Giovinco was diplomatic in his response to being left out and after going scoreless in two games will be keen to get back in the goals in Harrison.
Toronto’s four-game homestand (1-1-2) was a disappointment after going 3-3-2 on the road to start the season. One of those away trips was to Red Bull Arena on opening day when a Giovinco penalty and a late goal from Marky Delgado gave TFC all three points.
For the second meeting of the season, Delgado will be in prime consideration to come back into the starting lineup in Bradley’s absence. Benoit Cheyrou is back in training this week and coach Greg Vanney said he will a factor this weekend.
The smart money would be on Will Johnson playing the holding role with Delgado and Jonathan Osorio supporting. Vanney started with a 3-5-2 formation against Columbus and may be tempted to pack the midfield again and frustrate the in-form New York attack as the Reds did so successfully in March.
The resurgent Red Bulls (5-7-1) come into the game on the back of a record-setting 7-0 victory in the Hudson River derby. The win against NYCFC equaled an MLS record for largest margin of victory, set by Chicago Fire in 2001 against the Kansas City Wizards, now SKC.
Jesse Marsch’s side have won two straight since being blanked in a 2-0 loss to D.C. United. The New Yorkers have 16 goals in their last six games, two more than TFC’s total for the season to date.
After Saturday’s game, TFC won’t play an MLS fixture until June 18, as the league takes a two week break and the Reds play back-to-back Canadian Championship games against Montreal.
Projected Line-ups
Toronto: C.Irwin, E.Zavaleta, J.Williams, D.Moor, S.Beitashour, J.Morrow, M.Delgado, W.Johnson, J.Osorio, S.Giovinco, M.Babouli
New York Red Bulls: L.Robles, C.Lade, A.Collin, C.Duvall, S.Zizzo, D.McCarty, Felipe, M.Grella, S.Kljestan, L.Sam, B.Wright-Phillips
Referee: Allen Chapman
Broadcast: Sportsnet 360