They have one point in three regular-season meetings with the New England Revolution and have advanced in the MLS Cup Playoffs but once in club history.
But there is a confidence in the New York Red Bulls locker room even if few on the outside are giving New York much of a chance in their Eastern Conference Semifinal Series.
"There's no question they have a very good team," Red Bulls boss Bruce Arena said. "But I think at the same time, we have a good team that's capable of beating them. I think we match up well with them."
Both of the Revs' wins were by one goal and the teams played to a 2-2 draw at Giants Stadium on Sept. 22 in a game Arena thought was one of the best his team played during the regular season.
"We feel like we should have gotten more points throughout the season against New England, but we've got to limit some mistakes," Carlos Mendes said. "If we do that, I think we'll be all right."
New England, which finished second in the Eastern Conference, is 7-1-3 against New York since the start of the 2005 season and are undefeated in the last eight meetings (6-0-2). The Revs have also won both of the previous playoff series between the two rivals.
But if recent form is any indication on how the aggregate series will go, the Red Bulls would have the edge. New York beat Kansas City 2-1 at home, then played a desperate Los Angeles side to a 1-1 draw at The Home Depot Center.
The Revs head into the playoffs winless in their last three games, losing to Chicago and Columbus, before closing out the regular season with a 2-2 draw at Toronto. New England has struggled to close out games, giving up a winner to Guillermo Baros Schelotto four minutes from full time and an extra-time equalizer to Danny Dichio.
And while they've played the same 3-5-2 formation, Steve Nicol has tweaked his lineup a bit, moving Steve Ralston from his traditional spot wide in the midfield to attacking center midfield.
"They still play their standard 3-5-2, the goalscorer is still [Taylor] Twellman, the experienced goalkeeper in [Matt] Reis, the young player [Michael] Parkhurst helps locks things down in the back," Arena said. "It's the same personality, the physical dominance of Shalrie Joseph and [Jeff] Larentowicz and Ralston now gets a little more of a free role to help create and pass."
But the Red Bulls are leery of the switch, and fully expect Andy Dorman to be back as attacking midfielder and Ralston in his usual spot.
"He's still someone we have to keep an eye on, he's a very clever player," Claudio Reyna said. "Steve knows the game very well. We'll have to see. There's a good chance he'll play our wide."
Regardless of where he is on the field, the Red Bulls know they need to be wary of Ralston on corner kicks and set pieces.
"He's dangerous and they're good at (set pieces) for sure," Mendes said. "That's one thing we have to be ready for, to defend set pieces and defensive restarts. It's going to be a big part of the series."
What's also big for the Red Bulls is getting a win at Giants Stadium on Saturday in the opening leg, especially given the team's poor form at Gillette Stadium.
"I could care less if we finish third, sixth or eighth in the standings," Arena said. "You have to get in and you have to win a series anyway you look at it. I still think having that first game at home is an advantage."
The last time the two teams met in the postseason, the MetroStars won the home game 1-0, and had a 1-0 lead at New England on the hour mark. But things fell apart for New York as the Revs scored three goals in 16 minutes. New England went on to fall in the MLS Cup Final, while the Metros went home after another first round defeat.
"It's big, especially against New England, a team that's great at home," said Carlos Mendes, who along with Seth Stammler were the only two current players on the field for that playoff series. "If we have a strong game at home and get the 'W', you kind of build off of it and go in there with more confidence. The first game is huge. If we're solid defensively, I think we'll get our chances."
With Reyna declaring himself "95.5 percent" after sitting out the final two regular season games with turf toe and Dave van den Bergh returning to training after an ankle injury forced him from the regular-season finale at the half, the Red Bulls are as healthy as they've been this season.
After a long career in Europe, Reyna will get his first taste of MLS Cup Playoffs.
"It's similar to a cup over in Europe," the Red Bulls captain said. "It's my first go-around. It's a little bit different now, it's exciting. Obviously it's 180 minutes now and we have to give ourselves a good result to take to New England."
The same is true of Juan Pablo Angel, a league MVP candidate after 19 regular-season goals.
"This is our first step," he said. "We have four games and we definitely have to take one at a time. The first one is the most difficult one and we have to get it right. We're playing on our home field and we have to start to make advantage of that."
Dylan Butler is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
