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Red Bulls-FC Dallas Preview

Five days after handling one of the least-imposing clubs in the league, the New York Red Bulls are shifting attention to one of the most.

Friday night's match at FC Dallas might not come with the hype of the first New York derby, but a visit to the league's top scoring team figures to be the greater competitive measuring stick.

While the Red Bulls (4-1-4) recovered from a three-match winless streak with Sunday's 2-1 home victory over New York City FC, Dallas (6-2-2) has ridden a four-match unbeaten streak to the top of the Western Conference.

For New York, it marks the first of three on the road in a four-match stretch, as well as the latest in a difficult opening schedule that's already included two meetings with East-leading D.C. and one each with MLS Cup finalists Los Angeles and New England.

"Moving forward, it's another big challenge going to Dallas," Red Bulls coach Jesse Marsch said. "We haven't had an easy schedule at the beginning of the year, but I think that's great. It's tested us early, it's tested us often. We've responded really well, so now it's another chance to see where we're at."

For Dallas, Saturday's 2-1 home win over Los Angeles came in improbable fashion with Blas Perez (77th minute) and Tesho Akindele (86th) scoring in their team's first comeback victory. Mauro Diaz assisted on both and has two goals and four assists in his last three matches back from injury.

The club has been cautious with the often-injured Argentine, but coach Oscar Pareja seems to think the playmaker turned a corner in his first full match.

"We've been concerned about Mauro lasting the 90 minutes and getting him to the end of games," Pareja told the league's official website. "And I thought tonight that the last 15 minutes for Mauro were great and unbelievable."

The club's 17 goals lead MLS, and 10 of those have come in the last four games. Perez has all of his team-leading five in five home matches, and Dallas needs someone to step up against the Red Bulls.

New York has won the last two meetings, including a 1-0 victory in Dallas on May 4, 2014, behind Bradley Wright-Phillips' 71st-minute goal. The Red Bulls are 6-1-2 in the series dating to 2009 with shutouts in four of the last five.

New York's win over NYCFC came despite playing with 10 men after the 36th minute, when center back Matt Miazga was issued his second yellow card. The Red Bulls had the lead from the fourth minute, when Wright-Phillips got his first of two goals.

"I think it took everything from the players tonight," said Wright-Phillips, the MLS player of the week. "We knew it was going to be hard, they came to fight, and we got through it."

Miazga will miss this match, but Dallas could be in worse shape if defenders Zach Loyd (leg) and Matt Hedges (hamstring) miss another. Both starters were out against the Galaxy and remain on the injury report.

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