Columbus Crew SC hits the road to take on the New York Red Bulls for a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff on April 22. The Black & Gold are still sitting at the top of the Eastern Conference after last week’s 2-1 victory against Toronto FC.
Before the ball starts rolling in New Jersey, here's what you should keep a look out for:
¡Olé!
This weekend’s match will be the 66th all-time regular-season meeting between the two Eastern Conference teams. The Black & Gold currently hold a 26-29-10 record against the Red Bulls and are currently sitting in first in the Eastern Conference. Crew SC has also scored at least one goal in each of its last three regular-season matches against the Red Bulls.
Keeping it 💯 against #99
The player to watch for the Red Bulls is Bradley Wright-Phillips, one of the best strikers in the MLS.
BWP has been picking up speed this season, netting three goals in his last five matches. Last week’s match against D.C. United was Wright-Phillips’ first time scoring at home this season. Overall he has accumulated 10 goals at Red Bull Arena in his first three full seasons at New York. In the last five matches against Columbus Crew SC, BWP has scored at least once — including two game-winning goals.
Unfortunately for BWP, Crew SC goalkeeper, Zack Steffen is on of the top goalkeepers in the MLS. Steffen is tied in fourth place when it comes to saves (21) out of all other goalkeepers in the League, per Opta. He has also faced the fourth-highest number of shots on target (29), while holding the fifth highest save percentage (72.41) for goalkeepers who have faced 20 or more shots on target.
Steffen has also played 630 minutes to date, meaning he has played every minute of every match so far this season. This past week, Steffen was nominated for MLSSoccer.com’s Save of the Week, his second consecutive nomination, after his diving save against Sebastian Giovinvo’s shot. This is Steffen’s third time this season he has been nominated for Save of the Week. He has also been named to MLSsoccer.com’s Team of the Week once this season, and he earned the nod following his shutout performance against D.C. United on March 18.
Taking a Bite Out of the Big Apple
The New York Red Bulls are unbeaten in 17 consecutive regular-season home games, however, the Black & Gold have broken a few streaks so far this season. Last week’s 2-1 victory over Toronto FC marked Crew SC’s fourth unbeaten team in 2017 that they hosted and sent home winless. The Black & Gold will be looking to set the Red Bulls straight and maintain their position atop the Eastern Conference
Columbus Crew SC visits the New York Red Bulls on April 22 for a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff — the game will be broadcast on The CW Columbus, Spectrum Sports, BCSN2 and the English-language radio call will be on CD102.5 FM while the Spanish-language call will be on La Mega 103.1 FM. The English radio stream will be available on ColumbusCrewSC.com.
