Elite MLS sides New York Red Bulls and LAFC will have a showdown this Sunday at the Red Bull Arena in a classic east-meets-west tie.
This will be the first time the two sides will meet and will prove to be a thoroughly entertaining encounter, with stars such as Bradley Wright-Phillips and Kaku coming up against Carlos Vela and Adama Diomande.
The Red Bulls are currently third in the Eastern Conference with their California counterparts second in the Western Conference.
Here is everything you need to know ahead of Sunday's Major League Soccer game.
| Game | New York Red Bulls vs LAFC |
| Date | Sunday, August 5 |
| Time | 11pm BST / 6pm EST |
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
In the United States (US) the game will be shown live on television on FS1 and available to stream live online via FOX Sports GO .
| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| FOX Sports 1 | FOX Sports GO |
In the United Kingdom (UK), the game can be watched live on Sky Sports and online via the Sky Sports app.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| Sky Sports | Sky Sports app |
Squads & Team News
| Position | New York Red Bulls players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Louro, Meara, Robles |
| Defenders | Collin, Escobar, Kutler, Lade, Lawrence, Long, Murillo, Ndam, Parker, Politz, Redding |
| Midfielders | Adams, Casseres Jr., Davis, Etienne Jr., Ivan, Mines, Muyl, Gamarra, Royer, Rzatkowski |
| Forwards | Abang, Rivas, White, Wright-Phillips |
Midfielder Florian Valot and defender Kyle Duncan are both sidelined with injuries to the ACL, while Vincent Bezecourt is still recovering from an MCL sprain.
Potential New York Red Bulls XI: Robles; Lawrence, Parker, Long, Murillo; Davis, Rzatkowski; Adams, Kaku, Royer; Wright-Phillips.
| Position | LAFC players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Lopez, Lyon, Miller |
| Defenders | Beitashour, Blackmon, Ciman, Harvey, Jakovic, Moutinho, Silva, Zimmerman |
| Midfielders | Atuesta, Czornomaz, Feilhaber, Horta, Kovar, Mallace, Murphy, Nguyen |
| Forwards | Blessing, Brewer Jr., Diomande, Rossi, Saint-Duc, Urena, Vela |
Walker Zimmerman will need to be careful as he faces suspension if he earns a yellow card in this fixture.
Goalkeeper Quillan Roberts is unavailable due to sustaining a right fibular fracture and midfielder Mark-Anthony Kaye having fractured an ankle.
Potential LAFC XI: Miller; Beitashour, Ciman, Zimmerman, Harvey; Nguyen, Feilhaber, Atuesta; Blessing, Diomande, Vela.
Betting & Match Odds
A Red Bulls win is priced at odds of 4/7 according to dabblebet, while a draw is available at 10/3. An LAFC victory is up for 15/4.
Match Preview
Sunday's clash will not only mark the first time that the New York side meet with LAFC, but also the first instance in which manager Bradley faces Armas, who was a key figure of the Red Bulls manager's Chicago Fire side in 1998.
The '98 Fire squad completed an unprecedented MLS Cup-U.S. Open Cup double in the team's debut season, and followed it up with another U.S. Open Cup title in 2000.
Teacher will meet former pupil at the Red Bull arena, and will mark an occasion of a new era in US coaching with Bradley having pocketed 20 more years of head coaching experience at the professional level than Armas – who, on Sunday, will see him register his seventh game in charge with the Red Bulls.
The Red Bulls boss previously said he was Bradley's "biggest fan" as he has emulated the LAFC boss's career path, having followed his career abroad.
"When I was 14 years old, [Bradley has] always been supportive of me, as my regional coach," Armas stated.
"And now these days, it's just each of us showing support for the other one. Along the way, I've been Bob's biggest fan, watching him coach here or overseas or the World Cup. I think just on that day [I was appointed Red Bulls head coach], Bob just offered the support back and the best wishes. It'll be great to see Bob and his staff."
The New York side registered just their second home loss of the MLS season to Columbus Crew SC last Saturday in a 3-2 defeat.
LAFC had to make-do with a 2-2 draw with rivals LA Galaxy (in a derby nicknamed 'El Traffico') last Thursday night at the Banc of California Stadium.
Both Carlos Vela – who is currently on six goals in seven away games this season – and Lee Nguyen scored inside the first 20 minutes. They looked on course to leave with the win, but Romain Alessandrini and Ola Kamara netted in the final eight minutes to further frustrate LAFC fans.
On Sunday against the Red Bulls, however, Bradley's side might not be as complacent.
