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D.C. United Vs. New York Red Bulls: Head To Head Preview
Can United right the ship at home?
Apr 29, 2010 2:44:00 PM
By Steven Streff and Avery Raimondo
On Form
D.C. United, by Steven Streff: Well, for starters, D.C. did not lose in league play last weekend. Of course, that's likely to be down to the fact that they didn't have a league match last weekend, but we're looking at the positives. In addition to not losing during the weekend, United also claimed a victory in the US Open Cup qualifier on Wednesday night over FC Dallas. Of course it wasn't a full strength Dallas side, but United might be able to draw upon the fact that the scored four times in the victory.
New York Red Bulls, by Avery Raimondo: Not much has changed for the Red Bulls in the past week except for two accrued victories, one league and another in the domestic cup, against the Philadelphia Union. New York is still winning despite not performing to the standards of their new manager Hans Backe. Another Juan Pablo Angel penalty was the deciding goal to keep the Red Bulls leading the Eastern Conference with 12 points.
Off Target
D.C. United: Injuries. Everyone has them, but right now, United have the injury bug. In addition to missing their entire back line (Jakovic, Pena, Burch, and Namoff) and Chris Pontius, both Julius James and Danny Allsopp were unavailable for the Open Cup match against Dallas. Their availability for the game against New York is still undetermined, but United would miss them if they are not ready to play.
New York: Backe bemoaned his defense’s individual errors and it’s hard to argue with him after the Union’s lone goal last Saturday. Roy Miller was completely ignorant of Alejandro Moreno as the Venezuelan striker waited for the ball unmarked on the touchline. Once he received the pass, Moreno was able to dribble unscathed to the edge of NY’s penalty box before placing Sebastien Le Toux in the perfect location to score. DC United’s blunted attack is the ideal matchup for the backline to return to form.
Tactics
D.C. United: Curt Onalfo has been rigid with his normal formation, and that will likely continue against New York. Question is, who fills in what positions? If James is unavailable, then United might be forced in starting one of their young players in Barry Rice, Jordan, Graye, or Lyle Adams. McTavish, Talley, and Wallace should keep their spots otherwise. In the midfield, expect to see Quaranta, Najar, and Castillo in the midfield. As for the defensive midfielder spot, Morsink will likely start again, but Clyde Simms will be available, after he played 35 minutes against Dallas. Up top, Jaime Moreno is almost guaranteed to start, and Adam Cristman's two goals against Dallas might have earned him a spot in the starting lineup. Which means D.C. will have Luciano Emilio as an option off of the bench.
New York: Although any tinkering would be surprising from Backe, there could be two adjustments to Backe’s traditional 4-4-2. Both central midfielder Seth Stammler and left back Danleigh Borman have proven to be capable substitutes and showed their quality during the Red Bulls’ victory in the midweek Open Cup victory. The two could enter for Carl Robinson and Roy Miller respectively, but once again don’t expect too many differences.
Intangibles
D.C. United: United enjoys quite a bit of success against New York, their Atlantic Cup rivals. Since the trophy came to existence, United has won it seven times out of eight, and they've held it now for six consecutive years. Although New York is much stronger this year than past years, D.C. always turns up against their hated rivals.
New York: RFK has been a graveyard for the Red Bulls; since their transition to the Austrian brand, the club is yet to win at their hated foe’s home stadium. But with New York soaring atop the Eastern Conference and their southern rival languishing at their feet, the traditional roles of the club have been swapped with the NY primed to take advantage of their current superiority. Those with long term ties back to even the days of the Metrostars like Seth Stammler and Mike Petke know the burden that would be removed with a victory in the District.
Outcome
D.C. United: Sometimes, things just happen. Form wise, New York has been one of the top teams in the league this year, while D.C. has been the worst. But D.C. always loves playing against NY. Ben Olsen, a Red Bull killer will be on the sidelines as a coach instead of being on the field, but he'll remind the troops what's at stake. 2-1 to United.
New York: History makes predicting the Red Bulls over DC United a risky proposition, but New York is in the perfect position to capitalize on DC’s current awfulness. 2-1 to RBNY with at least one from Juan Pablo Angel again.
