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D.C. UNITED v NEW YORK RED BULLS
RFK MEMORIAL STADIUM, Washington D.C.
1 p.m. ET (TeleFutura; MSG)
June 10, 2007 (WEEK 10) / MLS Game #64
The battle for the Atlantic Cup, matching two bitter I-95 rivals, begins anew when the New York Red Bulls travel south to face D.C. United at RFK Stadium on Sunday afternoon. After a rocky start, United comes into the game having found a semblance of their early year form, unbeaten in their last five games. The Red Bulls boast the best record in Major League Soccer after their midweek victory against Toronto FC, winners now of three of their last four games.
REFEREE: Brian Hall. SAR (bench): Corey Rockwell; JAR (opposite): Peter Manikowski; 4th: Jozef Batko
MLS Career: 124 games; FC/gm: 28.9; Y/gm: 3.2; R: 32; pens: 37
Games involving United: P28 W12 L11 T5; FC/gm: 30.9; Y/gm: 3.2; R: 6; pens: 8
Games involving Red Bulls: P25 W6 L15 T4; FC/gm: 29.7; Y/gm: 4.0; R: 5; pens: 7
INJURY REPORT: D.C. UNITED - OUT: FW Jamil Walker (Achilles rupture), DF John Wilson (mid-foot sprain); FW Guy-Roland Kpene (adductor strain); PROBABLE: MF Brian Carroll (quadricep contusion) ... NEW YORK RED BULLS - OUT: DF Hunter Freeman (L ankle sprain); FW Mike Magee (R knee surgery recovery); DOUBTFUL: DF Todd Dunivant (L quadriceps strain); QUESTIONABLE: GK Ronald Waterreus (L ankle sprain); PROBABLE: DF Jeff Parke (L hamstring tightness)
SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: none
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: DC: Christian Gomez, Ben Olsen ... NY: Jozy Altidore
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (44 meetings): United 24 wins (1 shootout), 90 goals ... Red Bulls 15 wins (1 shootout), 64 goals ... Ties 5
AT RFK STADIUM (22 meetings): United 13 wins (1 shootout), 48 goals ... Red Bulls 7 wins (1 shootout), 36 goals ... Ties 2
• This is the first of three meetings this season for the Atlantic Cup, awarded to the winner of the season series between the clubs. They next meet at Giants Stadium on July 22, concluding the season set on East Capitol Street on Aug. 22.
LAST YEAR (MLS):
4/2: DC 2, NY 2 (Eskandarian 55; Erpen 65 - Djorkaeff 15; Buddle 18)
4/22: NY 1, DC 4 (Djorkaeff 86 - Eskandarian 41, 59; Erpen 71; Walker 88
8/16: NY 0, DC 0
9/23: DC 4, NY 3 (own goal 10; Gomez 60; Moreno 73; Donnet 89 - Guevara 20, 82; Altidore 90)
• A year ago, United claimed the Atlantic Cup with two wins in the four regular season meetings, with two draws. United won a game in each stadium.
• United has won the Atlantic Cup in four of the five years it has been contested for. United won in the first year of 2002, the MetroStars claiming the trophy the next season, then United reclaimed it in 2004 before becoming the first team to defend the honor. United then won it a third consecutive season last year. Goal difference is the first tie-breaker, followed by away goals; if still tied, United (as holders) will retain the cup.
• United has won eight of the last 14 league meetings dating back to Sept. 25, 2003, with four draws in that time. In addition, United won both legs of the Eastern Conference semifinal series between the clubs in 2004.
• New York's last home win in the series came April 14, 2004, a 3-2 win in East Rutherford, with United having won three of the five meetings there since (with two draws).
• Coaches record: Tom Soehn vs. NY: first game ... Bruce Arena v DC: P2 W0 L1 D1
D.C. UNITED
D.C. United extended their unbeaten streak to five games, but felt fortunate to come away with a point in a goalless draw with the Los Angeles Galaxy last Saturday at The Home Depot Center. United now have 11 points from eight matches, coming into weekend trailing the Chicago Fire by four points, and now nine points in arrears of Eastern Conference leaders New York.
LAST MATCH
• D.C. United came to town riding a three-game winning streak and four-game unbeaten run, while the Galaxy were looking for their first win since April 28, winless in their last three.
