by DAVE MARTINEZ

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New York Red Bulls loss to the New England Revolution will be felt well into this weekend.

Not only did the club lose possession of first place in the East and fail to clinch a postseason position on Wednesday night, but a slew of yellow card calls during their Revolution encounter will now leave New York shorthanded heading into Portland.

Both captain Dax McCarty and defender Connor Lade will be out of the Timbers match due to yellow card accumulation. McCarty picked up a yellow card in the 20th minute for a foul on Lee Nguyen while a persistent foul call on Lade leaves him out of selection for this weekend.

Damien Perrinelle and Felipe also picked up yellow cards during the heavily contested encounter but remain eligible for this weekend.

The loss of both players could not come at a worse time. The Red Bulls are not only chasing a postseason berth, but are also in the thick of the Supporters’ Shield race.

With two important players out, New York Red Bulls boss Jesse Marsch will have to get creative. With Chris Duvall still nursing injuries, the right fullback spot has been one of the weaker areas for the club this season. Sal Zizzo has served as an emergency backup at the position, and will likely earn the start against his former team. If not Zizzo, Ronald Zubar has played the spot several times throughout his career.

As for McCarty, his loss may make way for rookie Sean Davis to fill in alongside Felipe. Marsch may also utilize McCarty’s absence to sneak in a few other faces into the lineup, most notably Shaun Wright-Phillips or Gonzalo Veron, who have not received starting nods since joining the team this summer.