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The New York Red Bulls are still, technically, in preseason, but the 2017 season starts on February 22 with a CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal first leg against Vancouver Whitecaps. The first team is therefore at home, getting itself ready for the season-opener - and squeezing in promotional engagements.
Come meet Aurelien Collin on Saturday at BJ's Wholesale Club in Kearny from 5 - 6:30 PM! pic.twitter.com/6q5jLFrchq
— New York Red Bulls (@NewYorkRedBulls) February 16, 2017
Expect, therefore, a mixed bag of reserves and trialists from RBNY in this game. There might also be a senior player or two seeking to get fitness levels up (it would be nice to see evidence that Gideon Baah has turned the corner in his return from injury, for example).
While the first team now has to hope it can play its way into top form during actual competitive games, RBNY’s remaining preseason games are about helping figure out a squad for this year’s NYRB II campaign in USL and getting minutes and experience into the legs of the rookies who are perhaps not ready to be thrown into the deep end of a CCL quarterfinal.