• The Galaxy were further hamstrung, as international duty and injuries left Frank Yallop with just 13 field players to call upon. But despite a somewhat untested lineup, the Galaxy held the majority of the play, though they failed to really test United 'keeper Troy Perkins, called upon to make just two saves on the night.
• United did have some quality chances, the best falling to Fred in the first half, though he saw a sizzling shot bang off the post.
• But they started to dry up and the Galaxy nearly grabbed the full three points late in the match when Cobi Jones had the ball in the area with Perkins off his line. But defender Bryan Namoff was able to clear away the chance.
• United head coach Tom Soehn made two changes to the team that defeated Houston Dynamo 2-1 at home the weekend before. Clyde Simms came back into the midfield in place of Brian Carroll, and Jaime Moreno returned from international duty and replaced Guy-Roland Kpene.
• Here's Soehn's team (4-3-1-2): Troy Perkins - Clyde Simms, Bobby Boswell, Facundo Erpen, Bryan Namoff - Fred (Rod Dyachenko 91+), Ben Olsen (Kasali Yinka Casal 78), Joshua Gros - Christian Gomez - Jaime Moreno, Luciano Emilio (Guy-Roland Kpene 73). Substitutes Not Used: Marc Burch, Stephen deRoux, Justin Moose, Jay Nolly
• "I was real disappointed the way we came out in the first half," Soehn said. "We said the key for us being successful today was going out and establishing ourselves in the first 15 minutes and being good on the ball. On both of those, we didn't accomplish that."
TEAM NEWS
• With Brian Carroll out with injury in the days leading to the match, Clyde Simms was given a start - but at right back. Bryan Namoff moved to the left, and Josh Gros moved back into the midfield. But after a half-hour of sustained pressure, Simms moved back into the midfield with Gros and Namoff reprising the fullback roles they had been playing, with Namoff moving back to the right.
• "Our formation wasn't cutting it, so we moved it around to something that I thought we would be more comfortable with. I think then we got better, but still it wasn't doing it," said Soehn.
• Said goalkeeper Troy Perkins: "The guys were a little lost. We've not putting the passes together or keeping the ball, moving off the ball. There were times that one of our central midfield guys had the ball, and there was no one. I think it was better the second half, but we just came out flat. We got to do better. We got a point on the road, and in this league you need a point on the road and wins at home, and that's it."
• While United had an edge in total shots (17-9) and shots on target (6-2), they felt they dodged a bullet in leaving the West Coast with a share of the spoils.
• "When we go back and look at the tape, the possession is good but we still need to create more opportunities," midfielder Ben Olsen said. "They still had quite a few opportunities that a team on a good night will beat us 2-0. ... We had a lot of possession. That's usually the case. They did a good job in the way they played. They exposed us a couple of times. We're lucky we got out of here with a tie because they definitely had a lot more chances than we did."
• United had their opportunities in the second half, but like the Galaxy in the first, failed to take advantage. "In the second half, I thought we did (play better) but the way we started out we could have been two or three down and that's disappointing," Soehn said. "You come in the locker room thankful that you are not down and know that now you have been given an opportunity to come back and I thought we put together that decent play but that final pass was missing, that final strike."
• Still, it was a first clean sheet on the campaign for the Black-and-Red. "Defensively we can improve," defender Bobby Boswell said. "Even though tonight we kept a zero we still gave up a lot more chances I would have liked. We didn't keep the balls well enough to help the guys in the midfield and up top well."
NEW YORK RED BULLS
The New York Red Bulls responded to their second loss of the season in fine fashion, getting a pair of second-half goals in short order to overcome a Toronto FC lead and defeat the league's newest team 2-1 on Wednesday night at BMO Field. The Red Bulls moved back into the lead in the Eastern Conference with 20 points from 10 matches, one ahead of the Kansas City Wizards, and also now hold the best record in Major League Soccer.
LAST MATCH
• The Red Bulls had come into the game off a 3-2 loss in Kansas City that followed a pair of impressive shutout wins, while Toronto FC had won three of their last four in their new Exhibition Place home.
