D.C. United-Red Bulls Preview

Playing with Thierry Henry turned Bradley Wright-Phillips into the MLS' top goal scorer last season.

Now, he's trying to produce without the superstar forward.

After being held without a shot in the season opener, Wright-Phillips will try to find the net and help the New York Red Bulls to their longest home winning streak over bitter rival D.C. United on Sunday night.

Wright-Phillips scored league-record tying 27 goals in 32 games and won the league's golden boot, but doing it again might be a lot tougher. Henry, the French international who brought immense talent and recognition to the league, has retired and Wright-Phillips is going to have to go through an adjustment period.

He was shut out in a 1-1 season-opening draw at Kansas City on March 8.

"I don't have to readjust my game," the 30-year-old Englishman said. "I am always going to play the same way I always have. The players that have come in, I'm trying to learn like I did with Thierry. I learned how he played and I learned to play off him. I'll try to do the same with the new guys."

The additions this season are midfielders Sacha Kljestan and Felipe Martins and striker Mike Grella. But offensive chemistry was lacking in the season opener.

"On the day of the game I put a lot of it down to me," Wright-Phillips said. "I was a bit too eager to get behind. I could have done a little bit better with my runs."

If there is a difference this season, it's the style of the Red Bulls' play under new coach Jesse Marsch. There is an emphasis on moving the ball quickly with everybody contributing, a departure from the tactic of going through Henry in years past.

"For us, it was almost a little unrealistic having a guy like Thierry on the team," captain Dax McCarty said. "He was a little of a wild card, a joker. If you are losing or in a bad situation, you could just play him the ball and hope that something magical happened, which more often than not did. That's gone. I think this is a team that can hurt you in numerous ways and that's going to be a big shift this season."

McCarty said the team could have helped Wright-Phillips more in the opening game.

"We didn't create enough chances for Bradley," McCarty said. "I think he will admit he can do a better job making better runs and we have a do a better job of looking for him and finding him when he does make those good runs."

Wright-Phillips, though, has just one goal in six meetings with D.C., including the playoffs. His tally came in a 2-0 home win in the first leg of last season's Eastern Conference semifinals, which New York went on to win.

The Red Bulls have outscored United 5-1 while tying a team record with three straight home victories in the series overall.

D.C. is also coming off a long layoff after opening its season with a 1-0 win over Montreal on March 7.

"There's a lot of bitterness toward the way we finished last year," midfielder Nick DeLeon told the team's official website of New York. "It won't rectify it, but it will help it feel better if we come out there and spoil their home opener."

Jairo Arrieta is looking to build on his goal from the season opener, scoring in his debut with D.C. after spending three years with Columbus. The forward scored in one of his two meetings with the Red Bulls last year.