Once A Metro: FanPosts

A few thoughts on last night's game

2010-08-09T15:32:01Z

Living as I do in an area owned by a cable company that refuses to carry MSG, (even though every so often they will play a Knicks game on one of their surplus channels,) I relish the opportunity to watch the Redballs on ESPN. Add to that the debut of Marquez, the first national TV appearance of Henry, and the fact that the match was against Chicago, a team I've grown to dislike heartily over the last few seasons, I was looking forward to last night's matchup all week.

Needless to say, I was somewhat disappointed. I never expected Marquez to play the entire match, and 60 minutes was about all you could want from him in his debut. He seemed to have a definite presence in the midfield, providing a link between the defense and the forwards, even if the play from the back seemed a little tentative at first.

Obviously the main source of disappointment, apart from the lack of goals, was the departure before the half of Henry. For most of his 45 minutes, Henry was a man among boys, and you have to think that had he not been taken off as a precaution, he would have found a way to the back of the net. Two sequences in particular stand out from him. The first was a run at the left side of the box, where he followed up a stutter step with a long touch and sprint that led to a shot on goal, saved by Johnson, who absolutely stood on his head in this match to keep New York from scoring. The second was on the right side, just outside the area, where Henry pulled off a series of aerial touches, juggling the ball around and over Chicago defenders, before chipping a pass into the area that Kandji could have done more with.

These were just two moments, there were others, but if this is what we are going to see on a regular basis, I will probably have to buy that Direct Kick package.

The team continued to play well, even after Henry and Marquez were taken off. Stammler filled in well and had a nice shot, maybe not quite on goal, but close enough for Johnson to save and earn a corner kick. Angel had a couple of shots that were somehow stopped by the Chicago keeper, who also got his hand on a cracker from Tim Ream that was heading under the bar.

This is the first time in months that i've gotten to watch a Redballs game, and although I was disappointed by the result, especially considering that the tally for shots was 22(!) to 6, but there was a great deal that was encouraging. Unfortunately, the next game on a channel I actually get may be months away...

Henry Sweepstakes

2010-07-28T20:43:33Z

Hey everyone, just saw an ad on MSG regarding a sweepstakes they are doing around Henry's debut on Saturday...check it out and sign up here: http://www.msg.com/our-teams/red-bulls/msg-networks-henry-experience

You can win 4 tickets, an autographed jersey from Henry, and even a private training session with him and the Red Bulls. Pretty cool prizes, I hope I get it but if not, good luck! Go Red Bulls!

Is anyone sick of Alexi Lalas' bias commentary?

2010-06-28T23:45:54Z

The US played poorly against Ghana. If Donovan doesn't make that PK, he's a goat for the game. His passing was less than impressive. We've seen some shoddy play by big teams, but the top teams are there. But the worst thing about this cup is Alexi Lalas. Sotospeaks.com has a great article on Lalas. You should check it out. http://sotospeaks.com/2010/06/28/alexi-lalas-scum-across-the-pond/

Red Bull/Chivas US review

2010-06-06T14:51:06Z

So this is a quick review with thoughts from the game, more complete review later. As always feel free to add your own thoughts.

- The referees continue to make incredibly poor calls. Not just against the Red Bulls but against opposing teams as well. It started with the "elbow" against New England and continued today with the "offsides" call for on the owngoal. The referees shouldn't be dictating the game and recently they have. I know that Hans Backe has already stated that there is problems with the officials. When a long time european coach gives his opinions that there are problems, it may be wise to investigate.

- The goal by Stammler was a thing of beauty. It was a rocket and I hope to see more of the same in the future. I'm happy to see that Hans is begining to give playing time to Stammler and Mendes as well as Wully.

- Bouna Coundoul showed why he's the starter. He had a great game and was able to prevent the Chivas offense from converting on some very good looks. The defense also played a great part in this prevention.

- The field work was amazing at points. The movement of the ball was incredible and I like this improvement. The team is playing small ball as well and greating fast break opportunities. The fact we didn't convert on them is a problem, but at least we're creating the looks.

