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Every game during the season will be predicted by Jason Iapicco, Matt Coyne, Tim Dean, Austin Fido, and Red Bull Rant co-hosts Patrick MacDonald, and Truman. We'll be tracking how well we do, awarding points for each prediction. For each game, 1 point will be awarded for correctly predicting a Win, Loss, or Draw; and 2 points for a correct score prediction. Let's take a look at predictions for the first game.
Date: March 15, 2014
Opponent: Colorado Rapids
Stadium: Red Bull Arena
TV: MSG
Kick Off: 4:00 pm Eastern
Matt Coyne: 2-1 Win
The season opener in Vancouver was a debacle, but the Red Bulls were away from home, where they're average, and on turf, where they're just plain awful. This Saturday they're back home and will have Thierry Henry and Jamison Olave. With their return, the Red Bulls will add back what they were lacking Saturday, namely an actual forward and some speed at the back. They'll look like a different team Saturday, and it should be enough to come away with three points.
Tim Dean: 2-1 Win
After last week's horrific 4-1 shellacking, New York is going to hit the pitch hungry for a win. The return of Thierry Henry and Jamison Olave along with a "rested" Tim Cahill will give Mike Petke's side the boost in confidence they need to bounce back. I wouldn't be surprised to see Kosuke Kimura and Roy Miller reinserted into the starting lineup in order to shore up the back line but they still won't be able to keep a clean sheet.
Austin Fido: 3-2 Win
Yes, we got crushed on carpet in Cascadia, but now is the time to roll over the Rapids at RBA. Even with Olave back in the lineup, I think the defense has a few kinks to work out. Colorado looks like a team built to attack, and then attack again. So I'm seeing a win, but only just.
For the predictions of Jason Iapicco, Patrick MacDonald, and Truman, tune into this week's episode of the Red Bull Rant.
