June 13, 2008 HERE WE GO AGAIN Red Bulls to try to snap RFK hex
Jeff Parke on playing at RFK Stadium:
"We just haven't done it. We haven't fared well and haven't play well there." Linda Cuttone/Sports Vue Images
By Michael Lewis
BigAppleSoccer.com Editor
Montclair, N.J. -- Defender Jeff Parke certainly wasn't at a loss of words to talk about the Red Bulls' losses and inability to win at RFK Stadium.
Parke and his teammates will get another opportunity to break the Red Bulls' winless streak in the nation's capital when they take on D.C. United in an MLS match at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
The fifth-place Red Bulls (4-3-3, 15 points) sport a six-game winless streak (0-4-2) in Washington, D.C. and haven't won their since a 2-1 triumph as the MetroStars Oct. 8, 2005.
Lifetime, the Red Bulls/MetroStars are 6-19-4 over a dozen seasons (the record includes playoff and Lamar Hunt/U.S. Open Cup games).
"We just haven't done it," Parke said earlier this week after practice at Montclair State University. "We haven't fared well and haven't play well there."
Parke has been a member of the team since the 2004 season.
Asked whether the Red Bulls' problems have been psychological, Parke replied, "No, it's not that. It's the way we played. We haven't played good there and they're a tough team in their own place."
Midfielder-forward Mike Magee, who has seen the longest service with the team (since 2003), said that perhaps the Red Bulls' player turnover through the years has something to do the below-par performances.
"It's always a game that they've always gotten up for," he said. "They've always had the same team. The rivalry for them has been a little bit bigger. Our players might not have understood how big the game really was. Now things are starting to pick up. I think the rivalry will pick up more.
"D.C.'s obviously a hard place to play. They've got great fans. They play extremely well at home. They like to come out you and attack and if you are not ready, they'll get out with a pretty early lead."
Another veteran who has experienced more than his share of losses at RFK is forward John Wolyniec, who felt United's faithful make the stadium a difficult place for visitors.
"They're a good team," he said. "They also have great fans. When you go in there, it definitely feels like a hostile environment . . . . When you have quality players and excitable fans, those two things add together to make it a tough place to go in and get three points."
An optimistic Wolyniec said this could the opportunity for the Red Bulls to secure a rare win because D.C. is missing a couple of key players as midfielder Marcelo Gallardo and defender Bryan Namoff are suspended. Of course, the Red Bulls are down their two designated players -- forward Juan Pablo Angel and midfielder and captain Claudio Reyna, who are sidelined with back injuries.
"We're a good team and we can take advantage of the fact that they're without a couple of guys," Wolyniec said. "If we can put a good effort out there, we can come away win a win."
Parke said the Red Bulls' goal should earn at least a draw down there. "It's a matter of going in there and trying to get at least a point," he said. "That should be at least a mind frame. Obviously, we want to go down there and win because at some point you might realize that the game is not going their way or things are not going their way. Getting a point out of it would be good."
Sixth-place United (4-7-1, 13) went through a horrendous patch earlier this season, winning only twice in in its first nine games. But D.C. appeared to have bounced back recently, going undefeated in its past three games (2-0-1) and stunning the Chicago Fire last Saturday, rallying from a one-goal deficit to register a 2-1 win at Toyota Park.
"Chicago is an incredible team," Magee said. "To go into Chicago and beat them 2-1 is big statement."
The Red Bulls could make a statement or two of their own if they could accomplish the same thing in D.C. Of course, that's easier said than done, given their history at RFK.
