It's D.C. United’s much-anticipated return to Red Bull Arena for the first meeting of 2015 with the New York Red Bulls.
Here are the basics for tomorrow's rivalry matchup:
- How different will the latest installment of the longest and deepest rivalry in Major League Soccer be from when the teams last met at Red Bull Arena in the 2014 MLS Cup Playoffs? D.C. United appears likely to field as many as nine of the same starters from the encounter on Nov. 2, 2014. New York might have four.
- D.C. United is 1-3-1 in its last five regular season matches at Red Bull Arena and anxious for revenge – the Black-and-Red haven’t won in Harrison, N.J., since 2011. United still maintains a split in the overall regular season series on the road against MLS’ inaugural New York franchise since the league’s inception in 1996 – each team has won 13 times, and there have been five draws. Also worth noting: United last opened the regular season 2-0 in 1999.
- Jairo Arrieta has the chance to extend his scoring streak to three games – in two different ways. He’s riding a two-game streak with D.C. United, having scored in the second leg of the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League against Alajuelense and against the Montreal Impact. He also scored in the final game of the 2014 regular season for the Columbus Crew. He has one goal in five career appearances against the Red Bulls.
- With Thierry Henry gone, D.C. United will turn its attention to Sacha Kljestan. He may be a native of Southern California, but after five seasons with Anderlecht in Belgium – where he played with Homegrown D.C. United star Andy Najar – Kljestan has returned to the site of his college career with Seton Hall. He plays a bit deeper and more centrally than Henry, and United will have to keep an eye on him wherever he goes after he touched the ball more than any other Red Bulls player in New York’s season-opening draw at Sporting Kansas City.
- Bill Hamid is third on the all-time D.C. United list with nine starts against the Red Bulls. A tenth would tie him with Troy Perkins. Nick Rimando tops the Black-and-Red list with 13 starts. Chris Pontius is fourth on D.C.’s all-time scoring list vs. the Red Bulls with six goals.
- Chris Rolfe was undefeated as a member of D.C. United in regular season and playoff starts vs. New York in 2014, with a spot in the first XI in United wins on April 12, Aug. 31, and Nov. 8.
REFEREE: Alan Kelly. AR1 (bench): Adam Wienckowski: AR2 (opposite): Brian Poeschel; 4th: Robert Sibiga
MLS Career: 16 games; FC/gm: 26.6; Y/gm: 3.0; R: 7; pens: 4
SUSPENDED: DC: Fabian Espindola (through April 18)
DISABLED LIST: None
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: None
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (65 meetings): Red Bulls 23 wins (1 shootout), 92 goals … United 33 wins (1 shootout), 120 goals … Ties 9
AT NEW YORK (31 meetings): Red Bulls 13 wins (0 shootout), 41 goals … United 13 wins (0 shootout), 50 goals … Ties 5
RETURN MATCHES: 4/11: D.C. United vs. New York Red Bulls, 7 p.m. ET; 8/30: New York Red Bulls vs. D.C. United, 7 p.m. ET (FS1)
LAST YEAR (MLS)
4/12: DC 1, NY 0 (Arnaud 4)
8/31: DC 2, NY 0 (Silva 57; Johnson 91+)
9/10: NY 1, DC 0 (Sam 90)
Coaches record: Ben Olsen vs. NY: P11 W4 L5 D2 … Jesse Marsch vs. DC: P3 W1 L1 D1
