Getty Bradley Wright-Phillips and the New York Red Bulls will visit the Columbus Crew.
The Columbus Crew will host the New York Red Bulls at MAPFRE Stadium on Saturday as each side opens their MLS regular season.
Start Time: 4:30 p.m. ET
TV Channel: SportsTime Ohio (local markets), MSG (local markets)
Live Stream for In-Market Viewers: FuboTV has both SportsTime Ohio and MSG for those who live in the local markets. More information can be found below.
Live Stream for Out-of-Market Viewers: ESPN+ has every out-of-market MLS game. More information can be found below.
Live Stream for Viewers in Canada: DAZN has every MLS game that isn’t broadcast on CTV, TSN, or TVAS. More information can be found below.
How to Watch Columbus Crew vs New York Red Bulls Online
If the game is in your market
The main FuboTV bundle includes 95 channels, including SportsTime Ohio if you live in the Columbus Crew TV markets and MSG if you live in the New York Red Bulls markets.
You can start a free seven-day trial right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the game on your computer via the FuboTV website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, or other supported device via the FuboTV app.
ESPN+
If the game is out of your market
This is the easiest and cheapest way to watch most MLS games this season: You can watch all out-of-market MLS games via ESPN+, the new digital streaming service from ESPN (no cable required) that has exclusive coverage of dozens of sports, all the 30-for-30 documentaries and other exclusives.
You can start a free seven-day trial of ESPN+ right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the game on your computer via ESPN.com, or on your phone (Android and iPhone compatible), tablet, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, or other compatible streaming device via the ESPN app.
If you live in the Philadelphia market, you can watch a replay of the game via ESPN+.
If you live in Canada
For viewers North of the border, you can watch every game that isn’t televised on CTV, TSN, or TVAS via DAZN, a digital streaming service with coverage of MLS, La Liga, Champions League, MLB, boxing and several other sports in Canada.
You can start a free one-month trial of DAZN right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the game on your computer via DAZN.com, or on your phone, tablet, smart TV, Roku, Xbox One, or other streaming device via the DAZN app.
Columbus Crew vs New York Red Bulls Preview
The Red Bulls ended Columbus’ 2018 season, besting the Crew 3-1 on aggregate in the sides’ MLS Cup Playoffs conference semifinals tilt.
The Crew finished the regular season with 14 wins, 11 losses, and nine ties, accumulating 51 points and reaching the playoffs as the Eastern Conference’s fifth seed. They upended the No. 4 DC United in the knockout round before falling to the Red Bulls.
In January, Columbus hired head coach Caleb Porter to replace Gregg Berhalter, who left to coach the United States men’s national team.
It’s both a homecoming and a reunion for Porter, who coached the nearby Akron Zips for seven seasons. For the last two, the Zips featured midfielder Wil Trapp, who’s been with the Crew since 2013.
“For me, it should be an easy transition,” Trapp said of the coaching change, according to MLSsoccer.com. “Our previous relationship allows for us to hit the ground running with new concepts being implemented and the understanding of who I am, who he is and building upon that relationship and how it can permeate through the group.”
Porter coached the Portland Timbers from 2013 to 2017, leading them to the Western Conference’s best record twice and a league title in 2015.
“He certainly looked at the qualities of the group and what will be the best predisposition for this team,” Trapp added. “Blending his style from Portland, the high pressure and aggressive mentality, with what we’ve done well for the past years with possession and buildup. It’s more of a total perspective. He’s done a good job of relaying that message to us and for us to understand it, run with it.”
The Red Bulls won the Supporters’ Shield a season ago with 71 points, but fell 3-1 on aggregate to the eventual champions, Atlanta United, in the conference finals.
On Wednesday, they advanced to the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals by besting Atletico Pantoja of the Dominican Republic 3-0 in the second leg of their round of 16 clash, winning 5-0 on aggregate.
“It’s awesome having these meaningful games at the beginning of the year,” Red Bulls defenseman Connor Lade said, according to the Daily Record.
“To get those competitive juices flowing early on in the year helped us a lot last year. You get to test your depth early. You get to really get your momentum before other teams do. … For us to get these games really sets us up for a successful season. If you can make a run in these tournaments, it’s not just helping the club. It’s helping the league.”