Today at 3 PM (EST), the Montreal Impact will make ten selections from a pool of over two hundred "unprotected" MLS players, and despite the abundance of options available it is possible that the New York Red Bulls could lose someone to the 2011 Expansion Draft.  Head coach Jesse Marsch is weighing his options and gave a bit of insight into who he's considering to the Montreal Gazette: "Some are young guys who have been reserves or in different situations around the league, and some are veteran guys who have established themselves, but who are looking for something new..."

Looking back at the 2010 expansion draft for Portland and Vancouver, players they took fell into distinct categories of trade bait/mls rules navigating (Dax McCarty, Robbie Findley, Jonathan Bornstein), useful players, affordable young prospects, and roster fillers. Building a team with 30 players under a low salary cap is no easy task, so don't expect Montreal to select any players with six figure salaries unless they are confident they will contribute to the team or are valuable trade commodities.  It should be noted, however, that salaries don't just carry over but new contracts are often negotiated between an expansion team and the selected players.  Also, MLS roster regulations require that Montreal have at least three Canadian players and allow grant only eight international spots, which doesn't include U.S. players.

Earlier this week, Once a Metro laid out some of the basics of the Expansion Draft as well as a list of all New York players that will be available for Montreal to select from. Who might Montreal actually choose from New York's pool of unprotected players?

Continue reading this post »

The New York Red Bulls entered the Home Depot Center on Thursday evening knowing that nothing less than a victory over the Los Angeles Galaxy would do if they hoped to progress further in the 2011 MLS postseason. However, despite leveling the aggregate score at 1-1 early and dominating the game's opening exchanges, New York was let down by two things their fans have witnessed all too often this season: slack set piece defending and a lack of discipline in their own penalty box. The result: a 2-1 defeat on the night and a 3-1 loss on aggregate. It's the Galaxy who will be moving on to play Real Salt Lake, while the Red Bulls are left with a long trip home and lots of questions about where a season that began with much promise and massive hype went wrong.

Leading up to Thursday's match, Luke Rodgers was vocal in insisting that the Red Bulls were not the "cheap" team that Landon Donovan had accused them of being following the first leg of the home and home series. And over the course of the first hour especially, Rodgers played with a chip on his shoulder, booed every time he touched the ball but feeding off the reaction. Thierry Henry, finding more space to operate in the center of the field than he had on Sunday, put Rodgers through on goal after just four minutes. The pint-sized striker outpaced Omar Gonzalez easily and finished past Josh Saunders. Almost immediately, New York was right back in the tie and looking the more likely of the two teams to score a second. Los Angeles, trying to manage in the absence of the suspended Juninho, wasn't nearly as airtight as they had been in the first leg at Red Bull Arena, and the game was far more open as a result.

Continue reading this post »

So... here we go. The New York Red Bulls will either pull an upset this evening against the Los Angeles Galaxy and march on to face Real Salt Lake, or retreat meekly back into the shadows to lick their 16 year old wounds. In order to move forward in the playoffs, they will need to do what no other MLS team has managed to do this year: beat the Galaxy at the Home Depot Center. Given the Red Bulls' recent record against Los Angeles, a New York win is not beyond the realm of possibility, but if they are to succeed, Hans Backe's men will need to have a greater cutting edge in attack and show greater composure at the back than they did in the first leg at Red Bull Arena.  

As a result of the well-publicized post-match fracas in Harrison, the Red Bulls will line up without Rafael Marquez. In fact, Marquez has been suspended for two additional matches for his role in Sunday's dust-up. In practical terms, this means that even if New York manages to get past the Galaxy and Real Salt Lake they will have to make do without MLS' villain of the moment in a very theoretical MLS Cup Final. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Given Marquez's meager contributions, his absence is hardly a killer for the Red Bulls. Dax McCarty gets the nod in the Mexican's place, and it's not a terrible trade-off. 

Continue reading this post »

The Los Angeles Galaxy have not lost a home match at the Home Depot Center since the MLS Playoffs last year, so the visiting New York Red Bulls will have to do something special to overcome a 1-0 deficit in their home-and-away Western Conference Semifinal matchup.

New York will look to continue to build upon a solid second half performance against the Galaxy on Sunday where numerous chances were missed or stopped by L.A. goalkeeper Josh Saunders.  With the post-match fracas resulting in suspensions for Rafa Marquez and Galaxy midfielder Juninho, both Hans Backe and Bruce Arena will have to make adjustments to their lineups on Thursday. 

Fortunately for New York, Jan Gunnar Solli will be available after serving a one-game suspension for a red card picked up last week against FC Dallas.  It's likely that Backe will slot in midfielder Dax McCarty for Marquez, but a Mehdi Ballouchy start is not outside the realm of possibility after being the first substitution made in New York's last two matches, and he also started and went the full ninety in New York's last trip to the Home Depot Center to face the Galaxy back in May. 

