New York desperate for win against D.C. United

Barcelona defeated the Red Bulls 6-2, and afterward Red Bulls coach Juan Carlos Osorio said, "we couldn't have done any better than we did.

Naturally, New York was just looking for a situation where it could improve its chances for the rest of the MLS season. Barcelona, obviously, provided a great test.

"As a team, it's good to measure yourself against the best in the world," New York midfielder Seth Stammler said.

But if the first six games of the Red Bulls' current slide are any indication, New York - which has signed a few South American players in recent weeks - has a lot of work to do.

One of the losses during New York's skid was to Crystal Palace Baltimore in the U.S. Open Cup. The Red Bulls' last win in MLS was June 21, 1-0 over FC Dallas.

So New York, which is in a three-way tie with Kansas City and Toronto FC at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, needs to get three points against D.C. United on Sunday if it wants to start turning its season around.

"Without being cliche, our backs are against the wall. Anything less than three points is going to be a disappointment and just make it tougher on ourselves in the future," Stammler said.

New York has added two Venezuelan national team stars - midfielder Jorge Rojas and defender Gabriel Cichero - as well as Argentine midfielder Juan Pietravallo and Mexican defender Diego Jimenez in recent weeks.

Rojas and Pietravallo have already played in MLS matches, and the other players could strengthen New York for a stretch run.

If those players gel and Juan Pablo Angel, who scored 19 goals last season, can stay healthy, New York could make that run.

The Red Bulls have a decent chance this week at Giants Stadium, where they are 4-1-3 this season. D.C. United, which has won five of its last six MLS matches, is just 1-5-1 on the road in MLS this season.

But United is trying to hold off the bottom three clubs and make a move toward the top three clubs in the East - New England, Columbus and Chicago. United's chances could improve with midfielders Marcelo Gallardo (hernia surgery) and Santino Quaranta (hamstring) and defender Gonzalo Peralta (hernia surgery) all possibly back this weekend.

D.C. has been in top form for its last eight MLS matches, going 6-1-1. The club did struggle in the SuperLiga, losing all three matches, but with its win over Kansas City in its last MLS game, proved it was still in stride in the league.

Luciano Emilio scored his 11th goal of the season and Jaime Moreno scored his seventh as United defeated Kansas City, 2-0. More importantly, the shutout was D.C.'s first this season.

"I thought 'finally.' Finally. It was a long time coming. We're just trying to get better every week and as a team we worked really well together," United goalie Zach Wells said. "We were organized in the back. We played our guts out and it showed."