For New York Red Bulls interim head coach Richie Williams, it's all quite clear: "You need to score goals to win games."
It sounds like a simple enough formula, but the execution of it is something else altogether for his struggling team. The Red Bulls have scored just two goals in the last four games and coincidentally they are winless in their last four heading into the final game of a three-game road trip in Frisco, Texas, on Saturday night.
Of their last four games, the Red Bulls were shut out in three -- a 2-0 loss in Chicago, a 0-0 draw against Columbus and a 1-0 loss at Los Angeles. They are also winless in seven road games (0-3-4).
"We need to be a little bit more aggressive and have a little more urgency at the times we do go forward," Williams said. "We need to play better going forward, get people in the box, getting better crossing and getting better shots off."
They will welcome back leading scorer Jean Philippe Peguero from a two-game ban for violent conduct against Columbus and he will team up with Edson Buddle, who was awarded the Sierra Mist Goal of the Week for his spectacular solo effort against the New England Revolution last Saturday.
But while they've each had their moments, the two haven't played well together just yet. Sitting behind the forwards will again be Amado Guevara while Youri Djorkaeff is in France tending to a family illness.
"Pedro has definitely been scoring some goals for us, so hopefully putting him in there with Edson and obviously you have Amado underneath and the rest of the guys we can get something going," Williams said.
In addition to Djorkaeff, midfielders Peter Canero and Mark Lisi as well as newly-added defender Todd Dunivant are out. Danny O'Rourke is listed as probable with a right medial collateral ligament sprain and defender Steve Jolley is questionable with a sprained right ankle.
If Jolley is unable to go, Williams is confident he can again push Seth Stammler to left back, as he did in Los Angeles when Jolley was forced off in the 12th minute.
With just one point out of their last four games, the Red Bulls have fallen four points behind Columbus in last place in the Eastern Conference and are six points out of a playoff spot.
FC Dallas is 7-2-1 at Pizza Hut Park and leads the Western Conference with 27 points out of 16 games. In the first meeting between the two teams, the Red Bulls played their best 20 minutes of the season off the kickoff but then faded in the second half, allowing goals by Kenny Cooper and Carlos Ruiz in the final quarter hour to lose 2-1.
"We played against them and Carlos Ruiz is, if not the best one of the best forwards, among the best forwards in the league," Williams said. "Obviously Ronnie O'Brien getting up and down the right, Cooper, [Roberto] Mina, they have a good attacking group there. We have to identify that and keep an eye on them all game so they don't have it so easy."
Dylan Butler is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
