MATCHCENTER

The Basics

New York Red Bulls (8-6-2, 26 points, 2nd place in East) vs. Manchester City (0-1-0 preseason, fifth place in EPL last season), Barclays New York Challenge Matchday 2, at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J.

All-Time record: This is the first meeting between the two clubs.

TV info

3:30 pm ET; Fox Soccer Channel, FoxSoccer en Español

Game Intro

Both teams lost their opening matches of the New York Football Challenge, making this a must-win meeting in order for either side to have any hope of challenging for the cup.

The Red Bulls looked dangerous at times against Tottenham Hotspur, often being effective in holding possession and pressing the attack on the counter. Manchester City looked weak and rusty and a lack of depth killed them in their opening loss to Sporting Clube de Portugal.

New York Red Bulls

The story on Thursday night, despite the loss, was the goal scored by Thierry Henry to open his tally in a New York kit. Beyond the goal, Henry’s movement and guile opened space for the other attacking players. Head coach Hans Backe said that he noticed in particular how much room midfielder Joel Lindpere had to operate from his central position due to the attention Henry was drawing from Tottenham’s defenders.

Henry’s strike partner, Mac Kandji, looked very solid, earning praise from the New York coach for his discipline in the match. Kandji freely took on defenders but held his position very high, allowing Henry room and space with which to operate.

It was also a good effort for Carl Robinson in just his second match after knee surgery. Backe said that he was impressed with his holding midfielder’s performance and his touch on the ball.

Manchester City

The Blues did not look good in the loss to Sporting and were routinely outclassed by the Portuguese giant.

The EPL side was at a severe disadvantage in scoring opportunities, shots on goals, corner kicks and possession. The backline rarely looked at ease and was even a touch slow against the speedy play of The Lions.

The only true bright spot for Manchester City was Brazilian Jo Silva, as the forward’s creativity opened some space for Roberto Mancini’s side. But rarely, if ever, did the attacker have any support from his teammates, leaving him stranded and frustrated up top.

Aside from two early chances, Jo’s attacking partner, Craig Bellamy, was noticeably quiet in his time on the pitch.

Heroes & Villains

Patrick Vieira vs. Thierry Henry – Henry and Vieira were teammates at Arsenal and with France, where the two seemed to win everything set before them. Now, they will face each other on Sunday afternoon in a match that might determine who hoists the Barclays New York Challenge title. Henry was very effective in dropping back to the midfield to open space for Kandji up top and Dane Richards wide right. How will Vieira, one of the great central midfielders of his generation, respond to playing against a teammate he knows so much about?

Stat that makes you go “Hm…"

Sure, Henry scored in his debut in New York, but that effort on Thursday night can only be topped by Joel Lindpere this season. Against Santos in March, Lindpere broke the seal on Red Bull Arena with a beautifully timed cracker from distance for a goal. One week later, the Estonian international got the first MLS goal in the new stadium – and the first of his Red Bulls’ career in league play. Can you top that, Henry?