The New York Red Bulls (5-2-3, 18 pts.) travel to Subaru Park to take on the Philadelphia Union (5-1-4, 19 pts.) on Saturday, May 14. Kickoff is set for 7:30 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.
Get to know who the Red Bulls will be playing in their upcoming matchup.
How they’re doing
The Eastern Conference leaders started the season about as well as they could. After a season-opening 1-1 draw against Minnesota, Philadelphia rattled off five-straight wins and skyrocketed to the stop of the standings.
Since that streak, though, Philadelphia has yet to pick up a win. In their last four games, a loss to Toronto FC followed by three straight draws has helped conference challengers like New York reel them back in in the standings.
The defense has been the strongest unit for the Union in 2022. Four of their five wins came with the help of clean sheets, as goalkeeper Andre Blake has had a strong start to his 2022 campaign.
They are tied with New York for the lead in the Eastern Conference for the fewest amount of goals allowed, only letting eight past them through ten matches.7
Philadelphia has made their home a fortress this season, winning each of the last five meetings between the teams at Subaru Park, with the last three ending in 1-0 victories.
The Union have lost only two of their 23 home matches over the last 12 months. One of those losses was a playoff loss to the eventual MLS Cup winners New York City FC.
That stellar streak will face the test of New York’s current road form. The Red Bulls have won their first five away matches of the season, becoming the third team in MLS history to do so.
Head-to-Head History
Through 37 matchups between the clubs across all competitions, New York and Philadelphia have an even 15-15-7 record.
Philadelphia are unbeaten, though, in seven straight matches against New York, including last year’s playoffs. That is the longest unbeaten run by either team in the history of the series.
The last head-to-head matchup between the two clubs resulted in a heartbreaking end of the season for the New York, as a last-minute extra time goal sent Philadelphia to the next round of the playoffs.
Who to Watch: Defender Kai Wagner
When looking at Philadelphia’s defensive success so far this season, full back Kai Wagner is one of the key reasons for it.
In February 2019, Wagner signed with Philadelphia for an undisclosed transfer fee from German side Wurzburger Kickers. Wagner would emerge as one of the best left backs in MLS, contributing 30 appearances and 8 assists in his first season with the Union.
Wagner will also assist the attack from his full back position. He leads the Union with 20 total attacking assists, and has assisted four goals so far this season, which also leads the team.
In total, Wagner has recorded 131 interceptions, 109 crosses, 102 key passes, and 47 total scoring attempts during his time in Philadelphia.
Whether the Red Bulls are attacking or dropping back to defend, Wagner will be a key player to focus on.
