The New York Red Bulls begin their 25th MLS season as they host FC Cincinnati on Sunday afternoon.
Here are the Keys to the Game, presented by Honda:
Continue Demonstrating Consistency Showed in AZ
During the 2020 Visit Tucson Cup, the Red Bulls picked up two 1-1 draws and one 2-1 win. More than one player was able to go the full 90 minutes at least on one occasion.
Before the 2-1 loss against Phoenix Rising, the team came into the match with a three-game winning streak -- 4-0 vs. University of South Florida, 3-0 D.C. United and 2-1 vs. Independiente del Valle.
Heading into the first game of the season, New York is on a three game undefeated streak, and coming off a hard-fought 2-1 win over Sporting Kansas City, who Head Coach Chris Armas described as “a good team that’s been together for quite some time and added some interesting pieces.”
The key against FC Cincy will be to build from that Sporting KC performance and keep creating more scoring chances.
Keep Looking for Flo
Midfielder Florian Valot scored the only goal in the 2-1 defeat against Atlanta United, a goal in the 3-0 convincing win over D.C. United, and the first goal in the 2-1 victory over Peter Vermes’ side.
Valot showed a lot of intelligence by participating in attacking plays in both flanks. His understanding with attacking players like Kaku and Daniel Royer will be important as the season progresses.
Avoid Conceding Quick Goals
It took very little time for Sporting KC to tie the game 1-1 after Valot’s goal last Saturday, and the same happened in the game against Columbus Crew, in which the team conceded a goal right before the 1-minute mark.
Not conceding quick goals could be the difference between walking away with a win or draw.
