These two met in Kansas on Sunday in the final day of the regular season, victory for Sporting would have secured 3rd place in the Eastern Conference and given them this midweek off and a chance to rest some injured players and very tired legs. They held a special team meeting at the end of training on Saturday to talk about the importance of the game, how they needed the win and to take some momentum into the post season......on Sunday, they did not show up and the Red Bulls won 2-0.
 

Now they have to travel to New York to face the same opponent for a one off knock out game, I guess they can tell themselves that they have been better on the road all season, winning eight times, compared to just six at Sporting Park, but it was not just the home loss which has seen confidence dip , but the manner of the defeat, with SKC looking a pale shadow of the team who won the title last season. Then they did it on the back of a watertight defence, solid home form and were in good form heading into the post season.
 

Now they are banged up, with somewhere between 3-5 players likely to be missing tonight and most of the others complaining of "heavy legs", they looked visibly tired at the weekend and coach Peter Vermes had to take central defender Lawrence Olum off after just 30 minutes, saying that he was already "out of gas". They have been talking up their chances since Sunday and saying all the right things, but the feeling remains that their playoff chance ended with the weekend defeat. They are short of alternatives, the options they have are running on empty and they have now lost 7 of their last 10 starts, they do not look, feel or act like a post season team. There is no talk of tiredness in NY, you do not feel fatigue when you win and the mood on their trip home would have been very different and they already have seven points from three meetings with SKC this season and would look forward to two playoff games with DC United who are the Red Bulls biggest rival, that await the winner. I am not sure that SKC , who have not scored in three meetings with DCU this season, would look forward to it quite so much and at least subconsciously, might fear it. Their World Cup stars have offered very little since mid summer and are desperate for some rest.

Red Bull boss Mike Petke said that the weekend win was his most enjoyable as coach and that his team executed his game plan to perfection. He will have a refreshed Thierry Henry back tonight and the mood in the home camp, is just completely difference, as you might expect and they should win.

I can leave the final words with Vermes, speaking of the tiredness and injuries he said: “It’s not an excuse, it’s reality, you can’t be naive and you can’t have blind faith.”