Preview: NY, NE set to renew rivalry on NBC Sports

NEW YORK RED BULLS vs NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION
RED BULL ARENA, Harrison, N.J.
April 28, 2012 (WEEK 8, MLS Game #66)
3:30 p.m. ET (NBC SN)

Rivals since the very earliest days of Major League Soccer, the New York Red Bulls and New England Revolution renew acquaintances when the clubs meet Saturday afternoon at Red Bull Arena. The Red Bulls saw their four-game undefeated streak put to an end last weekend, in a 4-1 loss at D.C. United. The Revolution return to action after a week off, their last match also against United, a 2-1 home loss.

REFEREE: Jair Marrufo. SAR (bench): Eric Boria; JAR (opposite): Corey Rockwell; 4th: Fotis Bazakos
MLS Career: 130 games; FC/gm: 24.3; Y/gm: 3.2; R: 29; pens: 41

DOWNLOAD FULL GAME GUIDE (PDF)
INJURY REPORT:

• NEW YORK RED BULLS -- OUT: FW Juan Agudelo (L knee surgery recovery); MF Teemu Tainio (R knee sprain); DF Wilman Conde (L groin strain); DF Roy Miller (L knee effusion); QUESTIONABLE: DF Stephen Keel (back strain)
• NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION - OUT: FW Zak Boggs (R ankle sprain); DF Flo Lechner (R foot fifth metatarsal fracture); MF Sainey Nyassi (R hamstring strain); FW Jeremiah White (concussion); QUESTIONABLE: MF Ryan Guy (R calf tightness); PROBABLE: FW Blake Brettschneider (R ankle sprain)

INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none

SUSPENDED: NY: Rafa Marquez (through May 5)

WARNINGS:

SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: none
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: none

MLS Flashback: Revs 3-2 Red Bulls, 2010
HEAD-TO-HEAD

ALL-TIME (55 meetings): Red Bulls 18 wins (2 shootout), 92 goals ... Revolution 25 wins (3 shootout), 98 goals ... Ties 12

AT NEW YORK (29 meetings): Red Bulls 14 wins (0 shootout), 59 goals ... Revolution 8 wins (2 shootout), 43 goals ... Ties 7

RETURN MATCHES: 7/8: New England Revolution vs. New York Red Bulls, 7 p.m. ET (Galavision); 9/22: New England Revolution vs. New York Red Bulls, 7:30 p.m. ET

LAST YEAR (MLS):

6/10: NY 2, NE 1 (own goal 37; Henry 50 - Boggs 54)
8/20: NE 2, NY 2 (Caraglio 15, 37 - Richards 53, 87)

• The Revolution haven't won in New Jersey since 2007, winless on their last six trips to face the Red Bulls. The first four of those were draws; the Red Bulls have won both league meetings all-time at Red Bull Arena.
• New York has not won in New England since 2002. The Revolution have won 12 of 16 meetings in league and MLS Cup play since that last New York win.
• Coaches record: Hans Backe vs. NE: P4 W2 L1 D1 ... Jay Heaps vs. NY: first game

NEW YORK RED BULLS

The New York Red Bulls saw their unbeaten run come to an end at four games, going down to a 4-1 defeat by D.C. United on Sunday evening at RFK Stadium. The Red Bulls are in third place in the Eastern Conference, with 10 points from 7 games.

HIGHLIGHTS: Red Bulls routed in Atlantic Cup showdown
LAST MATCH

• United opened the scoring in the eighth minute. After stripping the ball from Thierry Henry in midfield, Chris Pontius made his way toward goal, and with a clear sight from outside the box, unleashed a powerful 25-yard shot that dipped and beat goalkeeper Ryan Meara.
• United then put the game away with two goals in four minutes. In the 32nd minute, Maicon Santos worked his way down the left flank before sending in a cross that hit Meara and deflected off a defender before falling right in front of goal, where Pontius slammed it into the goal.
• It was 3-0 when Dwayne De Rosario picked off another New York turnover and quickly fed Nick DeLeon in the box. The rookie fired a one-time shot that ricocheted off defender Markus Holgersson, leaving ëkeeper Meara no chance.
• In the 69th minute, Pontius completed his hat trick. A long ball pumped forward from goalkeeper Joe Willis fell for Pontius, who slalomed through the center of the New York defense, skipped past Victor Palsson's last-ditch slide tackle, and slotted the shot under Meara.
• Henry finally got the Red Bulls on the board in the 72nd minute through an inch-perfect freekick.
• Red Bulls head coach Hans Backe made two changes to the team that played to a 2-2 draw with the San Jose Earthquakes at Red Bull Arena. Connor Lade started at left back for Roy Miller, and Victor Palsson came into the midfield for the suspended Rafa Marquez.
• NEW YORK RED BULLS (4-4-2): Ryan Meara - Jan Gunnar Solli, Stephen Keel (Tyler Ruthven 46), Markus Holgersson, Connor Lade - Dane Richards (Jhonny Arteaga 81), Victor Palsson, Dax McCarty, Mehdi Ballouchy (Joel Lindpere 46) - Kenny Cooper, Thierry Henry.

TEAM NEWS

The Red Bulls conceded four goals, their most in a single game this season. They have allowed 14 goals - just one fewer than MontrÈal for the most in MLS. They have yet to record a shutout this season.

"It was about our defending, we gave away four goals," Red Bulls head coach Hans Backe said. "It's the first time I've ever seen in a game that four goals coming after one pass. It's poor defending. They didn't need to work for it."

Said Thierry Henry: "It's been terrible defending the way we do defend. We were going to get punished, and we got punished today."

