The Impact hosts the New York Red Bulls at the Olympic Stadium, this Saturday at 4pm ET. Here are 10 things to know about the opponent before the home opener. Buy your tickets here.
Context
They may have started their season at home, but the Red Bulls didn’t celebrate last Sunday. While they dominated most of the game, they dropped all three points as Toronto FC scored two late goals. Of the 11 players that head coach Jesse Marsch had called upon on Nov. 29, in the Red Bulls’ last game of 2015, no fewer than 10 were back on the field on Sunday. Central defender Gideon Baah was the only fresh face, replacing Mike Miazga, who joined Chelsea this winter.
Current form (including 2015 Regular Season and MLS Cup Playoffs)
W-W-W-L-W-L
Head coach
Jesse Marsch (18-11-6 as Red Bulls head coach, 30-27-12 all-time) had been New York Red Bulls head coach since Jan. 7, 2015. He won the 2015 MLS Coach of the Year award after leading the club to its second-ever Supporters’ Shield and to the Eastern Conference Final. His team tends to exploit the middle of the field – that’s where he played for 14 seasons, during which he won three MLS Cups, two Supporters’ Shield and four U.S. Open Cups.
Current top scorer
No goal in 2016.
Players to watch
1. Bradley Wright-Phillips (#99) – While he contributed well to the team’s overall play last season, BWP was dazzling in 2014, as he won the MLS Golden Boot with 27 tallies.
2. Lloyd Sam (#10) – The new Ghana international has made the Red Bulls’ right flank his over the past two seasons. He can unsettle, cross, shoot.
3. Felipe (#8) – Montrealers know what Felipe can do. With the ball, he takes risks that pay off. Without it, he’s a constant inconvenience.
Team profile
The Red Bulls want to play in the opposition’s half. They enjoy having the ball, even on the road. In MLS, they are one of the teams that most exploit the middle, where their three midfielders – Sacha Kljestan, Felipe and Dax McCarty – can all speed up the play with a killer pass after playing it short for a while. The Red Bulls thus find numerous ways to enter the opponents’ penalty area, where Bradley Wright-Phillips is a force to be reckoned with. As they like to dictate the tempo, they are vulnerable to counters, all the more so given that the Perrinelle (injured)/Miazga (transfer to Chelsea) pair has been broken up. But Gideon Baah didn’t have a bad game last Sunday in central defence.
Tactical formation
Jesse Marsch remains faithful to his 4-2-3-1, a mostly winning formula last season. Lineup v. Toronto (March 6): Robles; Zizzo, Zubar, Baah, Lawrence; Felipe, McCarty; Sam, Kljestan, Grella; B. Wright-Phillips.
Against the Impact last season
The Montreal Impact wants to turn the tide, this Saturday, after two nights to forget against the Red Bulls last season. On Aug. 5, 2015, Laurent Ciman got a questionable second yellow card for a birthday gift, and the Red Bulls grabbed a 1-1 tie at Stade Saputo. Then, on Oct. 7, 2015, Montreal went down a man only 15 minutes in as Ambroise Oyongo handballed on the goal line. The Red Bulls won 2-1.
Injuries (as of March 9)
D Damien Perrinelle (left knee surgery)
A Gonzalo Veron (hamstring)
Next games
New York Red Bulls v Houston Dynamo (MLS, March 19)
New England Revolution v New York Red Bulls (MLS, April 1)
New York Red Bulls v Sporting Kansas City (MLS, April 9)
