That's the game! Red Bulls clinch 1st place in the MLS Eastern Conference!
90'+2': Another good save by Robles to deflect it out for a Union corner
90'+2': Union free kick at midfield.
90'+1': Great Save by Robles to deny Ayuk's header
Two minutes of stoppage time
90': Free Kick Union in the offensive half
89': White makes a good slide to get the ball away from the Union box
88': Barnetta splits the uprights as he kicks far over the bar for a Red Bulls Goal Kick
87':Union Free Kick as Aristeguieta is elbowed in the head. Barnetta stands over it 35 yards out.
Corner is played short and the ball takes a weird deflection as Blake punches it out for another corner
Tonight's announced attendance is 21,080
84': Red Bull Corner Kick
83': Free Kick finds Grella but he cannot put it on frame
83': Barnetta with an ugly foul from 35 yards out. Free kick Red Bulls
82': New York sub: Lade on for Klejstan
81': Conor Lade about to come in for New York
80': Union counter off a stopped Red Bull attack. The counter does not lead to much as it stopped by Red Bulls defense.
78': Red Bull throw in the offensive half leads to a Red Bull Free Kick in a dangerous spot 25ish yards out
77': Union sub: Ayuk in for Sapong
76': Ayuk looks ready to come in for the Union
Union better possession in this half but not saying much as compared to their dreaful 1st half
73': Good run by Aristeguieta as he gets the ball on top of the box but his final touch lets him down
71' Corner Kick Union. RED BULLS Sub Sam off for Veron
71': Free Kick Union in the defensive half as Veron is about to come in for the Red Bulls
69':Union Free Kick at midfield is taken quickly by Lahoud
67': Aristeguieta's cross is blocked and sent up field by New York
Red Bulls sub: McCarty out for Davis
64': Red Bull Free Kick in the offensive half. The kick doesnt lead to much
63': Aristeguieta almost finds Sapong on the top of the box on the counter but Robles comes off his line to clear
62': Red Bull with possesion by the Union box
60': Union Goal Kick
57': Counter almost leads to a chance but Philadelphia could not find the right pass in the box as it is cleared out
56': Red Bulls back on the offensive but the ball is stolen and here comes a Union counter!
55': GOAL UNION! Sebastien Le Toux pulls one back off a nice Philadelphia counterattack. 4-1 Red Bulls
52': McCarty with a shot off a cross but puts it well over. Goal Kick Union
51': Union with a couple of opportunities early but both collected by Robles with relative ease
At the break, Philadelphia made a couple of subs. White for Vitoria. Aristeguieta for Chaco
48': Sapong is taken down in the box but the ref says play on with little argument for Curtin and Sapong
2nd half has started!
Halftime 4-0 Red Bulls. It can't get any uglier for the Union
One minute of stoppage time is added on
44':GOAL RED BULLS! Kemar Lawrence beats Maidana on the back post for the fourth goal. Possibly one of the worst halves the Union have played in the last few years
43': Grella is toying with Wenger back here as Red Bulls hit the post after some good passing
41': YELLOW CARD! Michael Lahoud. Free Kick Red Bulls
39': Red Bulls counter a bit but a pass is hit long and goes out for a Union Goal Kick
38': Union Corner Kick connects with a Union player but is hit wide. Goal Kick Red Bulls
37': Grella who was wide open on the wings hits a cross into the box that is collected well by Blake
36': Union better possessing for a moment until it is picked off and startes a Red Bull counter
Maidana is really trying to get the ball into the box but nobody has been there at all
34': Maidana's shot is blocked on the other end
33': Corner Kick doesnt lead to much
32': Red Bulls Corner Kick
30': Red bull really attacking at will. Union defense has not done much
26': Fabinho sends it in and Sapong might have gotten a slight head on it but it is collected by Robles.
26': Union Corner Kick is sent out and collected by Fabinho by midfield
25': Free kick Union is played quickly by Barnetta from midfield to Le Toux. LE Toux tried to control it but was unable to.
21': Free Kick Union by midfield. It is colelcted easily by Robles.
20': BWP attempts a bicycle but puts it over the net. Goal Kick Union
18': Thorough domination by Red Bulls and Grella in particular. Grella has taken Wenger to the woodshed today.
17': GOAL GRELLA! Wenger is getting his lunch eaten today by Grelladinho
16': Corner Kick comes in and hit oddly off the ground by a Red Bull player forcing a good save by Blake.
15': Red Bull continuing to get good pressure in the Union half. Corner Kick
14': Maidana crosses it in and no one is home
Red Bull, despite being surrounded by Union players on the flank, have little problem passing the ball around to keep possession
13': Felipe is fouled. Free Kick Red Bull by midfield
12': Red Bull free kick by midfield
11': Union throw in the offensive half after some better offensive play
9': Ball goes out on the Union and its a Red Bull throw-in the defensive half
8':Union throw in by midfield
7': Red Bull controlling this game so far. Union have had little to any meaningful possession at all.
4': GOAL! BWP hits a volley off a header by Klejstan off the ensuing corner. Union are being simply outclassed right now!
