Macoumba Kandji: EPL Bound? Huh?
by thisredengine on Jul 28, 2010 12:48 PM EDT
3 comments
I like Mac Kandji. I think he fits very nicely into the current Red Bulls system under coach Hans Backe. He has developed nicely during his time with the team and prior to injury was showing signs of brilliance. He has the potential to be something really special just based on his physical qualities. It's not too easy defending against a 6'4" 215 lb center attacking midfielder and he'll develop while being mentored by Thierry Henry, who has taken the Senegalese footballer under his wing since arriving in New York.
This past week, Red Bull Arena hosted Barclays New York Football Challenge and to say that Kandji was impressive would be understatement. In the opening game against Tottenham, he played next to Thierry Henry as Juan Pablo Angel was nursing a sprained ankle. While he didn't score any goals, he did have plenty of opportunities and was a constant threat to the Tottenham backline. He impressed the Frenchman who had nothing but good things about his new teammate. Brian Williams reports "Harry Redknapp said he liked him, the Spurs backroom staff spoke to him after the game and enquired what his situation was." He played the full 90 minutes which I'm sure also impressed these two clubs.
If the Hotspur game was Thierry Henry's coming out party, then the Manchester City game was Macoumba Kandji's. He scored the team's first goal off a crossing pass from Dane Richards. In the second half, he repaid Richards with a pass back that set up a 30 yard goal. While the media is selling the ManCity game as Richard's best game, it was Kandji would came away impressing the billionaire club. After the game, Emmanuel Adebayor and Patrick Viera sought him out to tell him he has the talent to play in the EPL.
This begs the question, are there other players within the MLS that could also compete in the higher quality leagues? Macoumba Kandji isn't the top player in the league and there are other's who may be far more deserving. A player like Steve Zakuani of the Seattle Sounders has put together a better resume. So this begs the question, of the young players in the MLS, who would you say deserves to join an EPL team?
Once A Metro Update: I will traveling to Texas for a Week
by thisredengine on Jul 27, 2010 4:54 PM EDT
2 comments
There will be limited updates until August 7th when I get home from Texas. I'm going to be visiting some family and looking for a place to live. I will be on hand at the New York Red Bull/Houston Dynamo game courtesy of the MLS, who have answered my twitter plea for tickets to that match. I will have up a Three Questions which will be from the SBHouston writer and I'll be live tweeting (twitter.com/once_a_metro) for those that aren't able to watch the game on TV. Before I leave for the Stadium on Saturday I'll put up a game thread for you guys to discuss the game here.
If you have any suggestions for questions to ask the Houston writer please post them here. I will be tailgating with the Houston Supporters and will have a full review up of the entire experience afterwards.
Who Is This Rafael Marquez Guy Anyways?
by thisredengine on Jul 27, 2010 2:56 PM EDT
11 comments
For those that have not yet heard, Mexican National Team Captain Rafael Marquez has been signed by the New York Red Bulls. He's been long rumored and will finally be announced by the team on Friday. No word on if the announcement will take place in Houston or at Red Bull arena but the contract is for three years with a fourth year as a club option. Each year he is set to make anywhere between $2.8 and 3 million making him one of the highest paid Designated Players in league history. He has been a member of FC Barcelona with our other major signing Thierry Henry since 2003 and has been considered on of the elite central defenders in the world. He also has the ability to play defensive midfield, a position the team desperately needs filled.
Marquez began his career with the Mexican team Atlas when he was 17. After playing in 77 games his contract was purchased by Monaco, who also had Thierry Henry under contract in 1999. In his first season with the club, he helped lead them to the French title. He remained with the team until 2003, despite receiving many offers from more prestigious teams. It was only until Barcelona signed him for 5million Euro that he made the made the switch.
It was at Barcelona that he rose to prominence within the International Soccer Community. In his first season he helped the team finish in second in La Liga. The following year he was moved from center back to defensive midfield due to injuries the team suffered. He was a one of the important pieces that helped the team win its 17th league title in 2005. Injuries kept him off the field for much of the following season but he was instrumental in the team winning the Champions League final in 2006. He suffered injuries in the subsequent seasons and didn't see much time as his role was diminished.
With the Mexican National Team, he's been a mainstay in the backfield. The best way to describe his career is tumultuous, with him being both a national hero and a villain. He was the lone goal scorer in Mexico's four appearances at the 2006 World Cup. He also was red carded after headbutting Cobi Jones in the final minutes of the match against the US Mens National Team at the 2002 World Cup. It is for this reason that there are some Red Bulls fans who are not too excited about Marquez joining the team.
After the jump I'll talk about his playing style and include a highlight video....
RBNY: Confirmed from league source, Revs not looking to trade Shalrie Joseph this year...