Center back Stephen Keel lasted just 45 minutes before he was removed for Tyler Ruthven. Keel is listed as questionable on the club's injury report with a back strain. Rookie Connor Lade made his first MLS start at left back, with Roy Miller injured.

Keel Cam Part 7: Dax takes over

"I think it's more that we haven't had the balance on midfield, because [the back four] are under pressure all the time if the midfield can't do a better defending job. I think that's probably the key," Backe said.

With Wilman Conde already sidelined - and out for another 3-4 weeks, Backe said - the back line suffered another blow during the weekend when Keel was sidelined.

"Keel is out for minimum three weeks," Backe said. "It's a stress fracture in his back. That has been going on for a while. A stress fracture is over a period of time. So it was so, so stiff that he went for a scan and it's a stress fracture."

As well, fullback Jan Gunnar Solli missed out on training and could be sidelined. "Solli has a scan (Wednesday). His calf, he got a really bad hit against D.C. Hopefully it's just a formality that it's nothing else," Backe said.

With Rafa M·rquez serving the first match of three-game suspension, Victor Palsson came into the center of the midfield alongside Dax McCarty. Teemu Tainio was also out for a third consecutive match with a knee sprain; Backe said he will out "minimum four weeks."

"We just need to do the best possible the next three, four, five games until the other guys are back," said Backe. "But we just need to work with our defending game. You could play a little bit more defending, but then you only play with one striker and with these guys scoring 14 goals, it should be a little bit tough to get Kenny [Cooper], for example, on the bench. But on the road, probably we have to look at that if needed. We can't do it at home, we need to still try to control games at home, but on the road we need to check to see if we have to play more tight."

Henry scored his eighth goal of the season, staying tied atop the MLS Golden Boot with San Jose's Chris Wondolowski, who also scored in his team's 3-1 win against Real Salt Lake. Henry's goal was his first since coming to MLS directly from a free kick.

NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION

The New England Revolution return to action after a week off, their last match a 2-1 loss to D.C. United at Gillette Stadium on April 14. The Revolution are in eighth place in the Eastern Conference with 6 points from 6 games.

HIGHLIGHTS: D.C. United get the win in New England
LAST MATCH

• The Revolution took the lead on six minutes. Lee Nguyen and Saer Sene combined down the left to slide the French forward into a good crossing position. SËne's tempting service left an unmarked Jose Moreno with little more to do than volley home at the near post for his first MLS goal.
• Maicon Santos hit for the equalizer after 19 minutes. Nick De Leon floated a corner to the far side of the penalty area for De Rosario to bicycle kick toward goal. Santos reacted quickly to divert De Rosario's attempt into the net from six yards for his third goal of the campaign.
• United then scored the winner eight minutes from the end. DeLeon did well to win a 50-50 ball inside the Revolution half and the play eventually squirted out to Pontius on the left side of the penalty area. Pontius cut inside his marker and fired home his first goal of the season.
• Revolution head coach Jay Heaps made two changes to the team that went down to a late 1-0 loss to FC Dallas at FC Dallas Stadium. Kevin Alston and Jose Moreno came into the team, in place of Florian Lechner and the suspended Shalrie Joseph.
• NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION (4-3-1-2): Matt Reis - Kevin Alston (Fernando Cardenas 86), A.J. Soares, Stephen McCarthy, Chris Tierney - Ryan Guy, Clyde Simms, Lee Nguyen (Benny Feilhaber 55) - Kelyn Rowe - Jose Moreno (Bjorn Runstrom 79), Saer Sene.

TEAM NEWS

Lee Nguyen was able to start and played 55 minutes despite suffering from a fever that required a pre-match IV drip to treat.

"I really didn't think I was going to be able to go when I woke up," Nguyen said. "I was thinking that I wasn't going to be able to play. But I got to the stadium and felt a little bit better once they gave me some medicine. Then once I got on the pitch warming up, that's when I was like, 'All right, I think I can go.'"

Nguyen's presence was even more important given Shalrie Joseph was suspended for the match after a decision by the MLS Disciplinary Committee.

"I think there's times where we tried to go forward, forward, forward and a lot of times when Shalrie in the game, he's the one that connects from one side to the other and we missed that a little bit," said midfielder Clyde Simms. "I think that's what would have tired them out a little bit and killed them. But we'll learn from it and move on."

Benny Feilhaber came on for Nguyen for the final 35 minutes, his first MLS game action since being forced off after 61 minutes in the 3-0 loss at Sporting KC on March 17.

New England native Tierney getting comfortable at left back

"I thought Benny did well when he came in. He was a spark. We asked him to go in there and fight and that's what he did ... He's been working hard. We were going to get him at least 30 (minutes) today - that was the intention," said Heaps.

Making their first start together as a strike partnership, JosÈ Moreno and Saer Sene combined on the Revolution's goal. They had not featured together against FC Dallas when Moreno made his MLS debut - Sene came off after 65 minutes, and Moreno played the final 11.

"It was their first time getting reps together in a real game," Heaps said. "They looked good at times. I think Moreno's still getting used to what we're going to be able to do off of him. He's trying to hold the ball and there's players running off ... The more reps we can get together with them, the better they'll be."

The Revolution come into the game after a weekend off. But their depth will be tested - after the trip to New York, they return home for a midweek game against Colorado, then hit the road again next weekend for a contest at Real Salt Lake.

"(We identify) where we see guys that we think can play all three games, we see guys who may need the middle game break, or maybe it's going to be too much in the last game," he said. "We've started to build that this week and there will be modifications. We'll change that as the weekend and week approaches."

NBC Sports Preview: NY vs. NE