Preview: New York Red Bulls vs. New England Revolution

The Red Bulls are back in action this week against the New England Revolution, the team that gave them their first loss of the season.

Jesse Marsch's squad is coming off of a 2-1 road loss to Columbus. Although the Red Bulls started off bright in that match, fatigue from playing 5 matches in 15 days ultimately undid the usually solid defense.

Anatole Abang's third goal of the season gave the Red Bulls the lead in the 8th minute. Bradley Wright-Phillips turned provider again, playing a perfectly weighted through pass into the path of Abang. The striker outran Emanuel Pogatetz before placing a right footed shot past an outstretched Steve Clark.

Ethan Finlay scored on either side of the halftime whistle to earn the win for Columbus. The first goal saw Finlay cut inside on his left foot to curl a shot around Robles. For the second goal, Kei Kamara slotted a pass across the face of goal to find the winger for an easy tap in.

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What's most important for Jesse Marsch is that he gets three points out of the match against New England. The Red Bulls had just managed to string together consecutive victories for the second time that season prior to the loss at Columbus. With Red Bull Arena providing a tangible advantage for the team (they've only lost twice at home this season), the stage is set for New York to grab at least 1 point.

New England has seen their fair share of hard times recently. They're currently in the middle of a four-game losing streak, but they've only won once in their last 11 MLS games. This is a stretch of form that goes as far back to the last time these two teams met. New England is also going to be missing Jermaine Jones, who suffered a hernia last month.

Last Time They Met

May 2, 2015. The Red Bulls were arguably the best team in the league at this point, having been the only undefeated team left in the season. The result set both teams on their worst stretches of form so far, with the Revs winning only 1 of their next 11, and the Red Bulls winning only 1 of their next 6 matches.

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Who To Watch

RBNY: Anatole Abang. Although Lloyd Sam could finally be making his return to the starting lineup and push Abang to the bench, the young striker has been on fire since earning his first start. He combines well with Bradley Wright-Phillips, and although he's still a raw talent, he has much to offer in terms of attacking prowess.

NE: Lee Nguyen. Coming into the season off of a career year, much was expected from Nguyen. The midfielder has failed to match his production from last season. Despite this, he has enjoyed something of a resurgence in his past few games and will continue to be the most dangerous player on the field for New England.