The Red Bulls and FC Dallas were both teams that struggled last season. In the early stages of this year, however, it seems like the bounce back is on. RBNY are third in the East while Dallas are fifth in the West. New additions Lewis Morgan and Luquinhas have given Gerhard Struber additional attacking talent to utilize in New York, but it has been Franky Amaya who has been key to their performances, breaking up attacks that come their way while also turning defense into attack. His two way threat is why he's been able to collect three assists on the season.
RBNY boast a team attack with five different goal scorers, but it's also an attack that hasn't lived up to the potential shown earlier in the season. In their first two matches of the year, the Red Bulls scored seven goals, backed by Lewis Morgan's hat trick against Toronto. In their next four, they've only scored two goals. FC Dallas will hope that Saturday isn't the day that their attack gets going again.
There has been a revitalization in Frisco as well as FC Dallas have reinvested the money from Ricardo Pepi's sale to FC Augsburg in a big way. Jesus Ferreira has a shiny new contract and he has been joined by his United States men's national teammate Paul Arriola along with Alan Velasco bringing another driving force into an attack that has scored ten goals so far this season.
Ferreira wants to continue his charge to start at forward for the United States in the World Cup with five goals in his last two games. After breaking a lengthy scoreless streak, Ferreira is showing what he has in his bag of tricks, which includes not only scoring the goals but also grabbing an assist on the back of 10 key passes to start the season. Bringing something different to the attack when he doesn't get on the scoresheet is one of the things that Ferreira does best, and if he keeps up his form and challenges for a Golden Boot in MLS, Gregg Berhalter will be left with some tough decisions to make during the summer and beyond.
That won't be in Ferreira's head Saturday though, as the goal is ending FC Dallas' eight game winless streak on the road. Their last away victory was versus Austin FC in August of 2021 so Nico Estevez will look to end that Saturday as his team heads to New Jersey.
Here's our storylines, how you can watch the match and more:
How to watch and odds
- Date: Saturday, Apr. 16 | Time: 7 p.m. ET
- Location: Red Bull Arena -- Harrison, New Jersey
- Live stream: ESPN+
- Odds: New York Red Bulls -135; Draw +260; FC Dallas +400 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
Storylines
New York Red Bulls: Facing a lengthy injury list, RBNY will have some interesting challenges. Caden Clark's loan back from RB Leipzig continues to be a disappointment as after he couldn't get into the team over Amaya in good form, and he's now out with a knee injury. Also possibly missing the match are Andres Reyes, Wiki Carmona, Ryan Mera, and Serge Ngoma.
FC Dallas: It's a clean bill of health as Nanu may miss the game but overall, FC Dallas will have no true absences coming into the match. The most likely replacement if he can't go would be Ema Twumasi.
Prediction
Dallas' attack will have just a little too much for New York to handle as they come to town and finally end their road winless streak. Pick: FC Dallas 2, New York Red Bulls 1
