RED BULLS HOST COLORADO WEDNESDAY IN USOC: The Red Bulls have an opportunity to qualify for the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup tournament proper when they host the Colorado Rapids on Wednesday at 8:00 PM ET at Red Bull Arena. The winner of the one-off game will earn one of the tournament’s eight MLS spots in the round of 16.
The Red Bulls are looking to win three games in the same U.S. Open Cup season since the 2003 campaign, when they won four times en route to their only appearance in the Cup final. New York got to this point by taking care of rivals Philadelphia Union on April 27 through a Conor Chinn brace in a 2-1 win, and shutting out the New England Revolution, 4-0, on May 12 when John Wolyniec added two of his own.
The Rapids are coming off a 1-0 victory over D.C. United on May 15 at RFK Stadium in MLS regular season action. Colorado was paced by a 67th minute strike courtesy of Moroccan midfielder Mehdi Ballouchy. They currently sit in fifth place in the Western Conference standings on 13 points through a record of 4-3-1. This will be the club’s second match in the 2010 U.S. Open Cup. They earned the right to face the Red Bulls by defeating the Kansas City Wizards 2-1 on April 13, as former Wake Forest midfielder Wells Thompson scored both goals for the Rapids.
Tickets for the match in the stadium’s 100-sections start at $15 and can be purchased by calling 1.877.RBSOCCER or by CLICKING HERE.
RED BULLS TRAVEL TO MEET REVOLUTION: The Red Bulls will travel to Foxborough, MA to take on the New England Revolution on Saturday at 8:00 PM ET (TV: MSG, Telefutura; Radio: WADO 1280 AM). New York, currently in second place in the Eastern Conference, will be seeking to move up the table after dropping its past three matches.
New England comes into the match in fifth place in the Eastern Conference with 8 points on a record of 2-6-2. The Revolution limp into the game, winless in its last seven regular season matches. Most recently, the Revolution dropped a 1-0 decision at Toronto as the Reds’ Chad Barrett scored in the 53rd minute. However there was a positive for the Revolution, as the match marked the return of midfielder Shalrie Joseph, who missed five matches due to personal reasons.
In 24 regular season matches in Massachusetts, New York has posted a record of 4-16-4. New York has fared better against New England at home, but the Revs still hold the lead in the all-time series, as New York is 16-24-11 against the Revolution all-time. The Red Bulls are also in quite a dubious stretch against New England, as they haven’t beat the Revs in the MLS Regular Season since Sept. 17, 2005, when New York won a thrilling 5-4 decision at Giants Stadium.
RED BULLS HANDLE JUVENTUS: Red Bull Arena hosted its first major European club on Sunday when the Red Bulls defeated Juventus FC of Italy by a 3-1 score.
The first half was scoreless, but was not without good chances for either side. The Italians’ best chance came in the 41st minute when club leading goalscorer and captain Alessandro Del Piero rang a shot off the crossbar from the left side of the box. The Red Bulls nearly opened the scoring through Conor Chinn, but the rookie’s turnaround attempt was parried by Juventus keeper Alex Manninger. Earlier in the half, Irving Garcia almost put the hosts on top, weaving his way through the box, but Manninger punched his attempt over the net.
The Red Bulls came out running in the second half. After a New York free kick attempt at goal ricocheted off the defensive wall, the ball came to Garcia, who teed up a shot from about 25 yards out. Garcia’s shot did all but go in, as it went past Manninger and smacked off the crossbar. The rebound fell to Jeremy Hall, who took a touch, and knocked the ball into the net in the 50th minute. Just five minutes later, the Red Bulls would add to their lead, when Roy Miller sent a cross into the box to an on-rushing Chinn. The onside Chinn settled the ball before firing a shot into the back of the net.
New York put any Juventus comeback in doubt when substitutes Dane Richards and Juan Pablo Angel combined for the Red Bulls’ third goal. Richards used his speed to race past the Juventus defense down the right side, and sent a low ball to a wide open Angel in front of goal. The Colombian easily tapped the ball into the net. The visitors got on the board in the 90th minute with an Amauri strike.
