CHESTER, Pa. -- When the Union and rival New York Red Bulls clash on any given night, the arena is louder, the competition is more fierce and everything, including the drama, seems amplified.
And that’s without playoff implications.
On Saturday night at Red Bull Arena, separated by just one point in the standings and playing for the final time in 2013, the Union and Red Bulls collide once again, this time with eyes fixed on the top spot in the Eastern Conference.
“This is the first time Philly and New York are playing when both teams are sitting this high in the league,” Union coach John Hackworth said. “This will be a marquee matchup. New York has to be the favorite and that puts us in the position we’ve been in all year long. We like it and we’ll use it to our advantage.”
Two points behind Sporting Kansas City for the top spot in the conference, the 10-7-7 Union could potentially leapfrog two teams by getting their first-ever win at Red Bull Arena. And though Hackworth’s club would happily accept a draw on the road, three points is a tempting proposition.
“Any victory in New York would be fantastic,” said the coach, whose club is 0-4-0 all-time in Harrison, N.J (see story). “Our focus is to take it one game at a time and try to maximize points. If you go on the road and get a draw, it’s a very positive result, especially against a team like New York. But we’re going up there trying to get the full three points.”
But the Red Bulls (11-8-5) are ready.
Red Bulls coach Mike Petke made the decision to hold leading scorer Thierry Henry and Tim Cahill off the roster during the team’s 2-0 loss to Columbus Crew last week. The defeat stopped a four-game unbeaten string.
And though both players are on the team’s official injury report, the Union suspect both were resting for Saturday and will dress.
“With them sitting out last week then coming back, it’s all business, they are taking this game very serious,” Union forward Aaron Wheeler said. “We know they marked this day on the calendar for when they want to make their run. We’ve trained very serious this week in preparation for the fight they will give us.”
Knowing this, Hackworth wants his club fully prepared for anything in the first 45 minutes.
“There’s no question we’re facing a Red Bull team that will be at full strength,” he said. “They are coming off a loss and will be motivated. It’s an important game for both of us, sitting pretty high in the table. Our expectation is that we’ll get everything from them and we’ll have to manage the early part of that game emotionally and not let it get away from us.”
Taking down the Red Bulls, 3-0, at PPL Park earlier this season, the Union redeemed themselves after suffering a tough 2-1 loss at Red Bull Arena on March 30. Henry’s late goal still sits with the Union, who haven’t forgotten the heartbreaking defeat.
“We battled them in New York earlier this year but at the end of the game we let things slip away,” Hackworth said. “We’re a better team than we were then and we’ll see on Saturday if we can go up there and finish what we started earlier in the year.”
Helping the Union’s cause will be red-hot striker Conor Casey, who has seven goals in his last 10 games and is coming off a two-goal effort in a win over DC United last Saturday. But Casey wouldn’t be as effective if it wasn’t for former Red Bull midfielder Sebastien Le Toux, who currently leads MLS with 12 assists.
“It’s great for Sebastien and it’s great for us, we hope he continues to do it,” Hackworth said. “We want him to get more as the last 10 games come. Sebastien is very motivated to go back to New York and get a good result.”
However, the Union may be once again without speedy left back Ray Gaddis, who injured his ankle two weeks ago against the Chicago Fire. If Gaddis can’t go, Fabinho, who had a fantastic game against United in Gaddis’ place, will make the start.
“He’s still questionable,” Hackworth said of Gaddis. “The good news is that he’s running and cutting. He felt much better than he did yesterday, so that’s a positive. We hope he’s available but we can’t say that yet.”
What the Union can say is where their focus resides. With 10 games left in the season, a result in Saturday’s match could potentially set in motion the young Union’s final run to the postseason.
“It’s difficult math,” Hackworth said about calculating his team’s magic number to reach the playoffs. “A lot can happen. Once I start looking at it in-depth, it drives me crazy. I just want to concentrate on New York now, that’s the one thing we’re fully focused on.”