NEW YORK RED BULLS vs. MONTREAL IMPACT
Red Bull Arena | Harrison, N.J.
Saturday, September 24 | Week #29 | MLS Game #296
7 pm ET (MLS LIVE, MSG, TVA Sports)
A hugely important match in the Eastern Conference playoff picture is ahead when the New York Red Bulls entertain the Montréal Impact on Saturday evening at Red Bull Arena. The Red Bulls return home with a chance to secure their place in the Audi 2016 MLS Cup Playoffs with a victory and still with the top seed in the conference in sight, coming off a second consecutive late draw in a 3-3 result at Toronto FC last Sunday. The Impact suffered their second consecutive defeat on their Stade Saputo home ground in a 3-1 loss to the New England Revolution last weekend, now sitting in fifth place in the conference just two points above the red line.
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- Bradley Wright-Phillips became the first player in MLS history to score 20-plus goals in two separate season, hitting for a pair of goals as the Red Bulls were hauled back into a 3-3 draw with Toronto FC on Sunday afternoon at BMO Field. It was the 15th multiple goal game for Wright-Phillips in his four MLS seasons.
- Didier Drogba scored his 10th goal of the season, but the Impact had their winless run extended to three games in a 3-1 defeat by the New England Revolution on Saturday evening at Stade Saputo.
- The teams are meeting for the third time this season, having split the first two, each winning on their home ground. Dominic Oduro, Ignacio Piatti and Anthony Jackson-Hamel all scored in a 3-0 Impact victory, March 12 at Stade Saputo; Bradley Wright-Phillips netted a pair of goals as the Red Bulls took a 3-1 win Aug. 13 at Red Bull Arena.
- The win in the first meeting snapped a six-game undefeated streak for the Red Bulls in the series. The last Montréal win had been a 1-0 win at Stade Saputo in the first meeting in 2013.
- The Red Bulls have won all six league meetings lifetime at Red Bull Arena. The Red Bulls have come away with points on three of their six trips to Montréal all-time.
REFEREE: Jorge Gonzalez. AR1 (bench): Brian Dunn; AR2 (opposite): Eric Weisbrod; 4th: Jose Carlos Rivero
MLS Career: 135 games; FC/gm: 25.4; Y/gm: 3.5; R: 41; pens: 34
SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: NYR: Connor Lade, Felipe Martins … MTL: Hernan Bernardello, Lucas Ontivero
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: NYR: Kemar Lawrence, Ronald Zubar, Chris Duvall … MTL: Patrice Bernier, Hassoun Camara, Didier Drogba, Victor Cabrera
DISABLED LIST: NYR: Gideon Baah (season-ending injury)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (12 meetings): Red Bulls 7 wins, 26 goals … Impact 3 wins, 18 goals … Ties 2
AT RED BULLS (6 meetings): Red Bulls 6 wins, 20 goals … Impact 0 wins, 7 goals … Ties 0 2016
(MLS):
3/12: MTL 3, NYR 0 (Oduro 58; Piatti 71; Jackson-Hamel 94+)
8/13: NYR 3, MTL 1 (B. Wright-Phillips 22, 41; Davis 46 – Piatti 21)
- The teams are meeting for the third time this season, having split the first two, each winning on their home ground. Dominic Oduro, Ignacio Piatti and Anthony Jackson-Hamel all scored in a 3-0 Impact victory, March 12 at Stade Saputo; Bradley Wright-Phillips netted a pair of goals as the Red Bulls took a 3-1 win Aug. 13 at Red Bull Arena.
- The win in the first meeting snapped a six-game undefeated streak for the Red Bulls in the series. The last Montréal win had been a 1-0 win at Stade Saputo in the first meeting in 2013.
- The Red Bulls have won all six league meetings lifetime at Red Bull Arena. The Red Bulls have come away with points on three of their six trips to Montréal all-time. • Coaches record: Mauro Biello vs. NYR: P3 W1 L2 T0 … Jesse Marsch vs. MTL: P4 W2 L1 T1
LAST MEETING (MLS):
- The Impact took the lead in the 21st minute, finishing off a quick counterattack. Matteo Mancosu got the ball on the break on the right side of the area and found Ignacio Piatti in front of goal for a side-foot finish.
- The Red Bulls responded almost immediately, as Bradley Wright-Phillips got on the end of a pass from Sacha Kljestan and put enough on the ball to knock it beyond a sliding Evan Bush.
- The Red Bulls and Wright-Phillips scored a second 19 minutes later, connecting on a cross from Sean Davis to head home from the right side of the area.
- Davis got a goal of his own at the start of the second half, stepping into a pass from Mike Grella to drive home a low shot from the top of the area.
- NEW YORK RED BULLS (4-2-3-1): Luis Robles - Chris Duvall, Ronald Zubar, Aurelien Collin (Sal Zizzo 60), Kemar Lawrence - Felipe Martins, Sean Davis - Alex Muyl, Sacha Kljestan (Omer Damari 79), Mike Grella - Bradley Wright-Phillips (Gonzalo Veron 70).
- MONTREAL IMPACT (4-1-2-1-2): Evan Bush - Hassoun Camara, Victor Cabrera, Laurent Ciman, Ambroise Oyongo (ejected 48) - Marco Donadel (Donny Toia 52) - Calum Mallace, Hernan Bernardello - Ignacio Piatti - Matteo Mancosu (Lucas Ontivero 78), Didier Drogba (Michael Salazar 86).
