Eight for Eight: Peguy Luyindula was impossible to ignore

I never thought too much of Peguy when he came to the Red Bulls.

On principle, I simply try to ignore all foreign names that come to MLS. I didn’t know about his exploits in Europe and quite frankly I didn’t pay too much attention to his early struggles in MLS. I can’t accurately cite any stats for Peguy, because I don’t know any Peguy stats.

Here is what I do know: Peguy’s has given me my best moments as a Red Bulls fan. I’m not talking about light clapping and some high fives. I’m talking about jump-out-of-your-seat-standing-up-and-immediately-jumping-onto-whatever-is-directly-in-front-of you-while-screaming-like-a-maniac moments. The Shield, and the performances in last year's playoff run - the play-in game against Kansas City, the goal against DC, and when Peguy tied things up (on aggregate) against New England: these moments are why I spend money.

These moments are why I get mad at people who never gave MLS a fair shot. These moments are why I try to drag all of my friends to Red Bull Arena. These moments are why I’ll always be a Red Bulls fan.

I’m not sure if in 5 or 10 years I’ll remember exactly who scored or how it happened. But I’ll always have those memories of the moments Peguy gave me. I’ll probably struggle to remember that all these moments were connected by a thread. How fitting that Peguy be behind the scenes pulling the strings of my memories just like he did for the Red Bulls.

All I want to say to Peguy is: Thanks for everything. I hope your memories of New York are as great as the memories you gave me.

Eight for Eight is a tribute to Peguy in eight parts. Let us know your favorite Peguy moments in the comments. And stay tuned for Part 2, from Robert Celentano.