The New York Red Bulls have little time to dwell on their 4-1 loss at D.C. United Saturday night. That's because they had just two days to prepare to take on the New England Revolution Wednesday night at Gillette Stadium.
Such a short turnaround isn't usually the best thing, especially when the game is the second in a grueling stretch of three games in 10 days. But when a team suffers such a demoralizing loss, getting back to the field as quickly as possible is key.
"If you have a week off and you have a 4-1 loss in your gut just sitting there it would be a tough week," Dave van den Bergh said. "Hopefully we'll turn this around quickly."
The Red Bulls have little choice. They've won just one of their last five games and lost three of their last four. New York has one win in five road matches and has won just once at Gillette Stadium in the last six years.
Oh, and the Revs are the hottest team in Major League Soccer right now, carrying a six-game unbeaten streak into the midweek tilt.
"We've got to try to forget about this and go and play our next game in New England and the following game against Dallas (Saturday)," Jeff Parke said.
The Red Bulls head to Foxborough with the same injury woes they had when they played at RFK Stadium Saturday night. Juan Pablo Angel and Claudio Reyna remain out with herniated discs in their backs and the club is still looking for a replacement for Jozy Altidore, who signed a six-year deal with La Liga club Villarreal last week.
It is likely that John Wolyniec will again be the lone striker in a 4-5-1 formation, but the Red Bulls do have some more attacking options with the inclusion of Chris Megaloudis in the squad. The rookie forward from Queens, N.Y. was unavailable Saturday, playing for Puerto Rico against Honduras in a World Cup qualifier.
Megaloudis said he was conflicted about leaving, especially given the Red Bulls' lack of scoring options.
"It was a very stressful week. If it was up to me I would have stayed," Megaloudis said. "(The Red Bulls) had to release me and I didn't want to get sanctioned by FIFA and possibly be suspended."
The decision worked out well for Megaloudis, who scored the tying goal with a header at the back post in the 31st minute in a 2-2 draw. It was his second goal in just four caps.
"It was awesome, especially to score against a quality team like Honduras," Megaloudis said. "It wasn't one of my nicest goals, but I was in the right place at the right time. It's definitely a goal I'm always going to remember, especially that it happened in a World Cup qualifier against a good team, too."
After scoring the goal, Megaloudis ripped off his jersey and threw it all of about three feet. He has been hearing about the celebration, one that amazingly didn't include a booking from the referee, ever since it found its way onto YouTube.
"Yeah, I got a lot of heat about it," Megaloudis said. "It was in the heat of the moment. You only have a couple of seconds to have a good celebration. I don't regret it."
Megaloudis also had little to savor the draw, one that knocked Puerto Rico out of World Cup qualifying, 6-2 on aggregate. He was back in New Jersey Sunday morning, playing with the reserves in an exhibition match.
"I would have loved to have stayed, hung out on the beach and relaxed," Megaloudis said. "I'm happy I got a chance to go there, but it was just to play soccer."
Megaloudis is itching to make his MLS debut and that could happen Wednesday night.
"I think I'm ready," he said. "The more and more games go by, the more experience I get by watching the games. I'm looking to go there and do well."
With a 4-4-3 record, the Red Bulls are in sixth place in the Eastern Conference, three points in front of last-place Kansas City. New England, meanwhile, has the best record in the league, four points in front of second-place Columbus.
"They're a very good team," Red Bulls manager Juan Carlos Osorio said. "They play with a system that paid dividends for them. They have good pace on both flanks, they have good playmakers and in general they are very competitive. In general, they are a very tough team to play against."
Dylan Butler is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
