Good Morning! The Red Bulls return to action today at The Cathedral of Football against the same Philadelphia Union team they defeated there just three days ago. This time, however, it's a US Open Cup preliminary round match. Because of fixture congestion, Red Bulls Head Coach Hans Backe will play a mostly reserve line-up today. I don't know if that means he's throwing in the towel in this competion or not. It was very tough breaking down the Union first team this past Saturday and, according to Nowak, Philly will have most of their big guns on the field. I don't think I need to remind everyone that it took an insane handball by a Philly defender and a Juan Pablo Angel penalty kick for the Red Bulls to come out of Saturday's match with all three points. But enough of my optimism, let's get down to some predictions.
The great Matt Conroy (aka Who Shot Sam) has this for us:
I’ll predict a 1-1 tie, then a Philly victory on penalties, since Backe will be playing a reserve squad and Nowak wants to run his team into the ground. Hope I’m wrong.I'm going to predict a Philadelphia victory as well. Nowak will have no mercy on his starters and will even threaten them with being cut (he's done it already this season) if they don't pull this one out. I'm sure he's got no hope of beating Los Angeles on Saturday so he'll see this match a being very winnable, with the Red Bulls fielding a mostly reserve team. Final Score: RBNY 0, Philadelphia 2. I hope I'm wrong as well.
Homebrew Tim has this for us:
Our reserves have gotten plenty of time in pre-season, and have continued to see minutes in three friendlies since the season started, but they are untested against an MLS squad in a meaningful game. However, they will be fresh and looking to earn more time in league matches. Meanwhile, Pietr Nowak seems intent on driving his 1-3 team into the earth. He says his starters will go, just 3 days after their 2-1 loss and 4 days before their west coast away match in Los Angeles. Our young, hungry rookies will wear down Philadelphia; the New York Red Bulls win in extra time, 3-2, and send a demoralized and exhausted Union home to pack for their cross-country flight. Chinn with 2, including the game winner (Tchani and da Luz assists). Agudelo puts one in off a nice cross from Nielsen.Last, but not least, the great You Suck Corrales has this for us:
The Red Bulls will come out of this one victorius on penalties, after a 2-2 tie. Connor Chinn and Juan Agudelo will put them in for us in regulation. And btw, I'm on my way back home, after a business trip down in DC, and I'm just now passing through Baltimore, the future home of DC United.Let's hope that YSC is right on a Red Bulls victory and on DC getting moved up I-95. Ha, ha!
A few notes regarding this match:
There is no tv coverage for this one, however, the Red Bulls will stream this one live on their Official Site, with the Steve & Shep doing the play-by-play and commentary (respectively). You can click here for the direct link to the stream.
According to the game notes email, the Red Bulls Corner Pub/Restaurant will be open to all season ticket holders today (not just the ones who bought the extra membership):
For all Season Ticket Holders who will be attending this match, the Bulls' Corner and the Club Seats Lounge will be open to the general public starting at 6:30 pm. The Bulls' Corner will be a full-service bar & restaurant, while the Club Seats Lounge will offer bar service only.From the above quote, it looks like the prestigious Club Seats Lounge will be open to the all season ticket holders as well. Here's your chance to buy some very expensive food and drink with the big shots. ha, ha!
Posts
