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Game Details
When: Wednesday, September 10, 8:00 pm
Opponent: D.C. United
TV: ESPN 2
Standings:
- D.C. United: 14-8-5, 47 pts, 1st in East
- Red Bulls: 8-8-10, 34 pts, 6th in East
What We Know
This team looked good without Tim Cahill
Tim Cahill was away from this team, off with Australia for their first post-World Cup friendlies, for the match against Sporting Kansas City. In his place, Mike Petke played what looked like a 4-3-3 with Peguy Luyindula filling in for the absent Cahill. The formation seemed to do the trick as the Red Bulls had a lot more energy in both offense & defense. Aditionally, Cahill has not had the best season for the Red Bulls, failing to live up to his team leading 12 goals.
Interesting stat: Cahill has played 17 matches for #RBNY and #Socceroos respectively this yr. He has scored 10 for Australia, 1 for NY. #MLS
— Dave Martinez (@EmpireOfSoccer) September 9, 2014
The march for 28
Bradley Wright-Phillips currently sits at 21 goals scored after his penalty kick goal against Sporting KC. He has 8 games to score 7 goals to break the single season MLS scoring record (6 to tie). That means that BWP must score an average of 0.875 goals per game down the stretch. So far, he is averaging 0.808 goals per game, so it isn't crazy to think that Wright-Phillips could break the record.
0-2-0, -3 GD
That's the Red Bulls record against D.C. this year, the worse head-to-head performance against an Eastern Conference team in 2014.
What We Don't
Will Cahill play?
There's a few factors to suggest that Tim Cahill might start this game on the bench (and possibly not play at all). He's just coming back from international duty with Australia. The team performed well without Cahill in the lineup. Lastly, Petke apparently hasn't decided on what action to take with the designated player.
Mike Petke undecided on whether Tim Cahill will play tomorrow or not, but judging from sound of things, seems unlikely. #RBNY
— Franco Panizo (@FrancoPanizo) September 9, 2014
Will RBNY avoid the season shutout?
#RBNY hasn’t scored on DCU in '14. If NY is shut out Wed, it’ll be 1st time goalless v DC in a single yr. NY shutout DCU in '10 (2-0, 0-0).
— Mark Fishkin (@MarkFishkin) September 8, 2014
What's worse than 3 straight loses to DC? Getting shutout in all three.
Is the fortress back?
The Red Bulls are undefeated at Red Bull Arena since a 2-1 loss to the Portland Timbers on May 24th. Since then, the Red Bulls have gone 4-0-2, 15 GF, 8 GA in MLS (5-0-2, 17 GF, 8 GA in all competitions). Can the Red Bulls keep it going against a D.C. side that has had their number this year?
Predictions
Every game during the 2014 New York Red Bulls 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 upcoming game.
Matt Coyne: 2-1 Win
This last win gave me more confidence in the squad and I think the tactical change will help Pekte and company right the ship. Plus, it's at home where the Red Bulls are considerably better.
Tim Dean: 1-1 Draw
The Red Bulls haven't been able to score on DC yet this season...but they also haven't played them at home. I think they get at least one, but fail to keep the clean sheet.
Austin Fido: 1-1 Draw
I live in hope, but this season has seen me spend too much time in frustration and despair.