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Sports

Red Bulls, Sporting square off at top of the East

By Sports Network
Published | Updated

Kansas City, KS – The top two teams in the Eastern Conference will tangle at Livestrong Sporting Park on Sunday as Sporting Kansas City hosts Red Bull New York.

Sporting holds a two-point lead on New York ahead of Sunday's clash, and brings a three-game winning streak into the contest.

The Red Bulls have won two straight after a 3-2 comeback win over the Portland Timbers last time out, extending their home unbeaten streak this season to 12 games.

New York is 9-0-3 at Red Bull Arena this term, and head coach Hans Backe believes that if the club had gone down by two goals away from home, the end result would have been different.

"The way we are performing away we would have lost the game for sure," Backe said. "So, I think also being in this home stretch, winning most of the games, [we] have to kind of believe that you can win every game, whoever you play. But going two down is normally a little bit too much. To score at least two goals at the end of the first half it was a gift definitely."

Tim Cahill scored one those goals for his first in MLS, and the Australian has been a welcomed addition to the team since his arrival from Everton, scoring one goal with two assists in three games.

Sporting didn't put together its best effort last time out, but did enough to sneak past Toronto FC, 1-0.

Kei Kamara scored the lone goal in the 83rd minute, and the result marked the first time that Sporting won three straight games since opening the campaign with seven successive victories.

Head coach Peter Vermes was just happy to get another win on the road, which he feels is a key to success in MLS.

"What I take away from the game is that it is another victory on the road," Vermes said. "To be successful in any league you have to be successful on the road so from that perspective I appreciate the effort and also getting a clean sheet and not giving up a goal."

Sporting's recent success can be partly attributed to the attacking trio of Kamara, Graham Zusi and Teal Bunbury, who have combined to score four goals with four assists in the club's last four matches.