The New York Red Bulls and the Philadelphia Union’s third league match of the season will kickoff at Red Bull Arena at 3 p.m. EDT, with pre-match coverage beginning on MSG 2+ at 2:30 and regular match coverage beginning at 3.
New York Red Bulls
- Record: 16-10-6, first in the Eastern Conference
- Previous Match: 2-1 loss to Toronto, away
- Record in Last Five Matches: 3-2-0
- Leading Goal Scorer: Bradley Wright-Phillips (15)
- Assist Leader: Sacha Kljestan (12)
- Saves Leader: Luis Robles (77)
Philadelphia Union
- Record: 9-16-7
- Previous Match: 3-1 loss to Toronto, away
- Record in Last Five Matches: 2-2-1
- Leading Goal Scorer: C.J. Sapong (9)
- Assist Leader: Cristian Maidana (15)
- Saves Leader: Brian Sylvestre (30)
Scouting Philadelphia
Philadelphia is coming off a loss to Toronto that highlights the offensive struggles they’ve suffered all year: they only recorded one goal and didn’t register a shot until the 52nd minute. This season, they’ve averaged just over 11 shots per game – only an average of 4 on target – leading to only 1.25 goals per game.
However, this doesn’t mean the Red Bulls’ defense will have nothing to worry about; they will have to be on the lookout for Sebastien Le Toux and Cristian Maidana. Le Toux has recorded 6 goals and 6 assists for Philadelphia, the second-most in both categories for the team, and those season tallies helped make him the 16th MLS player in history to record 50 goals and 50 assists in the league. That 50th goal also came against the Red Bulls on August 1. Maidana is the team-leader as well as the league-leader in assists; with 15, he’s assisted 37.5% of Philadelphia’s 40 goals.
Philadelphia will also face the Red Bulls without their captain and defender Maurice Edu, but since injury has kept him out of consistent play since the end of July Philadelphia have adjusted to playing without him – somewhat. In the last four matches Philadelphia has played without Edu, they’ve featured three different back lines. Steven Vitoria, Ethan White, and Richard Marquez are the center backs that have rotated in Edu’s position. Such inconsistency could be part of the reason that the Union have conceded 51 goals, the 6th-most in the league.
New York: How Far They’ve Come
The two times the Red Bulls have played the Union at Red Bull Arena this season have not gone well for the hosts: their first meeting was a 2-0 league loss and the second was a 4-3 shutout loss in the Open Cup.
But a lot has changed since then. The 2-0 loss, on May 24, was the last time the Red Bulls have failed to score in a match. Since, they’ve scored 42 goals – an average of 2 per game, compared to a pre-May 24 average of about 1.3. Sacha Kljestan, the Red Bulls’ current assists leader, had then assisted only once in 11 matches; since, his run of form has been crucial to the team’s midfield and attack. He The acquisitions of designated players Gonzalo Veron and Shaun Wright-Phillips have also helped fuel the Red Bulls’ fire; both players have recorded one goal and one assist since their debuts mid-season. These players, and the rest of the team, will be looking to add to their tallies against a team that has conceded 32 goals away from home.
However, as prolific as the team has been, the Red Bulls’ attacking style has often left their defense vulnerable for counterattacks. The team will still be without Matt Miazga, who is seeing out the second of his two-game suspension, and will need to find a way to solidify the back line.
