PREVIEW INTERVIEW New York Red Bulls vs New England Revolution

Remember the last time the New York Red Bulls played the New England Revolution? I believe it was the Conference Finals when a certain Jermaine Jones was allowed to do whatever he wanted and not be sent off for it. The Red Bulls lost. It was kind of upsetting.

Anyway, we're playing the Revs again. Yay.

At Gillette. Yay.

So we talked to Steve Stoehr of The Bent Musket. Meh.

How is the team different than the one we saw in the Conference Finals?

Well, for one it has some Juan Agudelo in it. That right there jacks up the attacking quotient and makes them a more dangerous team, which has been more and more evident every week. It's also a team that's lacking A.J. Soares, which changes the complexion of the defense. Had the Red Bulls been visiting a month ago, I would have said it was changed for the worse, but lately the defense has come together. Andrew Farrell is performing like a seasoned center-back and the Revs haven't conceded from the run of play since week two.

More than that, this is a team with belief. Last season, Jermaine Jones gave this team stability and leadership. This season, that has transformed into the belief that they can compete with anybody on any given day and win. It makes them very dangerous.

How would you coach a team to beat the Revolution?

I would clog the middle and keep them away from the ball. The Revs have so many weapons on the break and they press like crazy, but they can get caught in a cycle of trying to force things through the middle. They also don't always hold up well under pressure when teams keep the ball away from them. If you have a team that can force them into those routines, the Revs can usually be managed fairly easily.

At what point will we get sick of Good Will Hunting references and why is it never?

Because Boston is awesome. I was trying to add to that, but...that's the best reason.

Starting XI

Shuttleworth; Tierney, Goncalves, Farrell, Woodberry; Caldwell, Jones; Agudelo, Davies, Bunbury

Score prediction

2-1 Revs

Thanks to Steve for talking to us. Read more of his work here.

Follow him on Twitter.

The Red Bulls play the Revolution at 7:30 on Saturday. Tune in or go to the match. I've been to Gillette. There's a Trader Joe's outside the stadium. I ate a three pound bag of yogurt covered raisins after we lost that match in November.