• It was the Canadian outfit that grabbed the lead midway through the first half. Andy Welsh intercepted the ball on the left and skipped down the wing, before cutting back a low pass from the byeline inside the penalty area. Jeff Cunningham slipped it to bang it home for his first goal since arriving in Toronto after a trade with Real Salt Lake.
• But Juan Pablo Angel scored twice within three minutes to send the Red Bulls to victory. The first goal was pure class. Winning a disputed free kick some 25 yards out from the left post, Angel bent his freekick to the left side of wall and inside the near stick, leaving TFC 'keeper Srdjan Djekanovic rooted to his line (69).
• Then Dave van den Bergh did good work on the right flank to turn the corner and drive in a bouncing cross that took a deflection off a defender, and Angel ghosted in at the back post to side-foot it home for his second goal in three minutes. It was his sixth league goal in five games for the Red Bulls, and his seventh in all competitions since joining the club.
• Red Bulls manager Bruce Arena made three changes to the team that lost 3-2 to Kansas City the previous weekend, while rearranging his lines. Markus Schopp made his first start of 2007, coming in at right back with Dema Kovalenko moving into the midfield for the suspended Clint Mathis. Taylor Graham came in at center back in place of Jeff Parke, while Jozy Altidore was preferred in attack to John Wolyniec.
• Here's Arena's team (4-4-2): Jon Conway - Markus Schopp (Jeff Parke 73), Taylor Graham, Carlos Mendes, Seth Stammler - Dane Richards, Dema Kovalenko, Claudio Reyna, Dave van den Bergh - Jozy Altidore (John Wolyniec 81), Juan Pablo Angel. Substitutes Not Used: Sal Caccavale, Danny Cepero, Jerrod Laventure, Tim Regan, Sinisa Ubiparipovic
• "I really think we took the initiative in the second half. I think the first half, Toronto played very well, very aggressively and I think they put a lot into it. You could see that they didn't have the same energy level in the second half," Arena said. "And from the start of the second half, we were very aggressive in getting at them, we played with more confidence and as the game settled down a little bit, it favored us because we could pass a little bit better. Obviously, the first goal in our favor was big for us psychologically and not really good for them."
TEAM NEWS
• Playing Markus Schopp at right back was the latest in experiments along the back line for Arena that has also seen usual midfielders Kovalenko and van den Bergh play at fullback roles. Arena said Schopp struggled in the first half, but improved after the break.
• "We're in a situation right now where we have some injuries - it's all part of the game, it's not different from anybody else. We're bringing back some players and it's going to take a couple of games to get their fitness back and sharpness back," Arena said. "We have lulls in games where we're not really sharp for 90 minutes, but tonight, at least mentally we stayed in it for 90 minutes and knew that if we came out a little bit stronger in the second half and get the first goal, we could win this game."
• In addition, with Jeff Parke unable to start with the hamstring ailment suffered in Kansas City, Taylor Graham made his first start of the season.
• "It was a much improved performance from the other night (against Kansas City). I think they learned their lessons from the other night and it was tough for Taylor in Kansas City coming off the bench and starting the second half and he didn't play well with Carlos," said Arena. "I think they had a very concerted effort tonight to be better than they were the other night and I think both of them played pretty well."
• Said Mendes: "We have confidence in each other. I knew Taylor could come in and do the job, he's a good player. I think he has confidence in me. It was tough for him to come in at halftime against K.C. But overall today it was good effort by the whole team." Added Graham: "There was no place to go but up after the second half of the Kansas City game. We took a lot of extra incentive to make sure everything was right today. The combination of Dichio and Cunningham is one of the toughest in the league, they play off each other well. Carlos did a great job, I read off him and [Jeff] Parke came in and did a great job."
• Angel became just the third player in MLS history to score both the tying and go-ahead goal in the space of three minutes or less. "His quality is here to see. As soon as we signed him I knew he would score loads of goals in this league," Claudio Reyna said. "He's a great professional, a great team player and he cares more about winning than his two goals."
• A third of the way through the season now, the Red Bulls have six victories, most in MLS (along with the Wizards). "After 10 games to have 20 points I think is pretty good and we can play better," Arena said. "We need to get healthier, get all of our players in form and get better with each and every game. Obviously the next game at D.C. is going to be a very difficult one."
