In a veritable monsoon, playing against the team that ended the Red Bulls postseason last year, and wincing at the pain in his Achilles tendon, Thierry Henry finally put the ball in the net. He was dangerous all game long, involved in more than half a dozen good chances. It is clear that Henry and the diminutive English striker Luke Rodgers have some chemistry, Henry picked up his first assist on Rodgers' second goal and Rodgers picked up an assist on his great cross into the box that found Henry's head and the back of the net.

After scoring his goal it was clear that Henry had a message to give to the fans, especially the South Ward. That message was very clear when he beat his chest and pointed to the name on the back of his shirt. "I am still Thierry Henry."

Supposedly the crowd was jeering him after he went down and grabbed his Achilles tendon after an offsides call. (Source: NYDN)

...the crowd was chanting "au revior" and "you're going home in a Jersey ambulance" as Henry lay on the pitch after aggravating his Achilles injury.

Supposedly Henry hurled f-bombs at the crowd after his goal. It is pretty clear that the French Designated Player is fired up and recognizes the needs to perform for New York/New Jersey fans. I am glad to see some emotion from him, some fire in his eyes, to see that he cares and isn't just a tourist. There is little doubt that he was dynamic and a force to reckon with against San Jose. We can only hope to see it again against D.C. and for the rest of the season.

One person that came to Henry's defense was Luke Rodgers who had this to say about the fans jeering him:

"That kind of stuff, I can’t believe it,’’ marveled Luke Rodgers, who scored off an Henry assist, then set up the Frenchman’s headed goal with a cross. "He’s one of the best players in the league. Yeah, he’s got a problem with his Achilles, but Thierry’s our main man; we need him to play. Everyone in the team knows that, and the fans should realize that as well. You need a player like that to be happy.’’

(Source: NY Post)

A Few Notes:

Henry hasn't been fouled in 7 games, over 628 minutes. (@AdeHealey)

Despite a short week of rest, Henry looks as if he is good to go against D.C. Joel Lindpere also looks like he will be good to go against our rivals. ( NYRB official)

I was checking on the ESPN page for my New York Metropolitans (yes, they lost their fifth game in a row tonight and will probably be on the end of another beating tomorrow, against Atlanta) when I looked over to the side box for "New York Area Teams." The Mets were there, so were the Yankees, and the Giants and Jets, as were the Knicks, Rangers, and Islanders. But not the Red Bulls.

I know that ESPN gives soccer/football very little coverage on its American page, but it was a box that could easily have fit the Red Bulls' logo in as well. I also know that we don't fill our seats at Red Bull Arena, but there are ten thousand or so dedicated fans and probably many thousands more who keep up with the team's results. How does it harm ESPN to promote another part of their website that deals with soccer? (It doesn't.)

Quite simply, there is no reason for this, and it's probably not a hard fix for them. We are a New York Area sports team, ESPN. Give us some respect.

http://www.newyorkredbulls.com/news/2011/04/backe-red-bulls-dont-need-third-dp

Apparently the Red Bulls are content to sit on an unused DP slot. As Hans Backe says in this article, the team is not looking for a splashy new name, and with the addition of DeRo the team feels like they have built a solid contender with more depth. That's fine and dandy with me, but I feel that the DP could be used in a more productive fashion on one of our own.

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Houston's game-tying goal came from the foot of Cam Weaver in the 50th minute after Tally Hall's goal kick was flicked forward by Will Bruin. It appeared that Rafa Marquez was in a position to intercept the ball but Weaver cut in front of him and chipped the ball past Bouna Coundoul, who was well out of his net. Immediately after the goal Rafa looked down at Bouna and clearly said something to the keeper. When I saw the play unfolding I was wondering why Bouna was so far off his line and if there was miscommunication on the play, apparently there was:

"I yelled to him [to] pass me back the ball," Coundoul said.

Márquez, however, disagreed.

"I didn’t hear any shouts or screams by anyone to call out for the ball," Márquez said, shrugging. 

Two things trouble me about this confusion.

The first being where Bouna was on the play; if he was expecting a pass he should have been much closer to his line than he was. Bouna was as far out as the penalty spot and almost within body's length from the corner of the penalty area. It is hard to see exactly where he was when he came into frame on the broadcast (49:36), but it is clear he was well off his line and in a very poor position to handle the well-executed play by the Dynamo. If Bouna is that far out and was calling for a pass from Rafa there wasn't a lot Rafa could have done to get him the ball, Weaver had the inside track on the ball and certainly has a longer stride than Rafa. Just before Weaver makes his touch on the ball and flicks it over Bouna at the edge of the penalty area, Rafa pulls up to get between Weaver and the net, he was never in a position to get the ball back to Bouna.

The other thing that troubles me about the miscommunication is the disagreement between the two afterward. Perhaps there is a language issue, perhaps it might have something to do with the fact that NYRB has played 3 keepers in 3 games this season, or more likely it was Bouna being caught out of position. You can tell a lot about what happened by the body language of Rafa afterward, he looks as though he is in disbelief of what just happened.

Whatever the reason for the miscommunication I hope for the team's sake that it gets cleared up and that the starting keeper and the Mexican international come to an understanding. Communication is a very big part of defending, especially on plays like the Dynamo's goal. I hope we don't have to see a silly miscommunication and/or Coundoul being out of position cost us two points again anytime soon.

