Following a midweek victory over the Montreal Impact, the New York Red Bulls will head up to the New England Revolution for the next round of I-95 Cup match-ups. New York is currently sitting atop MLS's Eastern Conference and are four points ahead of their nearest competitor in the I-95 Cup table.
New England, who just a few weeks back beat the Philadelphia Union, are sitting in third place in the I-95 Cup table. They'll be looking to improve their position as the Red Bulls have never won at Gillette Stadium. New England and Jay Heaps will undoubtedly hope to keep that streak going; however, three points would do much more for the Revs than just another draw.
Thierry Henry will, to the surprise of absolutely no one, not make the trip up to Gillette after "injuring" himself on Wednesday. This gives New England a slight advantage, despite the fact that even without Henry, New York has looked decent. Yet, they will probably also be without midfield leader Dax McCarty. One also wonders if Juninho, like many elder MLS players, will play on turf or choose to sit the game out.
As for New England, it will be curious to see how they look in this clash after a midweek collapse against Real Salt Lake. This is also the Revs' chance to avenge their biggest, most embarrassing loss of the season, a 4-1 thrashing by the Red Bulls.
With no other I-95 Cup games scheduled this weekend, three points could see New England jump Philadelphia into second place. A draw will keep things stagnant (thanks to D.C. United's horrendous season), but a loss could put New York in a nearly untouchable position with more than double the points Philadelphia has.
Here's the current I-95 Cup table:
So there it is. It's three points or bust for New England. Time for them to move up the Eastern Conference table and, more importantly, the I-95 Corridor Cup table. After all, it's all about the magic of the (imaginary) cup!