Some notes from Red Bull practice today, including injuries and the arrival of Alfredo Pacheco. Finally.

Sinisa Ubiparipovic is questionable with a right hamstring strain that he’s been carrying for awhile. Macoumba Kandji _ hacked down on a red-card foul in Sunday’s 1-0 loss at Chicago _ is questionable with a right ankle sprain. They can ill afford to lose Kandji for any length of time. Of all of the team’s forwards and midfielders, the 23-year-old from Senegal has been their best player and most dangerous attacking threat with Juan Pablo Angel in a funk.

And in other news, Pacheco is finally at practice. After more twists and turns than Lombard Street, their pursuit of El Salvador’s former National Team captain has finally paid off.

Now one can only hope he can find a way to help their wretched offense. The Red Bulls are still the only goal-less team in MLS, an own goal off the foot of Khano Smith notwithstanding.

They’re also 0-2-1, dead-last in the Eastern Conference. OK, so that’s not the worse start in club history, getting off to 0-3 starts in three straight seasons from 1996 through 1998. All of them won Game 4, so they better have something for Houston on Saturday.

And for the record, according to Elias, since 2003 a dozen teams have made the playoffs after going winless through their first three games; two were 0-3-0 and three more were 0-2-1 like the Red Bulls are now.

But the rub? Only one team has ever even reached the MLS Cup final after being winless through three: That was D.C. United, which started off the inaugural season 0-3 before getting their foreign players in sync and winning the title.