The New York Red Bulls patchwork defense has excelled in the absence of starters Ronald Zubar and Roy Miller.

That trend will have to continue into the month of April if the Red Bulls hope to build upon their winning ways.

Speaking to the media at Hanover, head coach Jesse Marsch revealed both men continue to carry injuries, and will likely not play a part against DC United at RFK Stadium this weekend.

“I would downgrade them from week-to-week to day-to-day, but put them in the doubtful column for this weekend,” he said. “With both of them, we have tried to be aggressive, but also smart.”

Both men have undergone light training sessions as they look to recover and reclaim their starting positions.

Miller played 90 minutes in the team’s season opening draw at Sporting KC. He suffered a knee injury in training the following week, taking him out of contention for the home opener — and disqualifying him from a potential Costa Rican call-up. Zubar, meanwhile, fell injured during the Sporting KC match and has been fighting ailments ever since.

In their stead, Damien Perrinelle, Matt Miazga and Kemar Lawrence have cushioned the personnel loss with disciplined play in the back, giving up a single goal over 180 minutes, and helping the club end the month of March undefeated — and on top of the Eastern Conference.

“We’ve tried to give guys roles so that they understand that they are prepared and ready to go,” Marsch said of his defenders. “They have all commited to it and understood it and when they have questions, they ask and we try to provide them with answers.

“Overall, its about the mentality of the group. In the defenders, the roles are clear and they can go on the field with confidence if they make a mistake knowing the next guy is there to help bail them out.”