- Lastly, the announced attendance was over 18,000. The team seems to have fallen back into padding the numbers with youth soccer clubs who receive group rates. I hope one day the team can consistently achieve these sort of numbers without doing this.

The positive viewpoint of Thierry Henry joining Red Bull NY

2010-06-04T16:53:20Z

So at this point, it has all but been made official that after World Cup completes, Thierry Henry is joining the New York Red Bulls. There are a lot of details that we don't yet know (contract length, contract ammount) but what we do know is that he'll join Juan Pablo Angel as perhaps the most feared front line in the MLS. If Hans decides to keep Salou Ibraham as a starting striker, Henry can some much needed depth to our midfield. He immediately improves this team and that's why he will most likely have a massive contract.

He'll bring a style of soccer that not only improves our team at present time, but having our fast young players learn from him about not only strategy but also basic training methods. He's going to be a great mentor for them and the international experience he brings to the table will definitely help in the locker room.

The organization I feel thinks he will also affect ticket sales. I'm not completely sold on Henry's ability to sell more season tickets. Henry has a well known name internationally but in the NJ/NY (you play in Jersey so I'm listing Jersey first) I don't know how much notoriety he garners. When Beckham arrived in LA, there were a ton of people who weren't soccer fans who would show up to games to see him play. The difference though is that he's an international celebrity. David Beckham is also someone that attracts the attractive girls to games (I hope Henry can do this). I think the team is banking on him filling the stadium with Arsenal and Barcelona fans.

These are the positives. I will post the negatives of Henry joining the team soon.

Word from the Southward: Where my hooligans at?

2010-06-03T17:25:12Z

Since Hans und Franz has an incredible review up for the game from the televised perspective, I figured I'd give the live game experience. I am a member of Garden State Supporters (GSS) and sit in the southward of the stadium. While our membership isn't comparable to ESC's as far as numbers go, we are just as passionate and loud as the other support clubs.

The announced attendance for the game was 11,000 but from the game, there may have been 7,500 people there. Even with the small crowd, the stadium was incredibly loud. I haven't actually ever heard the two support sections that loud before, so you can understand how surprised it was.

Now for the game, I need to say the team played amazingly well and as a cohesive unit. They were constantly attacking and the defense played a very smart and tough game. The Bouna Time Coundoul showed up and showed why the team is giving him the starting nod. I've been pretty critical as have most fans about the team giving Sutton the nod after losing 4 straight regular season games. Most teams would have benched their starter to let him reset and fix whatever it is that has been causing his missteps. Hans let him play through his mistakes and last night seemed like he finally put them behind him.

Juan Pablo Angel saved the day, again. I gotta stop selling him short as playing on a natural grass field has definitely improved his game from past seasons. The goal was amazing. A 28 yard out free kick with 10 seconds left in the game? You can't write a better ending with the captain of the team putting it in. Ubi's goal was just as nice and shows that the team has threats not just from their attackers but also the midfield, which is a nice change of pace from previous seasons.

In the 89th minute our section went shirts off for the remainder of the game and our section went crazy. We marched back to mmmBellos shirtless and celebrated at the bar. If you haven't been to a game yet, I implore you to do so, you won't be disappointed in the atmosphere.

Quick NYRB vs. Dynamo Review

2010-06-03T03:10:52Z

Well, thanks MGS... Having technical difficulties and showing less then a half of the total game, what turned out to be an exciting game, can really piss some people off, including the author. Luckily they broke from the interim Boxing programming for the end of the match. I was ab;e to watch the match in its entirety with the replay on MSG, but still...

On the bright side, Metro gets back on the winning track at home and in dramatic fashion with Angel's free kick. Angel has become accustomed to these late game heroics this year, as his goal kicks beat Dallas and Philly back in April. It was also a good crowd at almost 12,000 or roughly 10 times the crowd of the USOC game a week ago.

