- The New York Red Bulls, currently tied for first place in the Eastern Conference, have never won away at Houston in league play.
- The Houston Dynamo are even on points with the New England Revolution, but with the Revs having scored more goals, Houston have now slipped down to sixth place and out of the playoff positions.
- Houston will have to fare without Boniek García (Honduras) and Jermaine Taylor (Jamaica), both whom are likely pleased with their teams’ performances in the Hex on Friday evening. New York, meanwhile, miss Tim Cahill, injured in last week’s match, and Ibrahim Sekagya, who is suspended.
The Houston Dynamo are probably just happy to be coming home, hosting the New York Red Bulls on Sunday at 5 p.m. Houston haven’t had much fun on their three game road trip, starting off with a humiliating 5-0 loss to leaders Montreal Impact. After that beating, the Dynamo must’ve felt rather good about their 1-1 tie with the Chicago Fire, but Wednesday’s 2-0 loss to the Columbus Crew likely sunk their spirits even further. That’s just one point (and one goal) from three games, pulling the Dynamo down to sixth place in the East and out of the playoff spots.
New York, too, have faded a bit. The Red Bulls picked up just one point from their last three matches prior to beating D.C. United 2-1 last weekend. Now NYRB are in a three way tie for the top of the Eastern Conference. Like New York, Sporting Kansas City has 42 points from 27 games, but Montreal has an advantage, also with 42 points but with two less games played.
However, the Red Bulls pulled out an impressive performance last Saturday. New York took an early lead through an 8th minute goal by Lloyd Sam, handed his first start since late June. United then equalized in the 36th minute, but the home side gave them little time to celebrate, with Tim Cahill putting his side back on top two minutes later. Then, in the 72nd minute, Ibrahim Sekagya was shown the red card for obstruction, but Luis Robles managed to save the penalty. Despite being down a man, New York hung on for the next twenty minutes and came away with all three points.
What they’re saying
Red Bulls coach Mike Petke on the win over D.C. United: “It was a gritty, gutsy performance and we had some quality mixed in there for a lot of the game. When we went down a man, it was difficult on these guys but a gutsy performance. They really put everything they had out there.”
Prediction
A point for each. New York have yet to win on the road this season, but Houston seem to be slipping further and further into a slump. Still, if you’re demanding to know which side has a slight edge, tip your hat to the Dynamo. But put no money on it — that’s a gut feeling only, nothing more. Maybe it’s the gut acknowledging that Houston have never lost at home to the Red Bulls?
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