The Red Bulls — who have won just once since May 4 — play in hot Houston on Independence Day (8:30 p.m., NBCSN), hoping to get back on form.
While midfielder Dax McCarty isn’t expected back for another week and midfielder Peguy Luyindula said he’ll miss Friday’s game against the Dynamo with toe injuries, the Red Bulls should have Tim Cahill back fully, after being limited to reserve duty last week in his return from playing in the World Cup for Australia.
“I feel good. I’m ready to go and, for myself, just trying to find some rhythm straight away and continue the form from the World Cup and trying to contribute to the team and trying to get a win on the road,’’ Cahill said. “Houston’s a difficult place to go, but we’ve had some good success there in the past.’’
Coach Mike Petke was noncommittal about how he’d use Cahill, but with McCarty out and striker Bradley Wright-Phillips still alone atop the MLS scoring charts with a dozen goals, Cahill seems destined for central midfield.
The Red Bulls swept three games from Houston by an aggregate 9-1 scoreline last year in the regular season, but lost to the Dynamo in the playoffs, and are 1-4-2 in all competitions since May 4.
“We have to defend better as a team. I’m not having a go at the defense but we need to defend better as a team,’’ captain Thierry Henry said. “Now we have a good run [at Houston], it doesn’t mean we are going to go out there and walk all over them. I respect them a hell of a lot. We all know what happened against them in the playoffs. They have a great coach. He knows what it is to win.”
The Red Bulls have three trialists in camp. After French defender Damien Perrinelle and Brazilian midfielder Diego Souza Xavier came in Wednesday, they added Scottish midfielder Martin Woods on Thursday. He is a wide left-sided midfielder who was most recently with Barnsley.