RED BULLS FIND WOODWORK IN LOSS TO CREW: The Red Bulls were defeated last Thursday by the now-Eastern Conference leading Columbus Crew by a score of 3-1 at Red Bull Arena. New York created many chances, but were unlucky to hit the post multiple times in the match.
The Crew opened the scoring against the run of play in the 35th minute through former New York draft pick Eddie Gaven. Off of a Crew throw in, defender Frankie Hejduk whipped a cross into the box that landed right on the head of Gaven, who flicked it past New York’s Bouna Coundoul. The Red Bulls nearly equalized immediately, but the woodwork reared its ugly head for the first time on the night. Red Bulls midfielder Sinisa Ubiparipovic fired a long shot that beat Will Hesmer but ricocheted off the far post, keeping the Red Bulls off the scoresheet.
The Crew doubled their advantage just minutes later with Gaven providing the service. On a corner kick, Gaven delivered a dangerous ball, and centerback Andy Iro rose and met the ball with his head, nodding the ball downwards and into the net.
In the second frame, New York again found out that luck wasn’t quite on their side on the night. Just five minutes after the restart, Dane Richards nearly pulled one back for New York. Richards latched onto a perfect through ball and was able to ward off Iro before sliding the ball past Hesmer. It seemed destined for goal, but was just inches off, as it met the far post and stayed out. Then, in the 61st minute, Juan Pablo Angel had a go at goal on a free kick from about 22 yards out. The Colombian curled his attempt over the wall, but it was a bit too high, as the ball rang off the crossbar.
New York did get a lifeline in the 81st minute through two substitutes. Defender Carlos Mendes floated a ball from the right side into the box, and Hesmer was late in his approach. Rookie Tony Tchani beat Hesmer to the ball and headed it into the vacant net giving him his first career professional goal. However, a defensive miscue by New York just moments after Tchani’s tally sealed the victory for the visitors. The Red Bulls centerback tandem of Mike Petke and Tim Ream failed to deal with loose ball in the defensive third, and Crew substitute Emilio Renteria latched onto it and raced toward goal, rounding Coundoul and putting it in.
TURKEY BESTS CZECH REPUBLIC IN FRIENDLY AT RBA: The nations of Turkey and the Czech Republic battled in an international friendly at Red Bull Arena on Saturday, with the Turks coming away with a 2-1 victory. Arda Turan scored the game’s first goal in the 31st minute, meandering through the left side of the Czech penalty area before blasting a shot off the near post and into Petr Cech’s net. In the second half, the Turks doubled their lead when Arda fed Nihat Kahveci, who had no trouble beating Cech from inside the area. The Czechs pulled one back late after a poor back pass from the Turkish defense to the keeper was intercepted by Milan Cerny, who calmly slid the ball into the net. But it wasn’t enough, as the Turks held on for the victory in the teams’ rematch from their classic tussle at the UEFA Euro 2008 Championships.
