Red Bull’s Mac Kandji and Alfredo Pacheco are racing against the clock to play Saturday in Houston, and neither is looking good right now.

Kandji, who has been the most dangerous attacking player on the goal-less team through the first three games, has a sprained ankle and is listed as questionable (along with Seth Stammler). Juan Carlos Osorio told me yesterday that he would NOT play Kandji if the 23-year-old striker didn’t practice today and Friday, and Kadji didn’t practice fully today, so I wouldn’t count on seeing him.

As far as Pacheco, he’s completely fit and champing at the bit, but as of this morning, the Red Bulls were still waiting on his ITC card from El Salvador. It may come in later today, or may arrive Friday; but he can’t play without it.

And for those of you into milestones and benchmarks and all that, Red Bull will conduct the traditional “topping off” ceremony at 1 p.m. next Tuesday at Red Bull Arena. In plain English they’re putting in the last piece of steel on the 25,000-seat stadium at 600 Cape May Street in Harrison.

Among the bigwigs who’ll attend: Senator President Richard J. Codey, Harrison Mayor Raymond McDonough, MLS Commissioner Don Garber, Hudson County Executive Thomas A. DeGise, Governor’s Office of Economic Growth Chief Jerry Zaro, and of course Red Bull New York Managing Director Erik Stover.