Two clubs in opposite conferences of MLS will do battle today in a league match between the New York Red Bulls and Portland Timbers. The first-division clash scheduled for 7 p.m. ET will be held at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey and can be live streamed here.
For the Red Bulls, sluggish starts have habitually punished the club in league play. Last Saturday was no different. Frustration is beginning to set in after the club conceded an early, and quite comical I might add, goal against Toronto FC (h/t to Franco Panizo on MLS's official website). "We shoot ourselves in the foot again the first 10 minutes and then we're chasing the game," said midfielder Dax McCarty.
"It's disappointing because you always feel like you can play better, particularly in the midfield. You always want to pass the ball better, you always want to take care of the ball better, and we didn't do that today, especially in the first half, so it's frustrating."
Head coach Mike Petke went on to add, "Urgency, taking better care of the ball, putting ourselves in better situations, yadda yadda. It's the same thing for the last couple of weeks. First half is flat, second half is strong.
"That's the way it is."
Will the Red Bulls be able to avoid another sluggish start at Red Bull arena tonight? Tell us @SportsWN
Tactical Preview
Player to Watch: To say Dax McCarty hasn't been living up to his 2013 form is an understatement. The 27-year-old has been dribbled on an average of 1.1 times per match this season and is only completing 82.8 percent of his passes. He'll need to improve if the Red Bulls are to control the midfield.
New York Red Bulls' Projected Lineup (4-4-2): Robles; Convey, Armando, Olave, Kimura; Alexander, McCarty, Luyindula, Sam; Henry, Phillips
Portland's Projected Lineup (4-3-3): Weber; Harrington, Kah, Paparatto, Jewsbury; Johnson, Chara, Valeri; Zakuani, Fernandez, Nagbe
Standings
| Rnk | Team | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | +/- | Pts | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New England Revolution | 11 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 19 | 13 | 6 | 20 | |||
| 2 | Sporting Kansas City | 12 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 18 | 12 | 6 | 18 | |||
| 3 | DC United | 11 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 16 | 12 | 4 | 18 | |||
| 4 | Houston Dynamo | 13 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 16 | 21 | -5 | 17 | |||
| 5 | New York Red Bulls | 12 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 18 | 19 | -1 | 14 | |||
| 6 | Columbus Crew | 11 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 13 | 14 | -1 | 13 | |||
| 7 | Toronto FC | 9 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 13 | |||
| 8 | Chicago Fire | 10 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 19 | 19 | 0 | 12 | |||
| 9 | Philadelphia Union | 13 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 15 | 20 | -5 | 11 | |||
| 10 | Impact Montreal | 10 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 18 | -10 | 7 |
| Rnk | Team | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | +/- | Pts | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seattle Sounders | 12 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 23 | 19 | 4 | 25 | |||
| 2 | Real Salt Lake | 11 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 23 | 13 | 10 | 23 | |||
| 3 | FC Dallas | 13 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 22 | 22 | 0 | 17 | |||
| 4 | Vancouver Whitecaps | 10 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 16 | 12 | 4 | 16 | |||
| 5 | Colorado Rapids | 11 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 12 | 14 | -2 | 15 | |||
| 6 | LA Galaxy | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 8 | 2 | 12 | |||
| 7 | Portland Timbers | 11 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 16 | 19 | -3 | 10 | |||
| 8 | Chivas USA | 11 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 13 | 20 | -7 | 10 | |||
| 9 | San Jose Earthquakes | 10 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 12 | -2 | 10 |
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