Tyler Adams (right): “So now it is just getting all the attacking plays right, being a little bit sharper in the final third, but we know the goals are going to come.” (Keith Furman/FrontRowSoccer Photo)
The Chicago Fire come to Red Bull Arena Saturday desperately needing a result to get their season back on track.
The Red Bulls? They just want to continue what they have started with an undefeated MLS record this season in Harrison, N.J.
New York, off a CONCACAF Champions League semifinal run, is 3-2-0 with six points and is in sixth place in the Eastern Conference.
Chicago is sitting in 10th place with a 1-3-1 mark and four points.
When asked about the Fire earlier this week, Red Bulls head coach Jesse Marsch remarked: “A team that needs a result.”
The Fire is a sorry 1-2-1 at home.
“You know they have had a lot of home games and haven’t gotten the breaks that they needed, they have had to play in a lot of bad weather,” Marsch said. “So, it makes it that much more difficult. But we know that it is a quality team. We [know] that it will be personal with them after knocking them out of the playoffs, so we have to be fully prepared for a really tough match.”
Added midfielder Kaku: “They have a good team. We are in a good form and we want to keep that going at our house.”
Indeed.
The Red Bulls encounter the match as favorites. After all, they are 3-0-0 at home this season, outscoring their foes, 10-1. And, they haven’t trailed in a match this season.
In fact, since RBA opened in March 2010, the Red Bulls have the most home victories (87) and points (291) of any team in the league.
“Playing in front of the fans and having their support is huge for us,” midfielder Tyler Adams said. “Solidifying our backline and knowing that we are continuing to get clean sheets and keeping teams off the scoresheet has been really important for us.
“So now it is just getting all the attacking plays right, being a little bit sharper in the final third, but we know the goals are going to come. As you saw against Montreal, we created many more chances than we scored actually. We had three goals and we could have had more so it is just something you look at the video, still trying to figure out everyone’s tendencies and get the chemistry right.”
