Colorado Rapids vs New York Red Bulls - Game Preview

The Colorado Rapids and the New York Red Bulls will clash on Independence day at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. The Rocky Mountain club will do it's best to get a result against another top Eastern Conference team after snapping a three-game losing streak with a win over Montréal on the weekend.

Colorado (6-7-5) are just outside of the Western Conference playoff picture after a wild victory over 1st place Montréal Impact at the Stade Saputo in the Canadian province of Quebec. Tony Cascio found the winner in the 5th minute of stoppage time as the Rapids defeated the Impact 4-3. It was definitely a boost of confidence for Colorado as the club had been winless in their last three matches.

New York (8-6-4) are currently 2nd place in the Eastern Conference. The Harrison, New Jersey-based club were victorious over Houston Dynamo on Sunday by a scoreline of 2-0. The Red Bulls boast the likes of Thierry Henry, Tim Cahill, and Juninho, a member of Brazil's 2006 FIFA World Cup squad. (Well, they did...)

The Rapids will receive a boost as defender Shane O'Neill has returned from the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey. The United States U-20's bowed out at the group stage, but the young defender praised the chance to play against many of the world's best young players. O'Neill started against France in the 1-1 draw and scored against Ghana but the Stars and Stripes were beaten 4-1. Rapids coach Oscar Pareja will have many options to consider in terms of defenders against New York.