FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – An original MLS rivalry will be renewed on Saturday night when the New York Red Bulls visit Gillette Stadium to battle the New England Revolution for the first time since last July.
Just three points separate the Revs (5-4-4, 19 pts.) and Red Bulls (7-3-1, 22 pts.) in the crowded Eastern Conference, making this weekend’s encounter a classic six-pointer.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m., with NBC Sports Boston televising the match and streaming the action live on their web site and mobile app. Brad Feldman, Paul Mariner and Naoko Funayama will have the call there, on 98.5 The Sports Hub, and on SiriusXM FC, while Portuguese radio listeners can tune into 1260 AM Nossa Radio USA.
Elizabeth Pehota and Jeff Lemieux will break down the starting lineups and storylines on Revolution Pregame LIVE, streaming on the Revs’ official Facebook page at 7 p.m. ET, while Revolution Postgame Live will begin immediately after the final whistle on NBC Sports Boston.
Matt McCarthy and former Revolution midfielder Clyde Simms will handle postgame duties on 98.5 The Sports Hub, taking calls for 30 minutes after the final whistle.
Current Form: Revs begin hectic stretch with pair of draws; Red Bulls 4-0-1 in last five
Teal Bunbury’s dramatic 88th-minute penalty kick – his team-leading seventh goal of the season – rescued a point for the Revs in Wednesday night’s 1-1 draw with top-of-the-table Atlanta United FC, a result made possible by the second-half heroics of goalkeeper Matt Turner.
HIGHLIGHTS: Turner’s heroics set the stage for Bunbury’s late equalizer
It was the Revolution’s second consecutive draw to kick off a stretch of six games in 19 days, and now they’ll be looking to build upon those performances while returning to their winning ways at Gillette Stadium, where they’re uncharacteristically 2-2-1 in their last five games.
“I think those are two completely different draws; obviously one being away and one being at home, but also in the fashion in which the two of them transpired,” Jalil Anibaba said of the 1-1 tie with Atlanta and the 3-3 result against Vancouver. “I felt like [Wednesday] night was one that we can build on a little bit more.
“It was a wild game. It was emotional. It was hard-fought. There was a lot put into it, but I think that game set us up pretty nicely for the weekend.”
While the Red Bulls currently occupy fourth place in the East, they’re actually tied with Atlanta for the best mark in Major League Soccer on a points-per-game basis (two points per game). Jesse Marsch’s side has gone 4-0-1 in its last five games, including three straight wins away from home, and that includes a 3-1 victory in Atlanta two weeks ago.
Leading the charge for the Red Bulls are Kaku (3 goals, 9 assists) and Bradley Wright-Phillips (8 goals, 5 assists), who’ve spearheaded New York’s league-best attack.
“He’s the type where if he gets three chances, he’s going to score three goals,” Anibaba said of Wright-Phillips. “He’s one that you always have to be aware of. He’s one that can change the game at any point in time. But when we’re at home, we’re confident. We’re excited, so hopefully we come out and make the game about us.”
Past Meetings: Revs aiming to snap four-game skid vs. Red Bulls
Saturday night’s encounter will be the 71st all-time regular-season meeting between the Revs and Red Bulls dating back to the days of the NY/NJ MetroStars, while it will be the 82nd meeting in all competitions.
The series has been defined by dominant stretches for each side and it’s been the Red Bulls who’ve had the upper hand in recent years, winning four straight meetings in all competitions. That includes wins in all three meetings last year – a pair of league matchups and a U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal.
Although the Red Bulls have had a modicum of success in New England recently, the Revs still boast a dominant 21-6-7 all-time home record against their New York rivals, while they also lifted the Eastern Conference trophy in Foxborough at the expense of the Red Bulls in 2014.
Injury Report: Agudelo (hamstring) on the verge of a return; Tierney (knee) out
Juan Agudelo looks set to make his return on Saturday night as the 25-year-old forward has resumed full training after missing four games with a hamstring injury. Zach Herivaux is also back in the mix after returning from international duty, having played 67 minutes for Haiti on Tuesday night in Argentina.
Chris Tierney, however, will be unavailable after suffering a right knee injury in the first half of Wednesday night’s draw with Atlanta.
The Red Bulls will be missing four players to international duty this weekend as Michael Amir Murillo and Fidel Escobar are with Panama, while Tim Parker and Tyler Adams are on duty with the U.S. National Team.
Final Thoughts: “You can tell that we don’t like each other”
“It’s definitely a rivalry,” Diego Fagundez said of Revs-RBNY. “I think for the past years – Open Cup and MLS games – you can tell that we don’t like each other. We just have to go out there and make sure we get the good side of it.
“At the end of the day, it’s going to be a tough game, so we all have to be ready. Whoever’s out there has to fight, and when we have our chance to punish them, we need to punish them.”
