The Columbus Crew looks to extend their unbeaten streak against another defensive stalwart when they host the New York Red Bulls on Saturday.
New York (5-6-8, 23 points) is tied for the second-fewest goals allowed in MLS with 18, two more than Nashville SC.
But the Crew does know their way around a defensive opponent as the highest0scoring team in the league with 38 goals. Columbus earned a 2-0 victory over Nashville last Saturday, with the output just one of two times this season Nashville has allowed multiple goals in a match.
The Crew (9-6-4, 31 points) have four wins and a tie in their past five matches.
“Believe me, we’re well aware of the form (the Crew) are in right now and hopefully we’re going to have a good setup to give us some success,” Red Bulls coach Troy Lesesne said.
“The team that they are, the form that they are in, they’re individual quality they have, we have to have respect for that.”
The Red Bulls secured a 2-1 home victory over the Crew on March 18 but have not won consecutive matches against them since finishing off two in a row early in the 2017 season.
“Game by game, we are improving. Obviously now, we are better,” Crew midfielder Lucas Zelarayan said of the victory over the Red Bulls in March.
The Red Bulls are becoming a bit of an offensive juggernaut, too. They have scored six goals in the past two games, matching their total in the previous 10 contests going back to the middle of April.
“This is the type of form everybody has been waiting for in terms of the way we want to attack,” Lesesne said. “Hopefully, we can keep it going but it’s not going to be easy against a team like Columbus away from home.”
The Crew have won four straight at home, where they are 6-1-2 this season and 11-1-5 since August. Saturday will be the eighth straight home sellout.
“It’s amazing,” Crew goalkeeper Patrick Schulte said. “(The fans) give us a little more belief, a little more hope. We have a transition moment, and the crowd erupts. We feel that energy.”
The Crew will be without midfielder Aidan Morris, who is with the U.S. men’s national neam for the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
–Field Level Media