The New York Red Bulls and Columbus Crew are both battling for Audi MLS Cup Playoff berths as the two face off from Lower.com Field on Saturday evening.
For RBNY, Patryk Klimala will start up top for New York, with Fábio and Cristian Cásseres Jr. leading the attack forward.
Since the last time the two sides played each other, the Red Bulls have been on a seven-match unbeaten streak, which includes two victories over rival New York City FC. The Crew are 3-1-1 in their last five matches, with the most recent being a 4-0 win over Inter Miami CF.
Captain Sean Davis continues his streak of starting every match this season, with Dru Yearwood also getting the nod.
The Red Bulls gained 23 points in their first 22 matches this season and in their last seven matches, they have gained 18 points. With five matches left, New York sits in ninth place in the Eastern Conference and is only one point shy of a spot in the 2021 MLS Audi Cup Playoffs. New York’s current shutout streak of 343 minutes is the sixth longest in franchise history.
Andrew Gutman, Andrés Reyes, Sean Nealis, Tom Edwards and Kyle Duncan look to keep the Crew off the scoresheet, while Carlos Coronel starts in goal seeking his 12th clean sheet of the season.
Coronel ranks tied for second in MLS with 11 shutouts. Since August 4, Coronel has earned seven shutouts, which ranks first in MLS during that timespan. The Brazilian goalkeeper is tied for second for the most shutouts in a single season all-time with Luis Robles (2013, 2016) and Bouna Coundoul (2010).
Ryan Meara will serve as the backup goalkeeper for the Red Bulls, with Frankie Amaya, Tom Barlow, Wiki Carmona, Caden Clark, Youba Diarra, John Tolkin, Lucas Monzón and Danny Royer available off the bench.
Omir Fernandez was listed as questionable coming into the match with a hamstring injury.
Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. ET with coverage on MSG+, MSG GO, and New York Red Bulls Radio in English and Spanish via TuneIn, the New York Red Bulls app and NewYorkRedBulls.com.
Coverage on MSG+ begins at 5:30 p.m. ET with the Red Bulls Pregame show. Jonathan Yardley will have the primary play-by-play responsibilities and will be alongside Shep Messing and Michelle Gingras.
New York Red Bulls Radio begins at 5 p.m. ET with Countdown to Kickoff, presented by Honda, hosted by Matt Harmon and Steve Jolley. Stefano Fusaro will carry the Spanish play-by-play responsibilities, beginning at 5:30 p.m. ET.