So lets take a look at the game:

Good

Juan Pablo Angel - Man, this season he has a flair of the dramatic. Three of his six goals have been game winners in stoppage time. His free kick game winner this time around was an absolute beauty:

Even before the dramatics, he had a very good game. His passing was crisp and he was involved in the play rather than sitting offside most of the time.

Sinisa Ubiparapovic -Sinisa looks better every game. It looks like he finally found his spot on the left wing. His positioning on his goal to stay onside was part luck and part very good positioning in front of the goal to stay onside.

Pat Onstad - I have to give props to Houston's 42 year old Canuck. He almost stole a point for Houston, making save after save under almost continual pressure from New York.

Tim Ream - Solid game, but considering his form in the New England match, having a good game here was important for him in his development. It showed maturity to come right back out four days later and play a solid game in defense after such a nightmare.

John Wolyniec -He set up Sinisa's goal, should have had a goal himself if he hadn't hit the cross bar. Played a very solid game, although the absence of Ibrahim and Kandji was seen with the lack of finishing.

Bad

Finishing - The Red Bulls had pressure on Onstad and Houston's back line for most of the game yet it took a stoppage time free kick from Angel to win the game. It really shouldn't have come to that.

MLS Higher Ups - No way Hans Backe should have been fined for his comments following the post game comments about the officiating in the Revs game, specifically the phantom red card and suspension of Roy Miller.. The MLS should be ashamed for defending poor officiating.

Ugly

Injuries - Lets hope Joel Lindpere and Dane Richard's injuries aren't too bad. This team can't afford any more injuries than they already have with Ibrahim, Kandji, Chirgadze, Goldie, Da Luz, Robinson and Nielsen all out with various injuries. Lindpere has been a very important part of the midfield and this team cannot afford his extended absence. While Richards isn't my favorite player, with all the midfielders out they need him healthy right now.

Now lets see your Good/Bad/Ugly

View from My Seats: USOC Qualifying RBNY vs. Colorado

2010-06-01T01:49:38Z

So I managed to score some pretty good seats for the final game of USOC qualifying vs. Colorado. Section 128, Row 1 seats 1 and 2. And thanks to it being the USOC the tickes were only $15 a piece. This is after getting tickets in Row 4 of Section 126 for the USOC game vs. Philly. Really, more poeple should go to those games, it's such a great deal and great seats you other wise wouldn't be able to get are readily available.

Metro won 3-0 on a brace from Wally and one from Connor Chinn. It was a great game and a terrific atmosphere.

Pictures of the seats after the jump.

via sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net

Des McAleenan warming up Bouna Time! (SUNY Albany Represent!) and Sutton prior to the game. I really like that they kept Des around. Great keeper coach.

via hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net

The backline warming up prior tot he game.

via sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net

Bouna and Des working before the game.

via sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net

Pregame Huddle

via hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net

Right before the start. Irving Garcia had one hell of a game on the wing.

via sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net

Chris Albright played the full 90. Hopefully he can become a solid contributor on this team before long.

via sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net

Celebrating after Chinn's goal in the second half.

via sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net

ESC was there not quite in full force but they were vocal and made the game a great atmosphere.

via hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net

The free kick following Danny Earls' Red Card.

So it was a great night at the RBA. I got to meet Joel Lindpere, had front row seats and all for the low low price of $15 a seat. Seriously people, take advantage of the USOC when you can. I wish I could but since I am moving to St. Paul, Minnesota in 4 weeks I won't be able to.

Red Bulls/Revolution review

2010-05-30T20:24:42Z

I don't really know how to write something when the only things that come to mind are the negatives. So right now I want to get the fan post in and I'll edit after rewatching the game since the only things fresh on my mind is the poor play for Bouna Coundoul and Tim Ream scoring in his own net. Oh and playing with 9 people for a significant portion of the game. If anyone wants to post comments that'd be much appreciated. I'll edit this with more thoughts when I calm down about the way we lost and the way we played.

