:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/49845363/usa-today-9107111.0.jpg)
The hook for New York Red Bulls fans - those who aren't already interested in Mexico or Venezuela - is this match features two teams with ties to the club, if you squint a little.
The current Mexico squad is captained by El Tri legend Rafa Marquez. The elegant defender is also a legend of RBNY, though in a much less positive sense. He was not underappreciated during his time with the Red Bulls, but arguably was misused by a team that never really invested in the sort of support his particular talents require. He definitely stopped giving the club his best after a while and left the Red Bulls with more lowlights than highlights marking his time in MLS.
Since leaving RBNY, Marquez has won two Liga MX titles and a Gold Cup, as well as spending a little time in Serie A. He can still play a bit.
The man picking the Mexico team at the moment is also familiar to RBNY fans, also for generally the wrong reasons. Juan Carlos Osorio led the Red Bulls to their first (to date, only) MLS Cup appearance in 2008, and then to the last truly bad season the team has endured. The 2009 MLS season was a disaster for RBNY, and Osorio managed to compound the suffering with his incessant and often incomprehensible squad and tactical rotation system.
Since leaving RBNY, Osorio has not changed his methods, but has enjoyed considerable success. He has won four league titles (three with Atletico Nacional and Juan Pablo Angel) and three cups in Colombia. And since taking over El Tri, he has yet to lose - or even tie - a game: Mexico is a perfect 9-0-0 with Osorio at the helm. The team has conceded one goal in those nine games (Uruguay scored it in El Tri's opening match of this tournament).
Yes, this is the same Juan Carlos Osorio whose 2009 Red Bulls had lost 11 of their last 12 league games (and tied the other) when he resigned - and promptly won two games back-to-back once he was gone.
JCO is a good coach; Rafa Marquez is a good player - but RBNY never saw their best.
Mexico's opponent today, Venezuela, has a special significance for RBNY (or, more accurately, MetroStars) fans: it is the home country of Giovanni Savarese, the fifth-highest all-time scorer in the club's history and the original holder of the club's career scoring record. And it is the national team current Red Bull, Aurelien Collin, hopes to play for one day.
#CA2016 El futbolista francés que quiere jugar con Venezuela, Aurelien Collin @ampC2 se puso su Vinotinto ❤️ pic.twitter.com/7YpvyL0NFv
— A Toda Mecha (@atodamechatv) June 9, 2016
Both Mexico and Venezuela are though to the quarterfinals of Copa America Centenario. This game will decide which team wins Group C.