Good afternoon! It's matchday @The Cathedral of Football, Red Bull Arena (built by Makita)! In tonight's installment, our glorious Red Bulls take on Western Conference powerhouse Chivas USA (7:00pm ET, MSG+, match notes here). This could be a history-making fixture, so let's see how both teams come into this one.
After an ugly away victory @Montreal this past weekend, the Red Bulls are looking to make a bit of history tonight by winning their sixth straight. Newly acquired defender Heath Pearce, who enjoyed a solid debut against Montreal, will be looking to shut down his former club, whom he expects will "come out flying" in this one. The Red Bulls might even see the return of both Thierry Henry and Wilman Conde in this one, as both are listed as probable. Mercifully, a red card suspension will keep midfielder Victor Palsson out of this one.
Chivas USA come into this one having defeated the LA Galaxy 2-1 in the "SuperClásico". Juan Pablo Angel will make his return to Red Bull Arena. Newly acquired Chivas USA forward Juan Agudelo, who played a key role in their victory against the Galaxy, will not make his return due to a USMNT camp call-up. Can the goats get anything from this one? Can the high-flying Red Bulls continue their winning ways? We shall soon see. But nevermind all that, let's get to some predictions!
Matt Conroy (aka Who Shot Sam) has this for us:
If Juan Agudelo were playing on Wednesday I might be tempted to predict he would score a hat trick. Without him, there is no way I am going to pick against the Red Bulls. We're winning games ugly, but it's the three points that count. With injured players starting to return and Heath Pearce getting a full week of training under his belt, I like RBNY to run its win streak to six games. 3-0 RBNY. Goals from Cooper, Pearce (yes!) and Richards.
The Red Bulls will win their 6th in a row tonight! Justin Braun is no longer with the goats, so he won't be getting his yearly hat-trick against us. Juan Agudelo was called up to USNT camp, so he won't be able to take his frustrations out on us as well. I'm going to call it a 2-0 RBNY victory.
Homebrew Tim has this for us:
The Red Bulls are finding ways to win matches they would have drawn last season, thanks, in large part, to Rookie of the Year candidate, Ryan Meara. We could start to see some players return from injury tonight. I'm going to doom our boys by predicting a win tonight, 2-1 to the Red Bulls. Lindpere and Henry.
Tom Faust has this for us:
Only a fool would bet against the Red Bulls at this point. Backe could field a team of cloned Victor Palssons and we'd still find a way to win (as long as Meara is in nets). Chivas due for a letdown after an emotional victory over the Galaxy, so I say 2-0 to the Red Bulls. Hope I can catch about 5 minutes of the first half.
David Kilpatrick (aka Dr.K.) has this for us:
Our alums always seem to come back and bite us in the bum but I'm feeling (too?) confident heading into this matchup v the Goats. As much as I'd love to see Henry get back on pace for the golden boot, would rather he rest up until June 17; the Coop can handle the burden before the big break. Will be very interesting to see who Hans picks for midfield but I think any combination will work well so long as our defense stays solid. Maybe Angel gets a charity goal but we win, 3-1.
Last, but certainly not least, the great You Suck Corrales has this for us:
We will obliterate them in a shocking display of power and precision. These boys are now in the frame of mind where they don't believe it is possible to lose. I really can't believe this has happened. When Thierry was pounding the turf against NER I thought, "oh shit...we are done." Little did I know we would be in dream land. Even if Rafa plays we win 4-0. Kenny Fucking Cooper with two, Dane again, and Thierry off the bench in the 88th minute. And here's to my mom who follows the games on the computer:-)
Alright! Let's hope for a big win tonight and I hope to see you all @The Cathedral of Football, Red Bull Arena (built by Makita). Viper Out!
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