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D.C. United, by Steven Streff: Well, for starters, D.C. did not lose in league play last weekend. Of course, that's likely to be down to the fact that they didn't have a league match last weekend, but we're looking at the positives. In addition to not losing during the weekend, United also claimed a victory in the US Open Cup qualifier on Wednesday night over FC Dallas. Of course it wasn't a full strength Dallas side, but United might be able to draw upon the fact that the scored four times in the victory.
New York Red Bulls, by Avery Raimondo: Not much has changed for the Red Bulls in the past week except for two accrued victories, one league and another in the domestic cup, against the Philadelphia Union. New York is still winning despite not performing to the standards of their new manager Hans Backe. Another Juan Pablo Angel penalty was the deciding goal to keep the Red Bulls leading the Eastern Conference with 12 points.
Off Target
D.C. United: Injuries. Everyone has them, but right now, United have the injury bug. In addition to missing their entire back line (Jakovic, Pena, Burch, and Namoff) and Chris Pontius, both Julius James and Danny Allsopp were unavailable for the Open Cup match against Dallas. Their availability for the game against New York is still undetermined, but United would miss them if they are not ready to play.
New York: Backe bemoaned his defense’s individual errors and it’s hard to argue with him after the Union’s lone goal last Saturday. Roy Miller was completely ignorant of Alejandro Moreno as the Venezuelan striker waited for the ball unmarked on the touchline. Once he received the pass, Moreno was able to dribble unscathed to the edge of NY’s penalty box before placing Sebastien Le Toux in the perfect location to score. DC United’s blunted attack is the ideal matchup for the backline to return to form.
Tactics
D.C. United: Curt Onalfo has been rigid with his normal formation, and that will likely continue against New York. Question is, who fills in what positions? If James is unavailable, then United might be forced in starting one of their young players in Barry Rice, Jordan, Graye, or Lyle Adams. McTavish, Talley, and Wallace should keep their spots otherwise. In the midfield, expect to see Quaranta, Najar, and Castillo in the midfield. As for the defensive midfielder spot, Morsink will likely start again, but Clyde Simms will be available, after he played 35 minutes against Dallas. Up top, Jaime Moreno is almost guaranteed to start, and Adam Cristman's two goals against Dallas might have earned him a spot in the starting lineup. Which means D.C. will have Luciano Emilio as an option off of the bench.
New York: Although any tinkering would be surprising from Backe, there could be two adjustments to Backe’s traditional 4-4-2. Both central midfielder Seth Stammler and left back Danleigh Borman have proven to be capable substitutes and showed their quality during the Red Bulls’ victory in the midweek Open Cup victory. The two could enter for Carl Robinson and Roy Miller respectively, but once again don’t expect too many differences.
Intangibles
D.C. United: United enjoys quite a bit of success against New York, their Atlantic Cup rivals. Since the trophy came to existence, United has won it seven times out of eight, and they've held it now for six consecutive years. Although New York is much stronger this year than past years, D.C. always turns up against their hated rivals.
New York: RFK has been a graveyard for the Red Bulls; since their transition to the Austrian brand, the club is yet to win at their hated foe’s home stadium. But with New York soaring atop the Eastern Conference and their southern rival languishing at their feet, the traditional roles of the club have been swapped with the NY primed to take advantage of their current superiority. Those with long term ties back to even the days of the Metrostars like Seth Stammler and Mike Petke know the burden that would be removed with a victory in the District.
Outcome
D.C. United: Sometimes, things just happen. Form wise, New York has been one of the top teams in the league this year, while D.C. has been the worst. But D.C. always loves playing against NY. Ben Olsen, a Red Bull killer will be on the sidelines as a coach instead of being on the field, but he'll remind the troops what's at stake. 2-1 to United.
New York: History makes predicting the Red Bulls over DC United a risky proposition, but New York is in the perfect position to capitalize on DC’s current awfulness. 2-1 to RBNY with at least one from Juan Pablo Angel again.
For more on Major League Soccer, visit Goal.com's MLS page and join Goal.com USA's Facebook fan page!
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