Sources:

Article: Click here

Video (for reference): Click here

          Although today is April Fool's Day, this is not a joke. Toronto FC has traded Midfielder Dwayne De Rosario to NY Red Bulls for Midfielders Tony Tchani and Danleigh Borman, along with the Red Bulls first-round pick in the 2012 SuperDraft. "DeRo" is an MLS veteran and a name that should be known to even a casual fan. He was the figurehead of the struggling Toronto FC Reds.

          DeRo, a native Canadian, is 32 years old with creative skill. Obviously, this is a major trade for the Red Bulls, costing them a young talent such as Tchani along with Borman and a future pick. This shows the mentality of the club, pushing for a championship this year. Toronto FC, who is in a rebuilding phase, got some good youth in the deal and came out with some salary cap space. Overall, this is a win for the Red Bulls by adding some major talent behind Henry and Aguidelo with Lindpere and Richards on the flanks. That is an exciting and talented core in the forwards 2/3's of the pitch.

          This will be De Rosario's 4th MLS club in his career. He has played for the San Jose Earthquakes, Houston Dynamo, Toronto FC, and now the New York Red Bulls. He has tallied 78 goals and 52 assists in his career thus far, and has the ability to add some creativity and reliability in the middle of the pitch. He has won 4 MLS Cups, two with San Jose and Houston each, as well as the MLS Cup Most Valuable Player award in 2001 and 2007. Internationally, DeRo is a staple of the Canadian club and has registered 15 goals in 54 appearances.

          De Rosario will be available to play in the Red Bulls next match against the Houston Dynamo on Saturday, April 2nd. Whether or not he will start, sub-in, or appear at all remains to be seen. However, this is a good time to be a Red Bulls fan.

Source: MLS Official Website

Tainio, 31 years old, is training with NYRB. He has been playing for Ajax but has not gotten much of an opportunity to make an impact for the club, the word is that he may be coming over on a free transfer and sign a two-year deal. Teemu Tainio is a defensive midfielder that NYRB might try out at RB to strengthen their back line.

KristianRDyer KristianRDyer Backe on Teemu Tainio "If we buy him we'd use him as a right fullback." #RBNY

NewYorkRedBulls New York Red Bulls #RBNY can confirm that @Official_Ajax D Teemu Tainio arrived in camp last night and is training with the team today.

Tainio is a Finnish midfielder that has played for Haka, Auxerre, Tottenham Hotspur, Sunderland, Birmingham City, and most recently Ajax. He'd be an interesting option for NYRB in terms of a veteran on the backline for NYRB, we will have to see if he signs with the club and impresses Backe in training.

He is also a prodigious time waster:

For more on the story click here.

EDIT: Story is also on NYRB official site: click here.

As most of you probably know by now, New York declined to pick up Juan Pablo Angel's contract option, meaning that the 35-year old striker, and best player in franchise history, is as close as an MLS player can be to free agency.  Or he was, until LA claimed him in the inaugural MLS re-entry draft.     

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According to a report in Spain's Diario AS referenced this morning on MLSsoccer.com, the Red Bulls are in the running to enter into a strategic partnership that could help turn the MLS side into an internationally recognized club. In fact, the alliance is already set – Manchester City of the EPL and La Liga's Atletico Madrid are the marquee names for a lineup that includes Mexican Primera club América, Shanghai Shenhua, Raja Casablanca, Al Ain of the United Arab Emirates, and Thai side Muanathong United. The remaining non-MLS teams also being discussed to join this partnership are Atletico Paranaense, Palmeiras, and SC Internacional of Brazil as well as Japan's FC Tokyo and Yokohama Marinos.

(More after the jump...)

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After taking a few days to decompress from that horrific loss on Thursday night, when the DP heavy Red Bulls became the first team to bow out of the 2010 MLS Cup, here's an assessment of the first round.

Colorado-Columbus - Columbus almost made me look good, as I'd predicted that they would come through the series on the back of their playmaker Schelotto.  I wasn't able to watch the game, so I dont know how right I was about him, but in the end Columbus could not keep Colorado from scoring as well, and the trip to the Eastern Conference final was decided by Russian Roulette: with the aggregate tied 2-2, Colorado took the series on penalties. 

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So with the MLS playoffs already begun, and with a host of these predictions already posted on various sites, I thought I would throw my two cents in before the rest of the games get underway this afternoon. 

COLORADO - COLUMBUS - I'd picked Columbus to win this one before the series started.  I know that Colorado is the trendy pick, and they definitely come in with better form overall, but I'm of the mind that the skill of a class player can overcome, especially over the two legs of a tie like this one.  To be honest I wasn't sure if Columbus could pull it off, and I sort of expected Colorado to put it all together and give the Crew a beating at home.  Columbus having escaped Denver down only one goal, I can see Schelotto working his magic to bring the Crew a narrow victory.  The Crew have been trending down, and I certainly didn't feel great about the pick, but I'll stick with it.  In one match, anything can happen. 

Leg 1 Colorado 1- 0 Columbus (already played)

Leg 2 Columbus 2-0 Colorado

Columbus 2-1 final

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