New York with the hardest schedule for the remainder of the Season
Duane from 24th Minute uses a ranking system of 1-16 for all teams in the MLS. The total ranking of teams remaining on each club's schedule is added up and divided by the amount of games they have remaining. The number ranking represents the average rank of the teams remaining.
The reality of our remaining schedule shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. We have a tough two months ahead of us but the additions of TH14&Marquez should give us an advantage.
Crazy #MLS trade rumor (second hand but a reliable source): Salou plus draft pick to #Revs for Shalrie Joseph. Yeah, hard to imagine.
Hello New Red Bulls Fans...Here's Some Rules You MUST FOLLOW
by thisredengine on Jul 26, 2010 11:12 AM EDT
11 comments
The signing of Thierry Henry and the front office saying "the phones have been ringing off the hook" with new ticket buyers, it's easy to deduce there are new fans directly influenced by the inclusion of the Frenchman. As such, I find it is time to lay down some rules to all of you. These aren't rules for this website, they are rules of being a Red Bulls fan.
1. MUST HATE DC: This should be a no brainer, they are our biggest rival in the East. They're no good lousy cheaters and you must hate them. Their fans are terrible people who smell like a New Brunswick basement. Remind them about how they are homeless and playing at RFK stadium. But you have to hate DC. They are not "DC United" they are "DC SCUM!". This is the most important rule.
2. MUST HATE DC: I just want to make sure you understand how important this is. You seriously need to hate DC.
3. MUST HATE PHILLY: You really shouldn't need a rule to hate any team from Philly. It's the worst city on Earth and as a New York or New Jersey resident, you shouldn't have any reason to visit unless you have family living there. Their fans will often bring up how Sons of Ben (their support group) is louder than Red Bull supporters, this is an obviously delusional statement. Any response you have will be valid so feel free to use some creativity.
4. RED BULL ARENA IS OUR HOME: Defend our home. Not in a Green Street Hooligans kind of way, but don't you dare let traveling supporters out cheer you. This also should be a no brainer.
5. JOIN A SUPPORT CLUB: The South End of the stadium (South Ward) is where our supporters congregate. In 133 you have Garden State Supporters (I am a member of this group), in 101 you'll see Empire Supporter's Club (the largest METRO support club), and section 102 has La Banda Imperial (I'll admit, I'm not familiar with these guys). All three groups are always looking for more members. I'd suggest you sneak into those sections if you are interested and talk to members about joining. I do know that GSS meets at MMMBellos before games (right outside of Newark Pennstation on Market Street) and ESC pregames at El Pastor.
FAQ after the jump...
New York Red Bulls Victorious Over Manchester City...Soccer Snobs Everywhere Weep
by thisredengine on Jul 25, 2010 7:16 PM EDT
2 comments
I'm going to let this stew for a while if you don't mind. As I stated in the preview, the Red Bulls only shot at winning was to use speed on a dreadfully slow Manchester City team. No one realistically believed the Red Bulls could pull it off and I'd feel confident to say that expectations were low. The team played well against Tottenham but no one expected a win over Man City. The match turned out to be wildly entertaining.
The big story today wasn't the play of Thierry Henry. The Frenchman was scoreless in his 45 minutes on the field. The story was the great play of Macoumba Kandji and Dane Richards. They were playing with such a connection that the passing came across as effortless. They first connected in the 7' when Dane Richards crossed the ball to Macoumba Kandji who put the ball into the back of the net right in front of the South Ward. ESC and GSS were in top form with their songs heard on tv and when Kandji scored his goal the arena was deafening. The duo connected again in the second half with Mac Kandji repaying Richards with a pass outside of the box that set up a 30 yard game winning goal in the 70'. In a game that was important to show Coach Hans Backe they deserve to remain in the starting XI once league play resumes, these two came up big. The obvious starting strikers are Juan Pablo Angel and Henry but now Hans Backe needs to find a way to keep both Kandji and Richards in the line up. The reported addition of Rafael Marquez adds to the issues of remaining as starters.
The team kept a clean sheet through the first half with some amazing saves by Bouna Coundoul. It was only after the team made substitutions at the start of the second half that Man City appeared to gain any sort of footing. They were unable to many scoring opportunities until the Brazilian striker Jo was able to blast a ball at close range. There was only one other opportunity that Man City had where I was worried the Red Bulls would concede another goal, which happened to go over the net in the most miraculous fashion.
The stats on this game actually paint a very accurate picture of what happened:
CK
NEW YORK MAN CITY
SHO
SHO
SOG
SOG
SVS
SVS
F
F
OFF
OFF
CK
The numbers don't lie. The Red Bulls out played and out hustled a severely disinterested Manchester City squad.
Video highlights after the jump...
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