Photo by ISIphotos.com

BY DYLAN BUTLER

Revenge was not a word that the New York Red Bulls players and coaches used when speaking to members of the media in advance of Wednesday's U.S. Open Cup showdown with D.C. United. But the team's crushing 3-2 loss to their rivals last month at Giants Stadium is something they will take with them to RFK Stadium.

"We felt like we gave away three points the last time they came here," rookie fullback Jeremy Hall said. "I think we've been playing well of late and I think it's going to be a good match."

Two goals early in the second half gave the Red Bulls a 2-1 lead, one they carried with them into the waning moments of the game. But that's when Luciano Emilio and Chris Pontius struck one minute apart as D.C. escaped with a 3-2 win and the Red Bulls were left to ponder a catastrophic collapse.

"We didn't close out the game," Carlos Mendes said. "We played a good second half…and basically fell apart in the last five minutes. Obviously you have to close out your games and against a team like D.C., they never stop fighting."

So the Red Bulls get another shot at D.C. with a berth in the U.S. Open Cup proper on the line. The tournament might be a nuisance for some coaches, but Juan Carlos Osorio has embraced it from the beginning.

"I am excited because we are still in the cup," Osorio said. "I do respect the tournament. That's a perfect game to give some of our players some minutes."

But which players? Osorio wouldn't say if he'd put Juan Pablo Angel in the lineup, but if the Open Cup qualifier against San Jose last month is any indication, the Red Bulls captain will likely be on the bench. Jorge Rojas might have been rested, if not for a swinging elbow to Brian Mullan's head that resulted in a 35th-minute red card on Saturday night. But with at least a one-game suspension — and maybe more — on Rojas' plate, the Venezuelan is a strong contender for a starting spot.

And then there's Khano Smith and Dane Richards, who have both fallen out of favor and have been resigned to the bench. This is a game that both could use to get back into Osorio's starting XI.

"They have to get in behind defenders and produce more crosses." Osorio said of Smith and Richards. "But I don't think it's a negative thing. I believe that that's the way it should be, players competing for different positions."

Osorio said the two can learn from Mike Petke and John Wolyniec, who played well enough in a 2-1 win against the Quakes at Buck Shaw Stadium to earn playing time the last two weeks.

"That's exactly my point to the players," he said. "My message to them is they are competing amongst themselves, but at the end of the day they are contributing to the benefit of the club."

The Red Bulls have no significant knocks, that is with the excpetion of Carlos Johnson's broken left foot. The Costa Rican international was dealt a devestating blow when x-rays revealed a break in the fifth metitarcel, which will sideline him for at least 6-8 weeks.

That puts the onus on Hall, a former left midfielder at the University of Maryland, to fill the position.

"Carlos was a good addition for the team and he was doing well for us," Hall said. "For him to get hurt like that, it sucks, but it's an opportunity for guys. If it's for me, I'm just going to step in and try to do what he was doing."