Red Bulls-New York City FC Preview
The New York Red Bulls won the inaugural New York Derby to continue their impressive start and prolong New York City FC's early season struggles.
Seven weeks later, NYCFC is one of the league's hottest teams while the Red Bulls are in a bit of a funk.
NYCFC looks to win a fourth straight game when it faces New York on Sunday in the first matchup at Yankee Stadium.
The Red Bulls (5-5-5) entered the first meeting May 10 with one loss in eight matches while NYCFC had one win in six games. New York proved to be too much for its metropolitan area rival as Bradley Wright-Phillips scored two goals in a 2-1 win.
NYCFC coach Jason Kreis called the loss "crushing."
"They got the best of us the first time around so we're looking forward to having them on our grounds," NYCFC defender Jason Hernandez told his team's official website Friday.
NYCFC (4-7-5) is likely also looking forward to the rematch given its edge in recent results. The club concluded May with one victory in 13 league games but has outscored opponents 7-2 to win all three MLS matches this month.
Captain David Villa has scored four of his team-leading six goals in the last four games and notched two in last Saturday's 2-0 road victory over Toronto FC, halting Toronto's unbeaten streak at five.
"It's not personal, but we want to win," Villa said. "There's an in-city rivalry and of course, we're going to fight for the three points. Ultimately, we want our fans to be proud of being New York City fans and it's clear if we have a good game, we'll be able to get those three points."
The Red Bulls got three points against Real Salt Lake on Wednesday to end a four-game losing streak - their longest in five years - but the win didn't sit well with the team.
Mike Grella scored in the fourth minute but New York was unable to tack on another even though RSL played the final 35 minutes with nine men. RSL captain Javier Morales received a red card in the 40th minute and defender Demar Phillips got one 15 minutes later.
''It's a frustrating game to go about playing against nine men and not being able to get that second goal,'' captain Dax McCarty said. ''That's unacceptable, so we have a lot of work to do on the attacking end. But three points is all that matters.''
The offense should be in better shape with Lloyd Sam and Sacha Kljestan on the field.
Sam, second on the Red Bulls with four goals and three assists, is slated to return after missing two games with an injured groin. He assisted on both goals in the first NYCFC matchup while Kljestan also was credited with an assist on Wright-Phillips' second score.
Kljestan, who also has two goals, was out Wednesday because of a red card after starting the first 14 games.