The New York Red Bulls came from behind to draw 1-1 with Arsenal courtesy of a late own goal by Gunners defender Kyle Bartley. That result, combined with Paris Saint-Germain's victory earlier in the day against Boca Juniors, meant that the Red Bulls won the Emirates Cup on their first entry into the competition.

With two ninety-minute games in the space of two days and possibly some concerns about fitness, Hans Backe made two changes to the side that won 1-0 against PSG on Saturday. Thierry Henry and Rafael Márquez returned to the lineup in place of Juan Agudelo and Joel Lindpere. Henry was set out as New York's lone striker, with Márquez sitting deep in the midfield.

Arsenal definitely started the brighter of the two sides, and even though the Red Bulls had five men in midfield they seemed to be swamped by the superior passing and pressing of their hosts. With just one man up front and no central attacking midfielder, New York were unable to build up attacks and Henry rarely saw the ball in the first half.

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The New York Red Bulls have the opportunity to win a massively meaningless friendly competition this morning as they take on Arsenal in the second of their two Emirates Cup matches. New York's 1-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain yesterday, combined with the 2-2 draw between the Gunners and Boca Juniors (Arsenal were 2-0 up just after halftime and blew their lead), puts the Red Bulls top of the table. Depending on results in the earlier kickoff, the Red Bulls may be able to silence the Eurosnobs by winning the Emirates Cup with just a draw against Arsenal.

The Gunners should provide a stiffer test than PSG, who didn't create many good chances -- for which a lot of credit must go to the Red Bulls defense. Arsenal are probably the best side in this tournament on paper, but have shown their mental and defensive weaknesses time and again. They are likely to play a first-choice side, as are the Red Bulls, who will probably include Thierry Henry and Rafael Márquez in their starting XI.

Red Bulls: Frank Rost; Chris Albright, Carlos Mendes, Tim Ream, Roy Miller; Rafael Marquez, Dane Richards, Teemu Tainio, Dax McCarty, Jan Gunnar Solli, Thierry Henry(c)

Arsenal: Wojciech Szczesny; Bacary Sagna, Laurent Koscielny, Thomas Vermaelen, Kieran Gibbs, Alex Song, Jack Wilshere, Aaron Ramsey, Tomas Rosicky, Gervinho, Robin van Persie

You can find Arsenal perspective at The Short Fuse, and be sure to check out our three questions with them and my Red Bulls scouting report before the game.

Kickoff is at 11:20 AM Eastern time, and you can watch the game on Fox Soccer Channel. Let's not get pummeled.

The New York Red Bulls opened the 2011 Emirates Cup on a positive note, defeating Paris Saint-Germain 1-0, thanks to a first half goal by Joel Lindpere. With Thierry Henry rested for tomorrow's match against Arsenal, the Red Bulls started in a 4-5-1 formation, with Juan Agudelo up top as a lone striker. Lindpere's goal came in the 28th minute, via a slick through pass from Agudelo. Lindpere timed his run through the center of PSG's defense perfectly and finished coolly past Salvatore Sirigu. Earlier in the game New York had appeals for a penalty waved away when Carlos Mendes was the victim of blatant shirt pulling on a corner kick opportunity.

The Red Bulls had the better of the play through the first half hour, only coming under occasional pressure. As halftime approached, PSG upped the tempo, but Tim Ream and Carlos Mendes dealt admirably with any threats. It must be noted  that the French side looked remarkably sluggish and devoid of attacking ideas throughout the match, especially for a club that has had a massive injection of Qatari cash and a host of shiny new additions to the squad. Maybe that's why they're after Palermo's Javier Pastore.

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The New York Red Bulls kick off this year's Emirates Cup this morning against Ligue 1 side Paris Saint-Germain. Given that tomorrow's game against Arsenal is likely to be the main event for an already tired Red Bulls side, we may well see more of the second-string players on show in today's game.

Our own Matt Conroy and Alexis Gourgand gave us the low-down on PSG, who will kick off league action next weekend, making this one of their final tests before they return to competitive football. Given the team's recent improvement and their quantity and quality of new signings, this will be a tough one for the Red Bulls

Lineups

Red Bulls: Frank Rost, Chris Albright, Carlos Mendes, Tim Ream (c), Roy Miller, Jan Gunnar Solli, Teemu Tainio, Dane Richards, Dax McCarty, Joel Lindpere, Juan Agudelo

I'll post the rest when they are out.

Kickoff is at 9:00 AM and you can watch the game on MSG+, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN3.com. This is probably going to be an embarrassment.

Ahead of the New York Red Bulls' second Emirates Cup game this weekend, against hosts Arsenal FC, we shot three questions over to Gunners blog The Short Fuse. In lieu of responding to questions from them, I wrote up a scouting report on the Red Bulls, which you'll be able to find on their site.

