With three games crammed into a span of seven days — the first two at home, where they’re undefeated — the Red Bulls are pointing to this busy week as the defining point of their regular season.
The pivotal stretch starts tonight against Columbus (7 p.m., MSG) with the Red Bulls (13-7-7, 46 points) a point behind Chicago in the East and five behind Sporting K.C., whom they play host to on Wednesday. After a layoff for international play, they have come back refreshed and had their most intense practices of the year, according to forward Thierry Henry.
“They’ve been brilliant. When you know you haven’t lost at home, you don’t want to lose the first game,” Henry said. “You always have that edge you hear that tells you want to stay unbeaten at home. We know it won’t be easy.’’
The Red Bulls are an MLS-best 9-0-3 at their New Jersey home. With five of their last seven at home, they may need to grab home-field advantage if they hope to hoist their first MLS Cup.
“It’s very important to win it for the franchise and the fans, because they’ve been waiting a long time to have it,’’ Henry said. “We want to win it for the fans. They’ve been suffering for a little while. We know it’s not easy to win in New York, but we’re going to have a go this year.’’
* The Red Bulls signed Brazilian defender Digao — the younger brother of Real Madrid star Kaka — after a trial this week, and the 26-year-old will join the team when his visa clears.