Grella beat Blake near post off a deflection it looked like. Possibly off of Vitoria
Not to state the obvious but a pretty awful start for the Union.
1': GRELLA GOAL! Philadelphia caught napping as Grella scores 8 seconds into the game!
Kickoff!
Procession has occured and we are about a few minutes from kick!
Here come the majority of the Union players for warmups alongside the Red Bulls for pregame.
For the Union, Tranquillo Barnetta will get the captain's armband today. Surprising considering how long he has been there compared to the rest of the starting XI today
Out on the field, Union goalkeepers John McCarthy and Andre Blake starting to warm up. Besides them, not any other player out here yet.
Zubar gets the start for the suspended Miazga. NYRB have a formidable lineup for today's matchup.
Wenger gets another start at RB with Gaddis on the bench. For a team that lacks depth at the position, if Wenger can provide them solid play going forward, then it will be a success.
A slight shock for the Union as Aristeguieta sits for Sapong. With little to play for, one would have thought Coach Jim Curtin would have started expiring loanee Aristeguieta.
Philadelphia Subsitutes: McCarthy, Creavalle, Casey, Ayuk, White, Gaddis, Aristeguieta
We are here at Red Bull Arena with little under a hour till kickoff!
In the end, Philadelphia might not have anything physical to play for, but for Curtin and Philadelphia, the next two games are still important to finish off the season on a high note.
In goal, Andre Blake should be available for selection and the start for Philadelphia. He was out on International leave with Jamaica last week, when they took on South Korea.
In the central attacking midfielder spot, Cristian Maidana will probably get the start.
In the midfield, the Union will lineup with either Brian Carroll or Michael Lahoud alongside Vincent Nogueira in a double pivot. On the wings, more decisions loom for Curtin. With Aristeguieta likely getting the start up top as the lone striker, it will have to seen whether Curtin opts to start CJ Sapong or Tranquillo Barnetta on the wings. On the other side, Eric Ayuk will probably get another run out with the starting eleven.
Another loanee who will likely be playing for 2016 is Fernando Aristguieta. Aristeguieta has been unlucky this season with injuries costing his good chunks of the season. The young Venezuelan striker has expressed his interest in staying with the Union after 2015, but it will be up to the coaching staff to decide. There is a purchase option on Nando’s loan deal, but it will be an expensive one for the Union.
At Centerback, the suspected pairing is Richie Marquez and Steven Vitoria. The choice of Vitoria is likely not a surprising one for most fans. Many writers have duly noted that Vitoria is likely auditioning for next season for the Union, which is why Curtin will give the Portuguese International extended minutes over the next two games.
For this game, Curtin will have something interesting decisions to make. Centerback Maurice Edu is out for the rest of the season after undergoing sports hernia surgery. With Edu out, there will be a definite open spot along the backline. Along the back four, Curtin will likely opt for Raymon Gaddis and Fabinho on the wings. However, the Philadelphia Head Coach will likely use this game to experiment and give some guys a longer run out. With that said, it is possible that Andrew Wenger could get the start at left back.
“Usually when you say Red Bull, the guys are going to be naturally motivated.” Philadelphia Union Head Coach Jim Curtin said on Friday. “It’s a little unique in that we’ve been eliminated. Obviously a tough environment, Red Bull Arena, to go. There a team that’s playing as well as anybody.”
On the other side, Philadelphia has relatively little to play for. But do not expect the Union to roll over against their rivals.
New York will be trying to lock up first place in the MLS Eastern Conference without some of their key pieces. Centerback Matt Miazga will serve the rest of his suspension out on Sunday. To add, Anatole Abang will also likely be out for Sunday as well.
While the win would allow New York to keep pace, a win on Sunday afternoon can also help the clinch other important pieces in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs. If Red Bulls win or tie on Sunday, they will clinch first place in the MLS Eastern Conference.
New York has put together an excellent season, despite the preseason predictions. Currently, the Red Bulls are sitting in second place in the Supporters’ Shield standings, behind FC Dallas. With FC Dallas’ win on Saturday night against Real Salt Lake, they clinched the MLS Western Conference and sit on 57 points, three ahead of the Red Bulls, with one game to play. For New York to keep pace in the shield race, they must take all three points against Philadelphia Sunday afternoon.
The two teams could not be on different paths.
On the season, Philadelphia has won twice at Red Bull Arena: The U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinals and a 2-0 win in late May. New York returned the favor of beating Philadelphia at PPL Park, 3-1, in early August.
In their previous matchup at Red Bull Arena, the Philadelphia bested New York in an instant classic advance to the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Semifinals. The Quartefinal between these two featured an early red card for Philadelphia Union’s Conor Casey, but went the distance all the way to penalty kicks.
Hello! Welcome to VAVEL’s live coverage of the regular season Major League Soccer matchup between Philadelphia Union and New York Red Bulls. I’m Jordan Wohl and I will be providing minute-to-minute coverage pregame, mid-game and postgame. Kickoff is scheduled for 3PM EST from Red Bull Arena (TV: The Comcast Network).