This Sunday the New York Red Bulls head to Mercedes-Benz Stadium to play Atlanta United FC. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m ET.
Here are the Keys to the Game, presented by TriHonda Dealers:
RBNY is Fourth Top Goalscoring Team in the East
Coming off two games, where Fábio and Patryk Klimala netted their first MLS goals, the Red Bulls head to Atlanta with 14 goals scored. After nine games last season, the Red Bulls had only scored seven goals.
Unexpected scoring contributors like Andrés Reyes with two goals and goals from midfielders like Cristian Cásseres Jr. and Caden Clark have helped increment New York’s scoring power.
With Cásseres Jr in National Team duty and Clark recovering from
an appendectomy, the Red Bulls hope to see the partnership of Fábio and Klimala add to their scoring numbers.
“I think our partnership was good,” said Klimala after the match against New England. “We feel more comfortable next to each other and hopefully in the next game, we will show you more assists and more goals.”
Work on Keeping the High Level for 90 Minutes
New York started strong in their visit to the Revs, with Frankie Amaya and Dru Yearwood creating big scoring chances that could have given them the lead.
However, the team couldn’t convert, and New England scored twice in a span of six minutes before halftime.
Head Coach Gerhard Struber highlighted how proud he was to see his players get two goals back in the second half, but did specify what he felt didn’t go well for the team in the first half.
“We realize the power and the technical skills and the abilities from the opponent,” said Struber. “We have big respect for that but, in some moments, we are not ready enough and I think we have to change that. At home, we are always quick in the brain with every action, and also in our execution we are more synchronized. I think I missed this in some moments today. For our game, when we are not synchronized, then we come into trouble, and I think today we are not always on the same page with our pressing triggers. We are not always ready for the right sprints and then, we get the consequences, with the goals they scored.”
With two away games coming up in Atlanta and Orlando, Struber hopes to see more of that good synchronization the team has shown at Red Bull Arena, where they’ve won four games in a row.
ATL Hasn’t Won Since May 15
Since their 1-0 win over CF Montréal, Atlanta has picked up three draws and one loss.
Marcelino Moreno is their current top goalscorer with three goals, followed by Josef Martínez, who’s currently with Venezuela participating in the Copa América.
Head Coach Gabriel Heinze is still working on building his team in his first season coaching in MLS.