Continue reading this post »

After an intense 90 minutes of play between the New York Red Bulls and Los Angeles Galaxy on Sunday, most of the talk was, unfortunately, focused on what happened after the full-time whistle. Rafael Marquez, who was visibly frustrated all afternoon with Alex Prus' inconsistent refereeing (and perhaps dismayed at Josh Saunders' late save of his goal-bound effort), threw a ball at Landon Donovan at the conclusion of the match, setting of a melée involving Juninho, Adam Cristman and Stephen Keel, as well as Marquez. Video of the incident is available here on the MLS website.

Marquez's initial boneheaded act earned him a red card from Prus. On the Galaxy side, Juninho's elbow to Keel's face will see him on the sidelines for Thursday's second leg. Cristman and Keel were spared any further punishment. In the end, the loss of Marquez may mean less for the Red Bulls than the absence of Juninho does for the Galaxy. Los Angeles has relied on the Brazilian's steady play in midfield all season long, and with a 1-0 lead to protect, he could have been a key player in frustrating New York's attacks and disrupting their midfield.

Continue reading this post »

New York Red Bulls vs. Los Angeles Galaxy

Kickoff: 3 PM Eastern

The Cathedral of Football, Red Bull Arena
TV Coverage: ESPN 2, ESPN Deportes, WatchESPN.com
Form: Red Bulls DWLWW LA WLWWL
Galaxy perspective: LAG Confidential

Playoffs?! PLAYOFFS?! Don't talk about -- playoffs! Sorry, Jim Mora, but we have to talk PLAYOFFS today. The New York Red Bulls take on the LA Galaxy this afternoon at the Cathedral of Football in the first leg of this Eastern Conference Semifinal. Or, as it should be called, the MLS Cup Quarterfinal.

Hans Backe has again named a five-man bench. I have nothing else to say. Well, except -- Luke Rodgers is back, Donovan Ricketts is on the bench for LA, and all six DPs are starting.

Lineups

Red Bulls: Frank Rost; Carlos Mendes, Stephen Keel, Tim Ream, Roy Miller; Dane Richards, Teemu Tainio, Rafael Marquez, Joel Lindpere; Luke Rodgers, Thierry Henry

Subs: Bouna Coundoul, Stephane Auvray, Juan Agudelo, Dax McCarty, Mehdi Ballouchy

Galaxy: Josh Saunders; Todd Dunivant, Omar Gonzalez, A.J. DeLaGarza, Sean Franklin; Juninho, David Beckham, Mike Magee, Landon Donovan; Chad Barrett, Robbie Keane

Subs: Donovan Ricketts, Frankie Hejduk, Chris Birchall, Dasan Robinson, Michael Stephens, Paolo Cardozo, Adam Cristman

Steed threatens steed, in high and boastful neighs
Piercing the night’s dull ear, and from the tents
The armourers, accomplishing the knights,
With busy hammers closing rivets up,
Give dreadful note of preparation.

The New York Red Bulls' crazy season continues today with the first leg of the MLS Cup quarterfinal against the Los Angeles Galaxy this afternoon at Red Bull Arena. The Galaxy are the top seed in the playoffs after winning the Supporters' Shield, but the Red Bulls' star power and good recent form make them less of an underdog than a typical tenth-place finisher.

New York will also be buoyed by their good recent record against the Galaxy. Under Hans Backe the team is 2-1-1 when facing LA, with a 1-1 draw out West and a 2-0 home win in the two sides' meetings this season. The Red Bulls have the best set of results against the Galaxy of any team in MLS this season and are one of just three sides (along with Toronto and DC) to not lose against LA in 2011.

The first meeting between the two sides this year was a Don Garber dream matchup with Thierry Henry, Landon Donovan, Rafael Márquez, Dwayne De Rosario, David Beckham, and Juan Pablo Ángel all starting in an entertaining match that featured goals from both Henry and Donovan as well as THAT Tim Ream goalline clearance.

Continue reading this post »

When Houston Dynamo's victory over Los Angeles Galaxy on the MLS regular season's final day confirmed the New York Red Bulls' playoff opponents as FC Dallas, Hans Backe and his men had to like their chances to advance. New York had beaten the Hoops just a few weeks previous at Pizza Hut Park - a victory achieved without the aid of Thierry Henry - and had generally played Schellas Hyndman's team tough in recent meetings. Moreover, of all the teams that managed to crawl over the playoff finish line, none did so in less convincing fashion than FC Dallas, who won only two of their final 12 games in all competitions, including a demoralizing home defeat in the CONCACAF Champions League at the hands of Toronto FC. 

Taking all of this into account, not to mention the Red Bulls' improved late season form, it's hardly shocking that New York managed a 2-0 win in Wednesday's Wild Card playoff, thanks to a crucial second half goal by Joel Lindpere and a garbage time insurance strike by Thierry Henry. It must be noted, however, that the deceptively comfortable scoreline masks a performance which often, especially during the match's first half hour, exhibited hallmarks of the sluggish Red Bulls fans have seen too often this season.

Continue reading this post »