USOC Red Bulls 3 - Colorado 0 Recap

2010-05-27T06:12:34Z

The Baby Bulls beat the Rapids. Wolyniec gets another double, Chinn continues his GAG pace in the USOC. Metro joins Seattle, Chicago, Chivas, The Crew, The Dynamo, The Galaxy and the winner of next Wednesday's DC - RSL match in the USOC. I got a front row view of the game from Section 128, it was an amazing night. Lets break it down.

The Good:

John Wolyniec - The old man just keeps on scoring, getting the man of the match along the way.

Irving Garcia - Pure motor. He was great on and off the ball. His tireless work set up Wolyniec's first goal and created countless other opportunities in the first half. With this game and his effort against Juve on Sunday he is coming into his own. Not bad for a 4th rounder.

Tony Tchani - Another one of the young guys coming into his own. He's learning how to use his body to his advantage and it should only be a matter of time before he's a regular in the 1st team. Single handedly set up Woly's second goal. He will be a beast in the center midfield.

Luke Sassano - Had a shaky first 5 minutes, but calmed down and played a solid center back for the rest of the game.

Greg Sutton - Got the clean sheet. And his best save didn't even count as the Rapids player was offsides.

Joel Lindpere - Yes, I know he didn't play. He wasn't even on the Subs bench. But before the game, he was in the Merch shop, talking with fans, taking photos, smiling and having a good time. Good move on his part that on a night he wasn't playing that he was still visible to the fanbase. When asked why he wasn't playing tonight, he responded "Well, I wanted to but he (Backe) said the league was more important. So I'm out tonight." The dude gets it.

The Bad:

Jeremy Hall - Playing on the left side of the midfield, looked disinterested at times and looked invisible in the second half.

Connor Chinn - Yes, I know he scored a goal but spent 80% of the game offsides and like Hall didn't seem to want to be there most of the time.

The Ugly:

Danny Earls - The young Irishman had a tough night. ESC and most of the fans decided he was going to be their whipping boy. He was booed every time he touched the ball. It obviously got to him as he was sent off late in the game for an ugly frustration tackle on Sinisa.

Bon Jovi/NYSDOT - Thanks to Mr. Bovine Jovi's concert at the new Meadowlands arena and the New York State Department of transportation's decision to close 2 out of 3 lanes on I-87 a trip that usually runs me an hour or so was a solid 3 tonight.

Since the late arrival tonight and the fact I will be on the road beginning tomorrow to Monday I won't be able to get to my View from the Seats post I wanted to do until I'm back but it'll be good. It was the first and probably last time I will ever get front row seats at RBA.

NYRB vs. Colorado USOC Preview

2010-05-26T00:56:19Z

Colorado Rapids vs. Red Bull New York

Wednesday May 26th, 8:00 PM Red Bull Arena

View from the other side: coloradorapidsfans.com

Game will be streamed live online at newyorkredbulls.com

While Metro's league form has slagged a bit of late with RBA witnessing it's first two defeats of the home side, the reserves' form in the USOC/Lamar Hunt qualification has been good. The first qualification round saw the 2-1 victory over Philly with the added bonus of Sebastien Le Toux being carted off and John Wolyniec's double sinking the Revs 3-0. This is the final qualification round of the tournament and if Metro win they will join holders Seattle, Chicago, Chivas, Columbus, Houston, the Galaxy and DC or RSL as the eight MLS teams in the tournament.

Backe has made it clear that the USOC is the reserve's time to shine. Greg Sutton has started both games over Bouna Time!, Tony Tchani, Andrew Boyens, Connor Chinn, Danleigh Borman and Carlos have all started the two previous matches while Austin Da Luz, Irving Garcia, Wolyniec, Luke Sassano all getting playing time. The starting XI is still to be announced (I will post it as soon as I see it) but a couple of things are certain: Andrew Boyens will be out as he is now on international duty as NYRB's only WC player and with an injury report that includes da Luz, Nielsen, Chirgadze, Goldthwaite, Kandji, Ibrahim, Robinson and Lindpere there might be some regulars in the mix to play in the game.