LAST WEEK:
Red Bulls 1, Columbus Crew 3 on May 20 at Red Bull Arena
Turkey 2, Czech Republic 1 on May 22 at Red Bull Arena - International Friendly
Red Bulls 3, Juventus FC 1 on May 23 at Red Bull Arena - Friendly
THIS WEEK:
Red Bulls vs. Colorado Rapids on May 26 at Red Bull Arena at 8:00 PM - Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Play-In match (TV: NONE)
Red Bulls vs. New England Revolution on May 29 at Gillette Stadium at 8:00 PM (TV: MSG, Telefutura; Radio: WADO 1280 AM)
NEXT WEEK:
Red Bulls vs. Houston Dynamo on June 2 at Red Bull Arena at 7:30 PM (TV: MSG; Radio: WADO 1280 AM)
Red Bulls vs. CD Chivas USA on June 5 at Red Bull Arena at 7:30 PM (TV: FoxSoccerChannel; Radio WADO 1280 AM)
2010 MLS STANDINGS
INCLUDES GAMES OF SUNDAY, May 23, 2010
PETKE MAKES 300TH APPEARANCE: With his start last Thursday against the Columbus Crew, New York defender Mike Petke became the 11th outfield player to appear in 300 MLS regular season matches. Petke is the 12th player overall to reach 300 games (FC Dallas goalkeeper Kevin Hartman is part of the 300 club)
GAMES PLAYED (Regular Season – Field Players)
PLAYER, TEAM, GP
1. Steve Ralston, NE, 378
2. Jaime Moreno, DC, 328
3. Chris Klein, LA, 326
4. Jeff Cunningham, DAL, 325
5. Jesse Marsch, CHV, 321
6. Chris Henderson, NY, 317
7. Jay Heaps, NE, 314
8. Carey Talley, DC, 308
9. Cobi Jones, LA, 306
10. Jason Kreis, RSL, 305
11. Mike Petke, NY, 300
- Still Active
TCHANI NETS FIRST CAREER GOAL: Red Bulls rookie midfielder Tony Tchani scored his first career MLS goal with his 81st minute tally in the Red Bulls’ 3-1 loss to the Columbus Crew on Thursday, May 20. The Red Bulls selected the Cameroonian midfielder with the 2nd overall pick in the 2010 MLS SuperDraft. Tchani is an MLS Generation adidas player who played collegiately for the University of Virginia.
ALBRIGHT RETURNS TO ACTION, MAKES 200TH APPEARANCE: Red Bulls defender Chris Albright returned to Major League Soccer action after over a year’s worth of recovery when he started in against the Columbus Crew on May 20, his 200th appearance in the MLS regular season. The former United States International last played in an MLS match on April 4, 2009 when he was a member of the New England Revolution. Albright suffered a knee injury that required surgery and kept him out of action until he started in the team’s U.S. Open Cup victory over the Revolution on May 12 of this year.
BOYENS HEADS TO WORLD CUP: New York Red Bulls defender Andrew Boyens was named to the New Zealand World Cup squad for the upcoming 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Boyens came on as a 51st minute substitute in a 2-1 loss to Australia in Melbourne on Monday, earning his 15th cap.
“We are excited for Andy, as he will be able to participate in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Red Bull New York Sporting Director Erik Soler. “He is a top professional and we wish him the best of luck in South Africa.”
“It’s a great honor to represent my country in South Africa,” Boyens said. “I am thrilled to qualify for the final squad and confident that we can perform well in the World Cup.”
The All-Whites will travel to Austria for a pre-World Cup camp and will play matches against Serbia and Slovenia. They will arrive in South Africa on June 6 and will participate in Group F with defending champion Italy, Paraguay, and Slovakia. New Zealand’s first match of the tournament is on June 15 against Slovakia, and it faces Paraguay on June 20, before their final group stage match against Italy on June 24. The tournament runs through July 11.
Boyens has been among the 18-man matchday roster for each of the first seven regular season matches in the 2010 season for coach Hans Backe, but has yet to appear. Boyens has made two starts in the U.S. Open Cup.
WOLYNIEC ADDS TWO TO TALLY: With his two goal performance against the New England Revolution in the U.S. Open Cup on May 12, John Wolyniec added his 33rd and 34th career goals for the club in all competitions. He currently ranks fifth all time on the franchises’ lists in both MLS Regular Season goals scored, and goals in all competitions.
