PREVIEW: Red Bulls v. New England

By: Dave Martinez | March 27th, 2009

OVERVIEW

Here come the Red Bull killers! But not quite . . .

The New England Revolution are a constant thorn in the side of the Bulls, and quite frankly, have always been since the inception of this league. They hold the better record in head to head play (23-16-9), with the Bulls only solace being that they still have the better home record (12-8-5). They have players in the current lineup that have made life a living hell for RB fans, like Taylor Twellman and Shalrie Joseph. But this game is different.

The Revolution are akin to a wounded Lion; down, hurt, but still dangerous. Just ask San Jose, who lost at home to the Revs patchwork lineup. With as many as 5 key players out this game (Taylor Twellman, Gabriel Badilla, Mauricio Castro, Steve Ralston, Chris Albright), the Red Bulls will be looking to put the final mercy shot to this lions head.

WHATS AT STAKE

Respectability. Plain and simple. After that absolute joke of a game against the Sounders, Bulls fans were left sitting on their hands, unable to reach out for answers. Where was the track team they had been told would field the pitch? Or the team that took a nearly first team quality River Plate side to task in Argentina? Even with most of the major signings not taking the pitch this week (Rojas, Boyens, Johnson, Celades or Pacheco), there will be little room for understanding or forgiveness if the team comes out flat and uninspired.

WHAT TO EXPECT

To be honest with you, I have no idea what to expect out of this game. Again, will this be a reincarnation of the Seattle game, or will this be the track team most people expected out there? The one thing you can bet on is that Steve Nichols won’t take injuries as any excuse, and will have his team playing at all cylinders. If the Bulls come out passionately, we will all be witnessing a great game. If not . . . well . . .

KEY PLAYERS

Red Bulls: Mike Petke. If one thing rang out clear in last weeks thrashing, it was the lack of cohesion in the back 4. Of course, I attributed this to the Boyens/Petke pairing, which was a clear recipe for disaster. Their games are too similar. This week, expect Petke to be paired with a more mobile Carlos Mendes, who will once again man his natural CB position. Though New Englands side is depleted, they most definitely do not lack speed. It will be up to Petke to keep the back line in form, protecting keeper Cepero from another barrage.

New England: Matt Reis. Besides the above mentioned injuries the Revs are carrying into the season, keep in mind that one of their true stalwart defenders is no longer with the team; Michael Parkhurst. San Jose never truly tested the Revs backline, and Matt Reis was able to enjoy (for the most part) a fairly straightforward game. One would be inclined to assume the Red Bulls would come out with a little extra gusto for the home fans. Once the feeling out process is over, the Bulls will be testing the new look Revolution defense, and Matt Reis will be expected to turn up huge.

STARTING LINE UPS

Red Bulls: As has been widely reported on Red Bulls practice this week, Danleigh Borman has been seeing some time at left back. With Goldthwaite still nursing a tweeked ankle, we may be looking at Borman making his first ever start at left back.

———-Angel—Kandji————-
-Smith—–Ubiparipovic—-Richards-
————Sassano—————-
Borman—-Petke-Mendes——Hall
————Cepero——————

New England: Still speedy and dangerous, even when they are this depleted.

———-Dube—Mansally———
Nyassi—Joseph—Larentowitz-Thompson
Alston——Barnes—- Heaps—-Tierney
————Reis——————-

PREDICTION

Expect a tentative start to the game, with neither opponent looking to be the first to make a mistake. The Red Bulls, behind their home crowd, score a goal and hunker down the rest of the way for the win.

RBNY 1 - New England 0
- Angel scores (at least I hope so for my fantasy teams sake!)

My Prediction Record: 0-1

petke img: wikipedia

***************UPDATE***************:
Besides the Petke blog in the comment section, Erik Stover has a Q&A with the fans up on Red Bull Reader. Go check it out! It is a must read for all those that want to get a bit more inside information on the team.