NEW YORK RED BULLS vs. MINNESOTA UNITED FC
Red Bull Arena | Harrison, New Jersey
04.06.2019 | MLS Week No. 6 | MLS Game No. 5
6:00 p.m. CT (FOX Sports North+, FOX Sports GO, MNUFC Radio on SKOR North)

2019 Records:
NY: 1-2-1, 1-1-0 at home
MIN: 2-2-0, 2-2-0 on the road

In its final road game before returning to Minnesota for its inaugural home opener at Allianz Field, Minnesota United will face a perennial powerhouse in New York Red Bulls who have struggled to open the season. Traditionally a fortress, Red Bull Arena has not been as kind with the home side losing two of three so far. For the Loons, a hot start with two wins in two games on the road has mellowed as they’ve dropped the last two to the LA Galaxy and the New England Revolution. At the weekend, the Red Bulls will be looking to take a step towards reviving the magic that had them winning the Supporters Shield last season while the Loons will be aiming to end their road trip strong and with some positive momentum heading into Allianz Field.

The game kicks off at 6:00 p.m. CT with pregame coverage beginning at 5:30 p.m. on FOX Sports North+, streaming on FOX Sports GO and on MNUFC Radio on SKOR North. Fans in the Twin Cities will have their first opportunity to check out a game in the Brew Hall at Allianz Field at the Official Watch Party presented by Summit.

The firsts continue to pile up for Minnesota United as the team prepares to open Allianz Field on Saturday, April 13 against visiting NYCFC, and this week gave the squad their first chance to practice on the pitch in their new home. On a brisk but clear sunny day, the players worked on possession drills as media and guests watched from the black, blue and grey seats on the stadium’s west side.

“We had a great session and you could see the excitement of everybody getting back out, not only in our new home but getting back out on grass. That was nice as well,” said Head Coach Adrian Heath. “First time we've trained on grass since preseason started. It's been a really good day and one that's been a long time coming but we're all really excited to be back in what's going to be our home for the next years.”

Although the temptation to look ahead to the home opener is strong, the task in front of the team is bettering their last two performances. The Galaxy refused to let Minnesota get comfortable on the ball in the first half, with the Loons only getting back into it once they managed to loosen up a bit in the second half. Against the Revolution, intense defensive pressure once again disconnected the defense from the attack, leading to a stultifying end to the game with the Loons unable to build any kind of forward momentum. The season, though, is replete with peaks and valleys, as defender Ike Opara pointed out after the game. Minnesota still has a chance to open their new stadium with seven or nine points in hand — not a bad start to the season overall.

“It's a learning curve. It's not good to lose the points,” said goalkeeper Vito Mannone. “We went there with a winning mentality and we wanted to improve on the LA game and we didn't manage to do what we wanted. They put us under pressure, they changed the plan last minute and we basically didn't deal with it. But you learn from your mistakes and here we go again. There's no time to dwell and it's another massive game against the Red Bulls.”

Much like the Revolution, the Red Bulls like to press high, win the ball and launch a counterattack. Unlike New England, though, RBNY has been extremely successful with that approach in league play. Red Bull Arena has never been a fun place to play for visiting teams, but despite a lackluster start to the year, there’s little doubt that the home side will be looking at this Saturday’s game as an opportunity to right the ship, especially following the return of star midfielder Kaku to the starting lineup last week in the 1-0 loss to the Chicago Fire.

“They started early with Concacaf [Champions League] and it's never easy when you're chasing your fitness from very early on,” said Heath. “I know what Chris [Armas] is like: they will be revved up at the weekend. They've got good young players, they've got really good energy about the team. The fact that they've lost two league games and lost the Concacaf game — three defeats on the trot —  if anything, it's only going to make them more determined. We've got to stand up to it and embrace it and then go from there.”

Given NYCFC’s recent struggles, this weekend’s tilt at Red Bulls could mark the second of three games against teams desperate for a win. Minnesota’s ability to rally and face down hungry teams could go a long way to defining the squad’s approach this season. Are they going to meet energy with energy or are they going to come up short when the chips are down? For Mannone, he’s learned early in his MLS career to not count out any team, no matter how they look on paper or from their recent form.

