Jeff Parke hates playing at RFK Stadium. And he doesn't like Gillette Stadium much better. It's got nothing to do with the cities, the fans or even the way the fields are constructed. Both venues have been houses of horror for the New York Red Bulls throughout the years and it's continued this year.
The Red Bulls made it 0-2 this season and 6-19-4 all-time in Washington D.C., falling to D.C. United 3-1 Wednesday night.
They now travel to Foxborough, Mass., where their record is 4-14-3 and they are 0-7-2 since a 2-0 win June 29, 2002.
"You don't like playing either of them, you get kind of a bitter taste," Parke said. "They've had the better of us lately and I think that's why I don't like playing them. I enjoy the game, but it's just the fact that we haven't done well against them, which is why I don't like them."
And with the odds pretty good the Red Bulls would face either D.C. or New England in the playoffs in a few months, a road win would also do wonders for the club's confidence.
"Every game is almost an individual playoff game," Parke said. "We need to set the tone and if we play one of them in the playoffs, it gives us more confidence playing them if we can get a result, especially on the road."
The Red Bulls have struggled defensively of late, giving up seven goals in the past two games. Goalkeeper Ronald Waterreus has looked shaky in both games and it wouldn't be a surprise if Jon Conway is given the nod Saturday night.
But the former Dutch international shares the blame. Fullbacks Chris Leitch and Hunter Freeman both made critical errors against D.C., as the Red Bulls were in a 2-0 hole before the game was 10 minutes old.
"I think for the most part we have to organize better and do a better job of keeping the group together instead of spreading us out," Parke said. "We need to play more as a team and be tougher to play against. The last few games we've been out of sort, out of whack, we haven't talked enough and play the way we should be playing."
New England won the lone meeting between the two rivals this year, beating the Red Bulls 1-0 at Giants Stadium on July 14. In that game, Andy Dorman scored the lone goal and Juan Pablo Angel capped a frustrating night with a stoppage time red card for an elbow to the face of Shalrie Joseph.
On Wednesday, Angel scored his 13th goal of the year on a 21st-minute penalty kick, becoming the first New York player to score 13 or more goals in a season since Clint Mathis and Alex Comas in 2000. The Colombian international is three goals away from tying the club record for most goals scored in a season, set in 2000 by Adolfo Valencia.
A week removed from an emotional, 5-4 win against David Beckham and the Los Angeles Galaxy in front of 66,000 at Giants Stadium, the Red Bulls find themselves in third place in the Eastern Conference, six points behind first-place New England. Kansas City is one point behind the Red Bulls and fifth-place Columbus is within striking distance, as well.
While points haven't been plentiful in Foxborough, the Red Bulls need to win to stay in the upper echelon of the Eastern Conference.
That's where the Revs sit, two points adrift of Houston for the best record in Major League Soccer. Steve Nicol's formula for success has been a simple one -- consistency, both in terms of the play on the field and in terms of personnel. With little exception, the Revs have fielded the same lineup for most of the past four years and that's a big reason why they've made it to the MLS Cup three times in the past five years.
"You look at the teams that have been the most consistent in terms of their lineup and its New England and Houston," Joe Vide said. "Those are the teams that tend to be more successful throughout the league."
Dylan Butler is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
