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RBNY, Montreal seek first wins of season

Apr 4, 2014 - 9:09 PM Montreal, QC (SportsNetwork.com) - Red Bull New York and the Montreal Impact will be seeking their first wins of the season when the two sides meet at the Olympic Stadium on Saturday.

The Red Bulls have drawn three straight matches after opening the season with a 4-1 loss at Vancouver Whitecaps FC. New York most recently played to a 1-1 draw with Chivas USA at Red Bull Arena, a match that required the home side to equalize in the final minute of stoppage time.

"Second half was a good response," Red Bulls head coach Mike Petke said after the match. "I thought we saw some very good play, specifically certain players, and to get the goal in the end.

"But let's put things in perspective: We tied Chivas in the 92nd minute at home. A better Chivas team than last year, for sure, but we tied Chivas at home in the 90th minute, so that's not good enough."

Changes may be afoot for the Red Bulls as Petke was left sour by Sunday's result.

"I'm not happy with a lot of things," Petke continued in his post-match press conference. "And I don't want to make any bold statements. I don't want to do what Mike Petke usually does, comes in and flies off and says things. But I'm going to take a very close look at this reserve game today, to be honest with you. And I'm going to pay very close attention to the reserve players throughout this week. Because there has to come a point that some of these kids are given an opportunity that they deserve. That's all I'm going to say."

Tim Cahill and Richard Eckersley will be out of action for the trip to Montreal after sustaining injuries against Chivas, so Petke will need to shuffle the squad to compensate for those losses. Thierry Henry and Jamison Olave are also expected to miss the match due to the artificial surface at the Olympic Stadium.

That certainly bodes well for the Impact, who managed to pick up their first point of the season last time out with a 1-1 draw against the Philadelphia Union at PPL Park.

Marco Di Vaio grabbed the club's lone goal with 10 minutes left in the match, helping the Impact overcome Andrew Wenger's red card in the 76th minute to give Montreal a vital draw.

"It's a big point for us. We had to come out with something," said midfielder Patrice Bernier. "The first half was a little difficult, but we came out in the second half we created more chances, especially in the first few minutes. It's a great point to take after getting that red card, but we still have to look at ourselves as things are not exactly right 11 vs. 11."

Wenger's ejection proved to be his last contribution to the Impact organization as he was traded to the Union early on Friday in exchange for Jack McInerney.

McInerney's arrival should see him partner up with Di Vaio to give Montreal a tantalizing forward line; the former Union striker tallied 12 goals last season while the Italian netted 20.