On the Fightin' Kronke's side, they beat the Wiz 2-1 in KC to advance to the final qualification round. They haven't been scoring much lately, with all three of their last league games resulting in a 1-0 score and only 3 games where they scored two or more goals.

I will be at the match tomorrow as I scored front row tickets. I will do a recap and a view from my seats when I get back from the game.

While I'm at time, shameless plug time: Next Tuesday the Kicking and Screening film festival begins. It will run from the 1st to the 5th of June in NYC. This is a shameless plug because a good friend of my sister's is in charge of the festival. NYRB promised to provide some players for opening night on the 1st., so it should be a fun time.

Juventus game thoughts

2010-05-24T15:53:55Z

I apologize for the lack of a preview. I didn't have much hope for the game and didn't want to sugar coat a preview with optimism. I've long subscribed to the school of thought that Euro soccer clubs, especially the top leagues, are a level above the teams in the MLS. When they announced the starting line up today and Mike Petke, Juan Pablo Angel, and Tim Ream were all benched, I had no expectations. You don't play against a European squad with rookies and reserves, it doesn't make sense. But that's what the Red Bulls did. They went head to head against Del Piero and Diego with Chinn and Tchani. Seriously, does this make sense to anyone? I got to the stadium after kick off (I had problems with my scan card, so I missed kick off) and seeing the line up was mind blowing. Then I saw how Mendes, Chinn, and Tchani were beating Juventus' starters and it started to make sense. Our rookies are very good and started the game to gain some international experience. It's why we have friendlies with Cruzeiro, Man City, and Tottenham. The team doesn't want to lose these players to overseas teams, so the best way to gain this experience is through friendlies.

Some quick thoughts about the game

- Connor Chinn had another great game. He's starting to come into his own an dI hope Hans decides to give him some MLS minutes. He's not the normal lanky soccer player and I think he can deal with how physical the game is in the MLS. He also just seems to get those great looks, I don't know how he finds himself in the right spot. He's only going to improve with more time on the field and with how stagnant the offense has been in the last two MLS games, some fresh blood may help our team out.

- Tchani looked very good again. He just is a great young player with a ton of potential. Hopefully he'll be able to reach it because he could be a difference maker on the field.

- The man of the match was Irving Garcia though. He did a fantastic job at right midfield and needs more playing time. Maybe have him start and have Richards come off the bench as a difference maker if we need him. Garcia just did an amazing job at handling the ball.

Maybe I'm not being clear, but our reserves did a better job at handling the ball than the starters in MLS play. Overall, the team played very well and hopefully they can use this to change the way the season has been going recently. We have a US Open cup match on Wednesday and a rival match with the New England Revolution on Saturday.

Finally, in regards to the Front Office/Box Office. If you have three sections of the stadium for the supporters of your team, why would you sell tickets to Juventus fans? The supporter sections do not have assigned seating, we just stand wherever we want and sing/cheer for our team. I was told several times that I was standing in someone's seat and this annoyed me because these people won't come back for another game so why is the front office catering towards them?

Please post your thoughts on the game as more perspective would be great!

Game Thread: Red Bulls/Juventus

2010-05-23T14:27:19Z

Hey guys, I meant to do a pre-game write up but got super busy so instead here is the game thread. You can watch the game on FSC. If you do go, there are rumors of 5000 Juventus supporters so don't try and tough out and go all Green Street Hooligans on them. They are guests of the stadium and when it comes to Hooligans, Europeans do it best.

Red Bulls have been on slide and haven't looked all that impressive. Fortunately, Juventus tends to play down to their opponents levels. I don't have a huge faith that the Red Bulls can win, but I gotta think it's possible. I'll be back with the post game this afternoon.

Red Bull New York/Columbus Crew quick post game thoughts

2010-05-21T06:21:36Z

Decided to get my post game thoughts down quickly while they are still fresh. I will write a more thorough review tomorrow.

