the away leg in Foxborough.

Gillette Stadium has turf and Henry doesn't like turf when it's football-first turf, as it is in New England, Seattle and Vancouver. He's alright with Portland's, though, for what it's worth.

Anyway, Petke dismissed the question on his weekly conference call.

"Let me say this; we are playing the New England Revolution Sunday at Red Bull Arena. That is the only game I am thinking about, that is the only game I am talking about," Petke said during his weekly conference call. "I am not going to let something like that take any type of stage before the first game at Red Bull Arena."

Unless the Red Bulls take a convincing lead over the Revs, like 3-0 or 4-0, it would certainly seem like the Red Bulls would need Henry's services in the second leg (and, let's be honest, it's unlikely they'll take that scoreline into Foxborough).

It's long been an article of faith that Henry would play in meaningful games, regardless of the surface. We'll see if that's true.