Should FC Dallas avenge a 3-0 loss to the New York Red Bulls 11 days ago, the Hoops should consider sending a thank you card to Baldomero Toldeo. He's the referee who sent off Clint Mathis with a straight red card Saturday night at Giants Stadium and, as a result, Cleetus is suspended for Thursday's match at Pizza Hut Park.
Mathis has owned Dallas throughout his career. In 30 games, Mathis has 19 goals and seven assists, including five goals and two assists in eight playoff games. He had a goal and an assist in the Red Bulls win against the Hoops in a Meadowlands monsoon April 15.
But Mathis, who also missed a penalty kick against Houston, was sent off for the seventh time in his career and will miss playing against his favorite rivals. Jozy Altidore, who has scored in back-to-back games, will serve as the lone striker in Bruce Arena's 4-5-1 formation Thursday night. But the question isn't so much who will score for the Red Bulls as it is: Will New York be scored upon?
Just three weeks into the 2007, the Red Bulls have seven out of a possible nine points, are undefeated and are the only team in the league yet to surrender a goal.
Arena isn't quite ready to order the championship rings, but there is no denying that the Red Bulls have the stingiest defense in the league at this point.
"We're playing better soccer, we're going from both ends," Jeff Parke said. "We're just working harder, working more as a team, talking more and demanding more out of each other."
A year ago, the Red Bulls were still searching for their first win, allowing three goals in three consecutive draws -- giving up leads against D.C. United and Real Salt Lake.
But this year, with Ronald Waterreus in goal, Todd Dunivant and Hunter Freeman on the wings and Carlos Mendes and Parke centrally, the Red Bulls have held some of the league's top scorers -- Carlos Ruiz, Kenny Cooper, Dwayne De Rosario and Brian Ching -- scoreless in back-to-back wins at Giants Stadium.
"I thought Hunter and Todd Dunivant played quite well," Arena said Saturday night. "Our whole back line did. It was a really good effort from our guys. Give them credit, they played well. We've been limiting the chances our opponents have had. I think the leadership in goal has been good and our back line is maturing."
Just don't talk to Waterreus about clean sheets.
"I don't care about goals," the former Dutch international said. "I would rather win games than not concede goals. I'm not that type of goalie. It's good for the team, but I'd rather win 3-2 than play 0-0."
While Mathis is out and Colombian international Juan Pablo Angel is still awaiting a work visa, the lone change the Red Bulls will likely make from the team that beat Dynamo is bringing on Seth Stammler, who started the club's first two games, for cover in the midfield.
The Red Bulls are 75 minutes shy of setting a new MLS record for consecutive scoreless minutes at the start of a season and if they're going to hold the likes of Cooper, Ruiz and Ramon Nunez at bay again, they'll need yet another concentrated, blue-collar effort.
"I think the whole team is gritting down and biting their teeth a little bit," Dunivant said. "It's good because it's the mentality that the team has right now. It's something that we stressed all preseason, that we had to get things right in the back. It's still a work in progress, but as a team right now we're not giving up a lot of chances, which is great."
Dylan Butler is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