In my game preview I gave four issues that the team needed to fulfill in order to come out victorious against the crew. It isn't so much that the team played an awful game, because they didn't. The score doesn't tell the whole story and if you only go by the score, you'd assume the Red Bulls were severely outplayed.

The midfield played a very good game at moving the ball forward. They did a pretty good job at setting up the offense and created many attempts for our attackers. Juan Pablo Angel received his looks and had as two shots hit off a post/cross bar, a bicycle kick that if converted would no doubt have been featured on Sports Center, and a shot that went wide. The Red Bulls had numerous corner kicks and weren't able to put the ball in the net on any of them. It was very disheartening to watch.

Now for the points that need to be improved:

- Juan Pablo Angel needs to stop complaining/pouting when passes to him aren't perfect. He isn't hustling and that's a major issue for a captain to not play with heart. At this point, I think Mike Petke has more of the team's loyalty than JPA.

- It may be time to give Sutton some time in net. Bouna is making errors because of his lack of fundamental knowledge. Not only is his leg lacking, he's now throwing the ball to the other team. It's ridiculous and setting up the opposing team's attack.

- The team needs to sign a Brazilian player to garner any interest in the area. The stadium was empty tonight. I don't care about the "official numbers" because the reality is that the entire upper section is empty. I don't know how it looked on TV but in person, it was empty.

I'll post more when I wake up, but these are my innitial thoughts.

Game Thread: Columbus Crew at Red Bull New York 5-20

2010-05-20T12:21:02Z

Probable starters for Red Bull NY:

Bouna Coundoul - GK

Danliegh Borman - D Tim Ream - D Mike Petke - D Jeremy Hall - D

Seth Stammler - M Joel Lindpere - M Sinisa Ubiparibovic - M Dane Richards - M

Juan Pablo Angel - F Brian Nielsen - F

Feel free to discuss the game in this post. Should be a great game.

I'm still waiting to find out if Chris will send me the twitter page log in info to Live tweet the game. If he doesn't please follow my personal twitter: @thisredengine for live updates. Let's go New York Red Bulls!

Columbus Crew Preview 5/20

2010-05-20T00:19:26Z

I apologize for not having this up sooner, I had some computer issues and was forced to delay this.

As previously reported in the Sounder's review story, Columbus Crew will be without their leading scorer in Guillermo Barros Schelotto who was suspended by the MLS for his off the ball action against Chivas USA player Michael Umaña. The referees didn't see it at the time, but after reviewing the tape, he was suspended. News has also broken that Columbus will be without two other starters. Chad Marshall and Robbie Rogers are both with the US National Team for pre World Cup training. This is great news for a New York team that needs to bounce back after two loses.

Unfortunately, the Crew aren't the only team that will be without starters. The New York Red Bulls will be without Carl Robinson andn Salou Ibrahim, both of whom are nursing injuries. Joel Lindpere and Brian Nielsen are questionable for the game, but will more than likely suit up.

Now what do the Red Bulls need to accomplish in order to stop a very strong Columbus team? I'll discuss that after the jump.

The Midfield must press the action: The team will be playing a 4-4-2 with Lindpere, Stammler, Ubiparipovic, and Richards starting at Midfield. The team must be able to press the action in order to set up the attack of Angel and Nielsen. The biggest problem we faced against Seattle was the inability to press forward and this is a necessity for tomorrow night's game against Columbus.

Juan Pablo Angel must find his mark: The next most important thing is for Juan Pablo Angel to start getting the looks he needs to convert his shots. The team needs corner kicks as Angel is still one of the most dangerous players in the MLS off the cross. He hasn't be able to find his groove and he has to if the Red Bulls expect to remain at the top of the division.

The Defense must support Bouna Coundoul: Mike Petke is one yellow card short of getting suspended for a game, which will affect the way he plays. He's a very physical player and if he's not able to play with the intensity he normally has, he will be extremely limited. Fortunately, Tim Ream, Jeremy Hall, and Danleigh Borman are playing very well and should be able to pick up any slack that is created by Petke's potential carding.

