Sports

Red Bulls look to rebound tomorrow at Vancouver

After seeing their six-match MLS unbeaten streak snapped Sunday in Chicago, the Red Bulls try to bounce back tomorrow against Vancouver at BC Place (11 p.m., MSG+). And they’ll try to do not only without injured stars Thierry Henry and Rafa Marquez, but absent coach Hans Backe, away on a personal matter.

“It’s important that we reassemble after the Chicago game, where we started very poor and went down one nil, fighting back quite a bit,’’ said Backe. “I don’t think anyone was happy with the effort in that game; it was an overall quite poor game for us. Now going into Vancouver, they’re in a very good run with 25 points. But I still think that we are good enough team to bounce back from that loss.’’

The defeat – the Red Bulls’ first league loss since April 22 – left them in third place in the Eastern Conference with 26 points and an 8-4-3 record, four points off the first-place pace set by D.C. And they host archrival United Sunday; but they have to concentrate on rebounding against the Whitecaps first.

“We need to defend better; that has to be the starting point. We need to track different, we need to start better, we have to alter our attacking game and be braver when we cross,’’ said Backe. “It’s a lot of things that just have to be better. The passing game, too many unforced errors, the pressure.’’

They’ll have to do all that not only minus their two Designated Players, but also Moroccan midfielder Mehdi Ballouchy, who can’t make the trip to Canada due to immigration issues.

With Backe not wanting to overuse centerback Wilman Conde with three games in a week, expect Heath Pearce to start at centerback; and with Ballouchy out, they may have to strongly consider play a 4-5-1 with Kenny Cooper alone up front and a midfielder – likely Joel Lindpere or possibly Dax McCarty – tucked in behind.

“Yeah I will change, perhaps, some playing style with Medhi out,’’ said Backe. “We can play Jhonny up front it we want, we can play Kenny Cooper by himself up front, that is definitely a possibility. But, with Medhi out, we don’t have any natural striker. Joel could be an option to play as a second striker…We know how we’ll line up, but I don’t want to give the Vancouver team any tips.’’

Their midfield is shorthanded without starters Marquez and Tainio, so losing Ballouchy and Henry hurts. But Norwegian Jan Gunnar Solli, who has successfully made the move back to midfield from right back, is confident.

“I expect us to bounce back and show and build on what we did in the beginning of the second half (Sunday),’’ said Solli. “That’s what we have to build on when we go to Vancouver. It’s not going to be an easy game. It’s going to be a fight, a battle and I think everyone needs to step up more into the 50/50 balls and make sure we don’t get taken on as easy as we did in a couple of situations (Sunday).’’

Vancouver is unbeaten in its last four league matches, including gutting out a 1-0 win over Colorado Saturday despite playing a man down due to Darren Mattocks. The Jamaican rookie’s senseless ejection helps the Red Bulls, as does the fact newly-acquire Designated Player Barry Robson won’t make his debut until July 4.

But the Whitecaps – third in the West 25 points and a 7-3-4 record in just their second season – still have a host of quality attacking players like Sebastien LeToux and Eric Hassli to test rookie keeper Ryan Meara, who was betrayed by his defense Sunday in Chicago and was hardly culpable on his three goals allowed.

“When you don’t give up goals, you win games. When you give up three goals, it’s almost impossible to win games,’’ said Meara. “We almost have to go back to the basics a little and start doing the stuff we did during that run when we were winning games.”