Tom Barlow will get the nod at forward, starting against Toronto FC on Wednesday night.
"We want to start the game with high energy, with fresh legs up the field and create the rhythm and the tempo that we want," Head Coach Chris Armas said on Barlow.
Vincent Bezecourt gets his first start since May 11, alongside Kaku and Alex Muyl in the attacking midfield.
Cristian Casseres Jr. and Marc Rzatkowski anchor the defensive midfield.
Kemar Lawrence, Aaron Long, Tim Parker and Michael Amir Murillo start along the backline for New York, with Luis Robles starting in goal and captaining the team.
Last season in Toronto, Lawrence scored the game-winner in the fourth minute in a 1-0 victory for New York
Armas will have Amro Tarek, Connor Lade, Derrick Etienne Jr., Sean Davis, Daniel Royer and Bradley Wright-Phillips available off the bench. Ryan Meara will serve as the backup goalkeeper.
Kickoff is slated for 8 p.m. EST with coverage on MSG+, MSG Go, TSN and New York Red Bulls Radio on TuneIn.
New York Red Bulls Radio begins at 7 p.m. ET with Countdown to Kickoff, presented by Honda, hosted by Matt Harmon. Ernesto Motta will have Spanish play-by-play responsibilities, beginning at 7:30 p.m.