Bouna has to play more fundamentally sound: Finally, Bouna Coundoul MUST play a smart game. He's a super athletic goalie and has the ability to be the difference maker, but he often makes the bonehead error such as his games against Kansas City and San Jose. If not for Borman, he would have given up a goal for being too aggressive in challenging for the ball.

If the team is able to convert on these key points, there is no reason why the team shouldn't be able to defeat a short handed Columbus Crew.

Check back Friday when I have a review of the game. Finally, if you are looking for a pub for dinner, join GSS at MMM Bellos prior to the game. We will march to the Stadium at 7:15pm.

Seattle Sounders review

2010-05-18T04:30:40Z

Part one of my posts leading up to the game against Columbus Crew. I will preview what the team needs to do to come back from two straight losses for our game on Thursday night. This was my first game that I missed this season and I watched it on a stream, so pardon me if some details escape me.

This past Saturday Red Bull New York experienced its first home loss. Prior to this game, Red Bull Arena was looked at as an impenetrable fortress that teams were worried about. The arena tends to be very loud even with limited attendance and the team just seems to play to the crowd. This past Saturday saw the team completely out played for the full 90 minutes and Bouna Coundoul continue his inconsistency as keeper. While he did stop three shots on goal, he gave up the near post in order to cheat the far post. This is just poor box control.

I don't want to take away from the Sounders because they played an amazing game, but the Red Bulls never got off. The defense was actually the one bright spot for our team as they held Seattle to four shots on goal, which while not an amazing feat on paper, is a great stat when watching the game live.

The midfield continues to be the weak spot for the team. Joel Lindpere was forced to play back due to the poor passing and never got to be the offensive midfielder that has been so effective this season. Ubiparipovic slowing down play was the highlight considering that the team rarely had to possession of the ball.

The biggest gripe though was the continued poor play of Salou and Juan Pablo Angel. This won't be a popular statement but Salou just never had that killer instinct, even when he had the defense beat in the first half and he continues to foul. Angel has four goals on the season, but he's been more effective on penalty kicks than inside the box. He's grown frustrated with the team's play and seems slower than in previous seasons. He just seems all around disinterested in the season. Going forward, I would like to see Conor Chinn in the starting line up. Younger players tend to play with a hunger that veterans lose in the tail-end of their careers. He may be able to breath some new life into a stagnant offense. With these issues, I'm not overly optimistic about the game on Thursday.

Can New York support two teams? MLS re-opens negotiations over NY2

2010-05-18T00:33:44Z

According to Brian Lewis in the NY Post, MLS Commissioner Don Garber has reopened negotiations with Mets Owners Jeff and Fred Wilpon over a second MLS franchise based in Queens. They've been down this road before two years ago in 2008. Will it work out this time or is it just idle speculation that will not materialize.

There are several issues regarding whether this will happen:

The first one is where NY 2 and their stadium would be if it came to fruition. The Wilpon's plan is to build a soccer-specific stadium across the street from Citi Field in Willets Point. The Wilpons are desperate to get this land developed, currently chop shops and other unsavory things in stark contrast to the shiny new baseball stadium. Mayor Bloomber is also keen on developing the land, working since Citi Field opened last year to claim eminent domain over the land and evict the landowners. when this does happen (And at this point it is a question of when not if), it would still be several years before the stadium would be constructed. A reasonable target date would be either the 2015-20116 season for its opening.

A major issue is the Wilpon's finances. If you didn't know, the Wilpons were one of the many investors that lost a lot of money in the Bernie Madoff scandal. There were strong rumors that they were on the verge of selling some of their stake in the Mets. This didn't happen, but they did loose as lot of money in the debacle. Add to that the Mets ticket sales are down dramatically this year, and one has to question whether the Wilpons have the finances available to invest in a team.

