The basics
New York Red Bulls (second place in the Eastern Conference, 8W-4D-6L, 28 points) vs. Toronto FC (third place in the East, 7W-5D-6L, 26 points) at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J.
The teams share a 4-4-1 all-time mark in the series.
BROADCAST INFO
Game intro
If one of these two teams misses out on the playoffs this fall, they might well be able to point to this game as the reason why. With the Supporters' Shield and the conference title both seemingly out of grasp for these two sides, this match is all about jockeying for the playoffs and postseason positioning. After two straight road ties, the Red Bulls enter with some confidence, not unlike Toronto, who have been surging of late.
New York Red Bulls
On Sunday night in the first-ever MLS match to feature five Designated Players, the Red Bulls dominated but walked away from Toyota Park with a scoreless draw against Chicago. The midfield looked very strong, not surprising considering the match was the debut of Mexican National Team captain Rafa Márquez. The Red Bulls will field a bit of a makeshift lineup due to international call-ups, but the squad is still deep.
Toronto FC
Outside their BMO Field fortress, Toronto have looked less than ordinary, posting a 1-6-1 mark on the road in league play. The Reds do enter this game with considerable momentum, the third-place side netting a 2-1 win over Chivas USA last weekend. What’s impressive about Toronto is that for all the flair in their lineup, they're a gritty side that turns out results – they've only won by two or more goals in two of their seven victories. That’s a lot of close, hard-fought wins.
Heroes & villains
Dwayne De Rosario vs. New York's central midfield: He’s become an icon of the league and his country, but the Canadian international won’t get any love on Wednesday with the likely central midfield pairing of Joel Lindpere and Seth Stammler giving him little time and comfort on the ball. It could be worse – if Márquez weren’t with Mexico in a friendly vs. World Cup champs Spain, the defensive midfielder would have been assigned to mark De Ro. One of the best players in the league, he only needs a split second to be dangerous.
Stat that makes you go “Hmm..."
TFC have been outscored 11-3 in four matches all-time at New York, posting a 1-3 record.
