The Red Bulls will have their healthiest team in weeks. Good thing, because they’re about to play the best team they’ve faced all year.
Captain Thierry Henry, Designated Player Tim Cahill and MLS leading scorer Bradley Wright-Phillips have all been cleared to play in Saturday’s sold-out clash against league-leading Seattle (7:30 p.m., NBCSN).
“They all seem to be ready to go, so I have decisions to make,” coach Mike Petke said.
Henry (Achilles), Tim Cahill (hamstring) and Wright-Phillips (hamstring) were cleared for the Red Bulls, who sit a precarious fourth in the Eastern Conference standings at 9-8-11 for 38 points. They can’t afford to drop points at home, but they’ll have their work cut out for them.
After Seattle’s collapse last year helped the Red Bulls claim the Supporters’ Shield for the best record in MLS, the Sounders have followed up with one of the best campaigns in league history. They’re 17-7-3 for a league-best 54 points, and just won their fourth US Open Cup in the past six years.
“They just won the Open Cup, so I guess they’ll be full of confidence, but they didn’t need that to be full of confidence to be honest. … I think they should call it the Seattle cup, they’ve won it so many times,’’ Henry said. “They have a hell of a team.’’
A hell of a team led by the tandem of US national team stars Clint Dempsey and DeAndre Yedlin, plus striker Obafemi Martins. Cahill said Seattle has a deep, balanced roster.
“Every single player there could pretty much play in Europe, you can tell by the starting lineup, so I’m very impressed by their team and I always have been since I’ve come to the country,’’ Cahill said. “It’s a great test for us, because it’ll be a full house tomorrow and our fans have been buzzing the last few months, so if we got a win at home against these guys, it’d be a real statement to the league.’’
The Red Bulls have solidified their defense with a 4-2-3-1 formation with Henry out wide left and fellow Frenchman Peguy Luyindula the creative force in the middle.
“The way it’s set up now, it’s harder for us to attack, but it’s more disciplined,’’ Cahill said. “You know it’s going to be a good game, but for us it’s a game we should be looking forward to because they’re obviously the team to beat.’’