HARRISON, New Jersey – The Montreal Impact looks to gain a foothold on its playoff position as it starts a two-game road trip against the New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena this Wednesday at 7:30pm EDT (TVA Sports 2, CJAD 800).
The Impact is sitting in sixth spot with 42 points (12-12-6), one point ahead of Orlando City SC following its 2-1 loss to the Lions over the weekend, but still holds two games in hand.
The Red Bulls are currently in top spot in the Eastern Conference with 51 points (15-9-6) and have already locked up a playoff spot, but are in a tie with the LA Galaxy in the Supporters Shield race.
Striker Bradley Wright-Phillips scored his 15th goal of the season as the Red Bulls took a 2-1 win against Columbus Crew SC last Saturday, with former Impact members Felipe, Karl W. Ouimette and Jesse Marsch in the fold.
“They play a high tempo game, offensively and defensively,” said Impact head coach Mauro Biello. “We have to be ready to contain that, but also exploit certain areas we feel we can take advantage of. It will be another battle for us.”
“We know their qualities and we will be wary of them, but we are going there to earn a result,” said Impact captain Patrice Bernier. “We are at a stage where every game is like a playoff game.”
The teams are meeting for the second time this season. The Impact’s Dominic Oduro and the Red Bulls’ Lloyd Sam scored on either side of halftime as the teams reached a 1-1 draw on August 5 at Stade Saputo. The Red Bulls have won all four league meetings lifetime in New Jersey, but the teams played to a 1-1 draw in CONCACAF Champions League group play last year in Harrison.
“They are a good team and it’s always been difficult to play there in the past,” said goalkeeper Evan Bush. “It will still be a difficult game, but there is no added pressure. We’ve been playing well lately, even last game where we dictated a lot of the play, and we are capable of getting a good result on Wednesday.”
Impact will be without defender Wandrille Lefèvre, midfielders Maxim Tissot and Johan Venegas, as well as forward Anthony Jackson-Hamel all on international duty.
IMFC plays its next game on Saturday against the Rapids in Colorado, at 6pm EDT, in what will be the third straight road game in eight days (TVA Sports, CJAD 800).
