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Red Bulls-Wizards Preview

Jun 25, 2010 - 6:14 PM By ALAN FERGUSON STATS Writer

New York (7-5-0) at Kansas City (3-5-3), 8:30 p.m. EDT

Despite a number of nagging injuries, the New York Red Bulls managed to climb to the top of the Eastern Conference before heading into the World Cup break.

The Red Bulls aren't completely healthy yet, but they'll try to keep succeeding by earning their third straight win and first in five tries against the host Kansas City Wizards on Saturday night.

After dropping four straight in league play, New York (7-5-0) won consecutive matches to open this month and tied Columbus atop the East with 21 points.

That rebound came despite the absences of nine players, including midfielder Brian Nielsen (knee) and midfielder/forward Dane Richards (hamstring). Midfielder Sinisa Ubiparipovic strained his left hamstring in the first half of a 1-0 home win over Chivas USA on June 5.

Ubiparipovic also sat out a 4-2 exhibition loss to Brazilian club Cruzeiro last Friday but is expected to return soon along with Roy Miller, Macoumba Kandji and Austin da Luz. All four took part in a recent practice, while Nielsen and Richards may still need some more time before returning.

"You can look at (the break) different ways," forward Juan Pablo Angel said. "It was important for us to recover the injured players that we had. Now we have very few players that are out right now. In a way it's good, but then obviously it's about how you start playing the games when they come."

While they continue to get healthy, the Red Bulls will try to notch their first win over the Wizards (3-5-3) since Oct. 13, 2007, and snap an 0-3-2 skid in Kansas City which includes three consecutive losses. New York previously won there as the MetroStars on Sept. 10, 2005.

Last season, the Wizards took a pair of 1-0 victories over a Red Bulls team that finished with a league-low 21 points.

This season, Kansas City is battling with inconsistency. After winning their first two games, the Wizards went eight matches without a victory in league play.

They ended that 0-5-3 skid with a 2-0 home win over expansion Philadelphia on June 10. Kei Kamara and Graham Zusi scored first-half goals to support Jimmy Nielsen's fifth shutout.

"It was very big for us. It gives us a little momentum. It gets us on the same page and gives us a little bounce in our step," Zusi said. "All we need to do is build on this."

The Wizards, though, haven't proved as successful against the league's best teams. Only one of their wins have come against a current playoff contender.

In their matchups with the league's two other first-place clubs this season, they fell 1-0 to Columbus on May 23 and finished with a scoreless draw against Los Angeles on April 24.