Once A Metro: Arsenal haven't been too busy on the purchasing side of the transfer market, with Gervinho and Carl Jenkinson the only additions so far. How do you expect those two to fit into the side, and where else do you think the Gunners will strengthen before the transfer window closes?

The Short Fuse: I think that Gervinho could start immediately, particularly should Samir Nasri end up leaving the club (which I'm not sure will happen). He's capable of standing in for any one of Nasri-Robin van Persie-Theo Walcott-Cesc Fabregas foursome, and that versatility in attack is invaluable given Arsenal's injury problems up front over the past couple of years. Carl Jenkinson has looked energetic and powerful in the first three preseason matches. He's only 19 and will need to work on his positioning and his interplay with the others on the right side, but he looks set to be a capable backup for Bacary Sagna. If Emmanuel Eboué moves on, Jenkinson should see pretty significant time in Carling Cup and FA Cup matches.

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The New York Red Bulls kick off Emirates Cup play on Saturday morning at 9AM ET, as they take on legendary French club Paris Saint-Germain in North London. Rather than keep to the normal "Three Questions" format we use for league games, we thought it would be more instructive to ask five questions of a knowledgeable source.

Alexis Gourgand, a longtime PSG fan and blog contributor, was kind enough to drop some knowledge on us about his club, who are currently on the upswing after an injection of cash from Qatar, the capture of Leonardo as Sporting Director and the arrival of a host of new players, including Jeremy Menez, Mohamed Sissoko and Salvatore Sirigu. You can find Alexis on Twitter at @Alexi_G.

Let's get to it:

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The New York Red Bulls announced on Wednesday the twenty-one man squad that will travel to take part in the Emirates Cup matches in London against Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal FC on July 30 and 31. The squad includes Designated Players Thierry Henry, Rafael Márquez, and Frank Rost, as well as most of New York's first team regulars. Unfortunately for the Red Bulls, Luke Rodgers, who has been enjoying a brilliant first season, misses out due to injury.

Goalkeepers: Frank Rost, Bouna Coundoul

Defenders: Chris Albright, Mike Jones, Stephen Keel, Tyler Lassiter, Rafa Marquez, Carlos Mendes, Roy Miller, Tim Ream, Teddy Schneider, Jan Gunnar Solli

Midfielders: Matt Kassel, Joel Lindpere, Dax McCarty, Dane Richards, John Rooney, Teemu Tainio

Strikers: Juan Agudelo, Thierry Henry, Corey Hertzog

Besides Rodgers, midfielder Mehdi Ballouchy is the most significant man missing, as he yet again cannot leave the United States due to his lack of a visa. US U-20 defender Sacir Hot, back-up goalkeeper Alex Horwath, and midfielders Brian Nielsen and Marcos Paullo also miss out on the trip.

The Red Bulls face PSG on Saturday morning at 9 AM Eastern time on MSG, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN3.com, and Arsenal on Sunday at 11:20 AM on Fox Soccer and Fox Sports en Español. We'll have extensive previews, match threads, reports, and analysis here at Once A Metro, so be sure to follow our coverage of the Emirates Cup.

The most important game of the world football calendar is today. There is nothing can compare to the massive significance of the MLS All-Star Game. It is, actually, the biggest event to ever happen in football since Seattle invented the sport in 2009.

Okay, enough with the sarcasm. I'll be honest: the only reason I care about this game is because there are several Red Bulls players involved and I've been chanting incantations and sacrificing goats to ensure that they don't get injured. The best case scenario is no injuries for our players, a 6-0 MLS All-Stars win, and Sir Alex stealing Hans Backe and adding him to the Man United coaching staff.

The BIG team news is that Javier Hernandez will not be playing due to a concussion. Here are your full lineups....

MLS All-Stars: Faryd Mondragon, Sean Franklin, Tim Ream, Jamison Olave, Bobby Convey, David Beckham, Shalrie Joseph, Brad Davis, Thierry Henry, Omar Bravo, Omar Cummings

Two Omars up top!? This is going to be crazy.

Manchester United: Andres Lindergaard, Mike Jones -- no, Phil Jones, Patrice Evra, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Anderson, Michael Carrick, Ashley Young, Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov

I'll add the substitudes when they are out. That's quite a strong Man United team, Sir Alex is taking this a bit seriously.

You can find Manchester United perspective at The Busby Babe. Also be sure to check out SB Nation Soccer's preview, which includes a few paragraphs from myself about the Red Bulls players in the team.

Kickoff is at 8:30 and you can watch the inevitable Second-Best Rooney score-fest on ESPN2.