“I could tell straight away from the first four games that any team — especially who's struggling — is going to come out even more ready than the previous game,” he said. “So we're going to be in a situation again as with New England, where [the Red Bulls] have been struggling the last few games. But they're a top team with top players so we need to match that and first and foremost we need to have the same sort of energy and willingness to work as the first two games if you want to get any points.”

Minnesota United’s next game is its home opener against New York City FC on Saturday, April 13 at 4:00 p.m. CT. Pregame coverages starts at 3:30 p.m. on FOX Sports North+, streaming on FOX Sports GO, and on MNUFC Radio on SKOR North. Fans should get to Allianz Field early, with festivities beginning on the north side of the stadium at noon and doors opening a full two-and-a-half hours before kickoff at 1:30 p.m.

INJURY REPORT
Minnesota United FC

• QUESTIONABLE: M – Kevin Molino (left knee injury)
• QUESTIONABLE: M – Rasmus Schuller (left leg injury)
• QUESTIONABLE: M – Darwin Quintero (groin)
• OUT: D – Chase Gasper (left hamstring injury)

New York Red Bulls

• OUT: M – Florian Valot (torn ACL)
• OUT: D – Kemar Lawrence (undisclosed injury)

FIRST TOUCHES

• Darwin Quintero scored his third penalty kick goal of the season last weekend.
• There has been a penalty kick awarded in all four of Minnesota’s games this year.
• Quintero has contributed to 32 goals (14G/18A) in 31 MLS appearances.
• Minnesota has currently tied its longest scoring streak since joining MLS. It has found the back of the net in eight consecutive games, stretching back to October 21, 2018.
• Angelo Rodriguez made his first start of the 2019 season last week in New England.
• Ethan Finlay made his first start since April 22, 2018, when he suffered a season-ending knee injury against Seattle Sounders FC. It was his fourth appearance of the 2019 season.
• Finlay will make his 180th MLS appearance the next time he features for the Loons. He has 172 regular season appearances and seven postseason appearances for Columbus and Minnesota in his career.
• Francisco Calvo broke the club record for most minutes played in MLS. He now has played 5,129 minutes for the Loons, surpassing Bobby Shuttleworth’s record of 5,088.
• Romario Ibarra and Quintero lead the Loons with five shots on goal each.
• The Red Bulls are the only MLS team the Loons have not yet scored against, excluding FC Cincinnati.
• Minnesota has kept a positive goal differential through the first four games for the first time since joining MLS.
• The Red Bulls have been shut out in their last two games, falling at home to Orlando and on the road to Chicago.
• RBNY’s lone win was a 4-1 result against San Jose in Week 3. Minnesota also defeated the Earthquakes, claiming a 3-0 win in Week 2.
• If Minnesota wins this weekend, it will tie its record for most away wins in a season since joining MLS. The Loons won three road games in the 2017 season, claiming the third win on October 3.
• Red Bulls Defender Aaron Long won the MLS Defender of the Year award in 2018.
• New York’s Luis Robles led the league with 14 clean sheets last season. One of those came against Minnesota on March 24.
• Osvaldo Alonso leads Minnesota in fouls conceded (9), fouls suffered (10) and yellow cards (2).
• Five of Minnesota’s nine goals have been unassisted. Three were penalty kicks and one was an own goal.
• Mason Toye is a native of South Orange, New Jersey, just over six miles from Red Bull Arena.
• Aaron Long played the 2014 season with Osvaldo Alonso on Seattle Sounders FC. Long then played for Sounders FC 2 in 2015 while Alonso played for the first team.
• Jean-Christophe Koffi was in the D.C. United academy while Collin Martin played for the first team from 2013 through 2015.
• Manny Lagos played for New York during the MetroStars era in 1996 and 1997.
• Lagos and Chris Armas played together on Chicago Fire in 1998 and 1999. Armas was joined by Amos Magee in 2001 and 2002.
• Sean Davis and Carter Manley both attended Duke University. Davis played for the Blue Devils from 2011 through 2014 and Manley was on the squad from 2014 through 2017.