Red Bulls Top Eastern Conference with Win

(John Minchillo/AP)

It might be early, but the New York Red Bulls currently sit atop the Eastern Conference standings in the MLS. This comes off the back of their third win of the season (fifth straight game with at least one point) against the San Jose Earthquakes.

Goals from Sacha Kljestan and Mike Grella helped guide the Red Bulls through a fairly straightforward win at Red Bull Arena. The Red Bulls dominated San Jose all night on the scoreboard to the stat sheet. They enjoyed 57% possession, had 21 shots to the Earthquakes’ 10, and earned 12 corners compared to the Quakes’ five.

Red Bulls head coach Jesse Marsch said after the game: “I think it was a good game for us and a good game at home, obviously getting a 2-0 lead helps the game a little bit, but I think we’ve set the standard high for ourselves early on in the season, and we know we can play a little bit better, but at the same time, I don’t think that the game was ever out of grasp.”

It certainly wasn’t out of grasp, and if they continue to have performances like this one, a lot of fans will quickly forget about the losses of Thierry Henry and Tim Cahill.

The Red Bulls have a big showdown with defending MLS Cup Champions LA Galaxy at Red Bull Arena on Sunday April 26 at 7:00 pm on ESPN2. If they can get a result from this game and keep their unbeaten streak alive the team will be sending a very impressive early season message to the rest of the league.