MATCH PREVIEW: Red Bulls vs. Earthquakes

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New York Red Bulls Communications

MATCH PREVIEW: Red Bulls vs. Earthquakes -

MATCH INFORMATION

  • New York Red Bulls vs. San Jose Earthquakes
  • Red Bull Arena, Harrison, N.J.
  • April 17, 2015 7:00 p.m. ET (WEEK 7, MLS Game #57)
  • (UniMas)
  • #NYvSJ
  • Channel Guide


SETTING THE SCENE
Two of the longest standing clubs in Major League Soccer face off in a coastal clash this Friday night on Autism Awareness night when the New York Red Bulls host the San Jose Earthquakes at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J. Match coverage will be begin on UniMas at 7:00 p.m. ET.

Tickets for all Red Bulls home games are available by visiting: www.newyorkredbulls.com/tickets.



This match will be the first contest between the two sides in 2015, and is the only scheduled meeting for this season.  A Steven Lenhart 85th minute equalizer salvaged a point for San Jose in the lone match at RBA last season—a 1-1 draw.


The Red Bulls are coming off of a dramatic 2-2 draw on the road at the weekend against rival D.C. United while the Earthquakes dismissed the Supporter's Shield-leading Vancouver Whitecaps 1-0 last Saturday at San Jose's new Avaya Stadium.


LAST FIVE MEETINGS (1-1-3)

  • 4/16/11: WIN NYRB 3-0 SJ @ Red Bull Arena (MLS Regular Season)
  • 7/12/11: DRAW SJ 2-2 NYRB @ Stanford Stadium (MLS Regular Season)
  • 4/14/12: DRAW NYRB 2-2 SJ @ Red Bull Arena (MLS Regular Season)
  • 3/10/13: LOSS SJ 2-1 NYRB @ Buck Shaw Stadium (MLS Regular Season)
  • 7/19/14: DRAW NYRB 1-1 SJ @ Red Bull Arena (MLS Regular Season)


PRE-MATCH FACTS

  • The Earthquakes have not won at New York in MLS regular season play since a 1-0 victory in 2005 at Giants Stadium.
  • Red Bulls Lloyd Sam and Earthquakes Chris Wondolowski both have three goals on the season, tied for second in Major League Soccer.
  • The Red Bulls +3 goal differential remains the best in the league and their 2 points per game is tied for best in the MLS with D.C. United. New York is also the only Eastern Conference team without a loss in 2015.


New York is tied for the best home record in MLS since 2012, going 33-7-12 since the start of that season.​ The 111 points accumulated at home in that span is tied for most with LA


NEW YORK RED BULLS

  • The Red Bulls (2-0-2), remain in second place in the Eastern Conference with a game in hand on first place D.C. United after the two sides drew 2-2 last weekend in the nation's capital. New York has earned eight points through four games after a hard-fought point against their I-95 rival.
  • After two Perry Kitchen goals gave United a 2-0 lead in the 67th minute, Red Bulls defender Damien Perrinelle responded with a headed goal of his own only a minute later. Lloyd Sam was then able to tap home a rebound off a Sacha Kljestan free kick in the 90th minute to give New York a valuable point on the road.  
  • The Red Bulls were victorious in their only home match this season, a 2-0 victory also against D.C. United on March 22. This will be the first of three consecutive home contests for New York to finish out the month of April with all games being against Western Conference sides.
  • Red Bulls head coach Jesse Marsch has been unable to put out the same back four defenders in consecutive games so far this season, mostly in part to various injuries, but he may have all of his options back healthy this week.
  • Both Ronald Zubar and Roy Miller have not played since the opening match but they could be inserted back into the lineup against San Jose with both defenders returning to full training earlier this week. Zubar has been replaced by Matt Miazga for the past three matches while Miller's left back spot has been held by a rotation of Jamaican international Kemar Lawrence and newly signed Anthony Wallace. Last week's goal scorer Damien Perrinelle sat out training on Tuesday due to foot soreness but Marsch says he should be available this Friday.


Injury Report:

  • DAY-TO-DAY: D Roy Miller (knee sprain)
  • DAY-TO-DAY: D Ronald Zubar (slight hamstring injury)
  • PROBABLE: D Damien Perrinelle (foot soreness)


SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES

  • The Earthquakes (3-3-0), sit in third place in the Western Conference with nine points through six games. Their seven goals for and seven goals against are both tied for second most in the West. San Jose topped the first place Vancouver Whitecaps last Saturday 1-0 as Sanna Nyassi netted his first goal for the club in the 75th minute at the Quakes new home, Avaya Stadium.
  • Quakes forward Chris Wondolowski leads the team with three goals on the season, and is expected to be available for Friday's match after being an unused sub in USA's 2-0 defeat of Mexico on Wednesday in San Antonio. Earthquakes Designated Player Innocent Emeghara will be back in the side against NYRB after serving a one match ban for his foul on Real Salt Lake's Luke Mulholland.
  • San Jose head coach Dominic Kinnear has also had a difficult fielding a healthy lineup this season. Forwards Mark Sherrod and Steven Lenhart have yet to play this season and Kinnear said Lenhart will remain in Southern California to receive soft tissue manipulation to help him recover from right knee surgery.
  • Defender Jordan Stewart returned to training this week after picking up a nagging calf strain in preseason. Stewart's replacement Shaun Francis underwent surgery for a fractured cheekbone and is expected to miss three to four weeks. Kinnear called on midfielder Cordell Cato to play left back last weekend with the two defenders out, and the Trinidadian international helped the Quakes earn their first clean sheet of the season.


Injury Report:

  • OUT: F Mark Sherrod (left knee arthroscopy)
  • OUT: F Steven Lenhart (right knee arthroscopy)
  • PROBABLE: D Jordan Stewart (right calf strain)
  • OUT: D Shaun Francis (head injury)


PREGAME CHATTER
Jesse Marsch

"I think San Jose has done well lately. They're a dangerous team and they are very dynamic in the attack, so we have to make sure that even though we may have the handle on the game a lot, and have possession, that we don’t give away [counter attacks]."


Mike Grella

"San Jose definitely is hot. They have a lot of attacking options and they can be quite dangerous. I think if we focus on what we want to do and do it well, we won't need to worry too much, but we have a big respect for every team we play and we're going to work hard to get the three points."


Luis Robles

"We're hoping that our fans come out, and hope that they're just as excited as we are to play this game, that there's a great atmosphere in the arena, and that we bring home three points."


AUTISM AWARENESS NIGHT

The New York Red Bulls have partnered with three organizations for Autism Awareness Night at Red Bull Arena this Friday. A portion of each ticket sold for the match against San Jose will go back to support Autism Speaks, The Valley Program for Children with Autism, and Autism New Jersey charities.


For more information on Autism Awareness Night at Red Bull Arena, visit www.newyorkredbulls.com/autismawareness.


INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONS CUP

Both clubs announced Wednesday that they will be competing in this summer's 2015 International Champions Cup in North America. Along with MLS side LA Galaxy, San Jose and New York will be taking on some of the best clubs in the world including Manchester United, FC Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain FC, Chelsea FC, FC Porto, Club América, and ACF Fiorentina. The tournament will run from July 11 to August 5 with FOX Sports televising matches live.


MLS Playoffs MLS Regular Season

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