Crew 1 - 1 Red Bulls
Final
  for this game

Crew, Red Bulls have holes to fill in Saturday fixture

Jun 3, 2011 - 4:25 PM Harrison, NJ (Sports Network) - Red Bull New York will have its depth tested on Saturday when it hosts the Columbus Crew in Major League Soccer action at Red Bull Arena.

New York (4-2-6) will be without key players all over the field, with center backs Tim Ream and Rafa Marquez, midfielders Dane Richards and Dwayne De Rosario, and forward Juan Agudelo all missing because of international duty.

Red Bulls coach Hans Backe has been working in younger players who have played limited minutes into training this week, and has noticed a difference in the lack of speed.

"It looks okay," Backe told his club's website. "It's difficult to say until you play a competitive MLS game because the pace is so much faster."

Veteran defender Carlos Mendes has seen limited action this season, but he know show to prepare himself, and hopes younger players who will be expected to contribute in coming weeks are following suite.

"If you're not playing as much, you have to put in the effort when you're not getting as much time in training," he told his club's website.

The Crew (3-3-5) will only be without left winger Robbie Rogers because of international duty.

Josh Gardner filled in at the position last week in a 3-3 draw with Chivas USA, and it didn't go well.

"That didn't work," Crew coach Robert Warzycha told his club's website. "There was a little bit of confusion."

If the Crew are going to be successful, they will need to find a way to plug that hole on Saturday.

The Crew are also hopeful that Andres Mendoza, who started for the first time since April 1 and scored two goals against Chivas USA, is in the same form but a better state of mind this week as he was last. After he was subbed out late in the game, he went right to the locker room, skipping the final 20 minutes of the draw.






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