Red Bulls keep focus on winning

MONTCLAIR, N.J. -- Juan Pablo Angel called last week's 4-1 drubbing of rival D.C. United the best performance of the season by New York Red Bulls.

Considering New York rallied to win after a 1-0 deficit for the first time this year, scoring four unanswered goals in their most lopsided victory in the 13-year rivalry with D.C., Angel's proclamation has some wings.

But as great as the Red Bulls felt, as boisterous as the postgame locker room was, it was back to business at Montclair State University this week. In fact, the team went through some of the most intense training sessions of the year.

"It was a good result, but that's not something to lean back and feel good about," Dave van den Bergh said. "It's something to take some confidence from, but not get cocky with it."

While the victory against D.C., which snapped a five-match winless streak, infused some much-needed confidence into the club, anything but three points against Toronto FC Sunday at Giants Stadium will all but negate those good vibrations.

"We have played some great moment in some games, but overall this was probably the most complete performance of the year," Angel said. "When the game was over we realized this is what it takes for us to be more competitive. Hopefully we can see this performance more consistently. That's what we lacked so far."

When the Red Bulls look in the mirror this week, they see Toronto FC, also coming off a massive victory -- 1-0 at Colorado for their second road victory of the year. Like the Red Bulls, TFC is in a four-way tie for fourth in the Eastern Conference and is currently out of the playoffs.

And like New York, Toronto has rebuilt itself, as evidence of trading veteran forward Jeff Cunningham to FC Dallas and obtaining Chad Barrett from Chicago.

While the Red Bulls were unable to make a move for a speedy striker before the close of the transfer window, Toronto did, signing U.S. under-23 forward Johann Smith. The 21-year-old Connecticut native was on the books of English Premiership side Bolton Wanderers and was loaned out to Carlisle United, Darlington and Stockport County in the past two years.