The New York Red Bulls are heading back home for a quick match against Orlando City before they begin the international break, after a two-match road trip that saw them drop points at Philadelphia and at New England, the club in red will now try to right the ship with Orlando City coming over to Red Bull Arena.
At the moment Orlando City is in second place of the Eastern Conference with 12 points and an undefeated record of three wins and three draws But the club will be without an important cog in their starting eleven as former Manchester United and Portugal International Nani will finish off a two-match suspension from MLS after a questionable situation by putting his hands on the referee at DC United back on Sunday, May 16th
“We can see Orlando can play very well on the ball, they have a good structure to have success, especially the midfielders and the wingers including Chris Mueller, and many players who have the high ability to have good performances.” said Gerhard Struber, “For us, we realize that Nani is not on board for Saturday.
“For us, it’s not a major change as we know that Nani has a big impact on this team, also the other players are on that same high level on this team. they play well in front and it will be a strong challenge for my team. We will fight with high intensity and it will be 100% percent for my squad.”
Right now the Center Back position is in flux, With the season-ending injury to Aaron Long, and Amro Tarek still on the injury list, Andres Reyes will be serving his one-match suspension for his reckless fouling at the Revolution last week. So who will be replacing those players missing from the position and partnering up with Sean Nealis? Nonother than the new addition who is on loan from Stoke in England, but Tom Edwards who has seen the action as a fullback on the right side of the backline.
“So my previous loan was playing at Fleetwood and I played Center back over there. I loved it, I enjoyed it, I feel very comfortable over there. I can express myself a little bit more. When he (Struer) asked me if I don’t mind playing at center back I said I feel comfortable over there, either the three or the two.” said Edwards, “As long as I am on the pitch, at Center back I’m comfortable, Obviously I can play Right Back, but being at Center you play more in the middle of the pitch and I enjoy playing no matter where I am on the pitch.”
Edwards has been enjoying his team since coming to the New York Red Bulls on loan from Stoke. He has dived in with both feet and he hasn’t asked for any advice from any English player who has come to MLS or to the New York Red Bulls. Obviously, we’ve had Lloyd Sam, Bradley Wright-Phillips, Wayne Rooney’s brother John who was a hero in a US Open Cup match a long time ago against defunct FC new York of the USL, but outside of that, it’s nice to see another Englishman come over and get a chance to show what he is made of.
The one positive so far in this matchup is we should see the return of Dru Yearwood after he served his one-match suspension against the Revolution last week, even though he performed for the USL Bulls in Championship League play with a two-goal road draw at the Charleston Battery, he should be ready to roll if he gets selected for the starting 11 or coming off the bench.
So buckle up and get ready for another early afternoon tilt at Red Bull Arena before the international break comes in. This young squad will be challenged once again and let’s see what will happen during this big matchup against the Purple and Gold of Orlando City as they take on the Red Bulls.