Another Issue, believe it or not, is Charles Wang's Islanders and the fate of the Lighthouse Project in the Town of Hemstead. If you are unfamiliar with what has been happening, check out either Nick Giglia at Let There be Light(house) or Chris Botta at Islanders Point Blank. Basically the Islanders are free agents looking for a new arena. Queens has been publicly wooing the team and the area across from Citi Field is often discussed as where the new arena would go. Lately too there have been stories that the Wilpons have been in discussions with Wang about either a partnership including the arena or the Wilpons outright purchasing the team from Wang. If the later happens, NY2 will not happen under the Wilpons. I talked about this a bit over at Dom's Lighthouse Hockey and a few readers over there thought that this was more a ploy by the Wilpons to force Wang's hand.

So where does this stand? Is NY2 any closer to happening? The MLS desperately wants it to, all you have to do is look at some of the quotes on the subject from Don Garber:

"They're still trying to figure out what they might be able to do with the land outside Citi Field. There are very few places to have a stadium in the New York metropolitan area; Queens is one of those prime locations and we'd love to see if we can try to make something work there.''

"I think it's quite the contrary. Soccer is all about regional, local, neighborhood rivalries,'' Garber said. "It's what makes the sport so powerful in Europe. It's not just cities playing against each other like they do in American sports.

"To get that inside a particular market _ the Clasico in Los Angeles, a great event twice a year _ being able to have that in New York City would be great for the league, it'd be great for the Red Bulls. They're very supportive of it. They're footballers; they get the game. They're from Europe; they understand it. And I think if we can pull it off, it'll be great for the league.''

A major reason why is which fans Metro and Red Bull Arena draw. A majority of the fans that attend games at RBA are from New Jersey. Some published reports have the number anywhere from 80-87% New Jersey residents. While RBA is certainly easier to get to from Manhattan than the Meadowlands were, it's not a walk in the park. From Westchester your only real option is driving, and then you have to deal with either Tappan Zee or GW Bridge traffic. Anyway you cut it it is a prohibitively long journey from Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island. Would an NY2 franchise based in Queens draw from these areas? Probably they will from Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island, but from Westchester and Manhattan the travel time by either mass transit or car would be about the same.

As for my opinion on NY 2, I honestly don't think New York needs it or it will happen in its current form witht he Wilpons at the helm. I think their interest is genuine and not a barganing chip with Charles Wang, but I just don't see it materialzing the way they're talking about it. We've been down this road before, and nothing happened two years ago. Metro already has two of the best rivalries in the league with DC (Suck it Ben Olsen) and the Revs (Suck it Sharlie Joseph). The Philly/Metro rivalry is heating up and will be a huge one before long (Suck it Nick Sakiewicz). Add into that the relatively close proximity of FC Toronto and in two years Montreal, there is no need for a NY derby like the one Garber wants.

No that you know my opinion, what's yours on the possibility of NY 2?

The View From My Seat: Red Bull New York vs Seattle Sounders FC, 5/15/2010

2010-05-16T08:17:48Z

This was my first Red Bull NY / MLS game at Red Bull Arena. Here is some pics from the "Corner Flag" seats, Section: 204, Row: 1.

Kick off.

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More pics…

RBNY Supporters Group.

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Corner Kick by Seattle Sounders FC, Freddie Ljungberg

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Yes, RBNY fans were booing, Freddie Ljungberg during Corner Kick's.

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71' Yellow Card's for RBNY, Sinisa Ubiparipovic and SSFC, Tyrone Marshall.

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(Side notes: I'm borrowing this similar post from the SB Nation's NY Mets blog, Amazin' Avenue. < I'm giving them credit for "The View From Your Seat" post. Also, I used my iPhone 3G to take the pics.)

Jens Lehmann to team up with former Arsenal pal Thierry Henry at MLS side New York Red Bulls

2010-04-03T15:10:53Z

via i.dailymail.co.uk

Former Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann is to re-unite with former Highbury team-mate Thierry Henry at New York Red Bulls next season.

Lehmann, 40, now at Stuttgart, was planning to retire at the end of this season but the ambitious MLS side have tempted the former Germany goalkeeper with a 12-month deal.

Henry is expected to announce his departure from Barcelona to the United States at the end of the season.