GOALS (Regular Season)
PLAYER, GP, GOALS
1. Juan Pablo Angel, 80, 49
2. Giovanni Savarese, 85, 41
3. Clint Mathis, 93, 39
4. Amado Guevara, 103, 32
5. John Wolyniec, 139, 26
GOALS (All Competitions)
PLAYER, GP, GOALS
1. Juan Pablo Angel, 87, 52
2. Clint Mathis, 110, 45
3. Giovanni Savarese, 97, 44
4. Amado Guevara, 117, 38
5. John Wolyniec, 161, 34
Game Winning Goals (Regular Season)
PLAYER, GP, GWG
1. Juan Pablo Angel, 80, 11
T-2. Clint Mathis, 93, 10
T-2. John Wolyniec, 139, 10
4. Amado Guevara, 103, 9
5. Giovanni Savarese, 85, 8
RED BULLS TEAM UP WITH NYPD FOR PERU TRIP: In the framework of the 'Soccer for children - Breaking Borders' program implemented by the New York Red Bulls in collaboration with the Police Department of New York City, a delegation from both entities will travel to Lima, Peru in the coming days in order to perform an annual soccer clinic and lead to economically disadvantaged children from different schools. The delegation will provide 150 soccer balls and sports clothing for over 1500 children. This grant will attempt to send, through the delegation of goodwill, a positive message to reflect that by way of sport, one can get a better life and that nothing is impossible with the joint efforts of both countries.
New York Red Bulls Senior Director of Communications and Hispanic Affairs Ernesto Motta, who will represent the Red Bulls in the delegation, said: "I am very excited about this project which began some time ago together with other leaders of football in the city of New York. This program has had great success in the past as we have travelled to countries like Ecuador and Colombia, which we visited last year. Our goal is to visit countries in South and Central America, conduct soccer clinics for needy children and hope that our modest donation may bring a positive message and is something very positive in their lives.”
Avianca's participation has been essential for the transport of the donations that have been made not only in Colombia, but in Peru this year. In selflessness and with great spirit of collaboration, its executives have always answered the call and have become mainstays of this campaign, which is expected to repeat year after year with the same success.
"After hearing about the program, created by the New York Red Bulls with the collaboration of the New York Police Department, Avianca joined this program, supporting their visit to Colombia, more specifically the ‘coffee belt’. We now continue with the journey that this group takes in Peru, and in conjunction with the organizers, we are finalizing details for the visit to the city of Cartagena, Colombia in 2011. Worthy campaigns are ones that should be supported unreservedly and that's why we joined in, providing Avianca luggage transport and logistics group connections when required,” said Jaime Londoño, Airport Director Avianca Bogota.
This trip will take place from May 18 through May 26, visiting the Peruvian capital of Lima and its surroundings. The delegation will have the opportunity to visit schools and orphanages in poor to implement the grants.
This major event also has the support of the Embassy of the United States of America in Lima, Peru, which has designated the locations most in need.
The soccer team of the Police of the City of New York will play several friendly matches to promote closer ties with their counterparts in Peru, and have received the idea with great enthusiasm, working hard to ensure that this campaign is successful.
"Once again we are excited to be part of this delegation and sharing with the Red Bulls this new experience to deliver a major donation. With great pride on behalf of our Police Department of the City of New York, we will do everything in our power to ensure that the children of Peru fully enjoy the clinics and the moments we are able to spend with them. It's nice to play in other countries representing our department, but more so giving them soccer balls and sports clothing for those in need, which makes our hearts full," said NYPD Lt. Ronald Mejia.
For more information, please contact the New York Red Bulls Spanish Communications Department at 201.583.7028.
RED BULL ACADEMY HOLDING TRYOUTS: The New York Red Bulls Academy is now accepting applications for the 2010 tryouts which will be held in May/June.
The Red Bulls Academy will be looking for the top players in the Tri State area in the following birth years:
· 1997
· 1996
· 1995/1994
· 1993/1992
The New York Red Bulls are the only club in the Tri-State area affiliated with an MLS team. Throughout the year select players will also be invited to train with the professional team. Juan Agudelo and Giorgi Chirgadze have recently graduated straight from the Red Bulls Academy and signed professional contracts with the Red Bulls first team.
The Academy is a no cost program. Each player is fully funded by the Red Bulls. This includes:
· All coaching fees
· Practice and game day gear
· Travel (air fares, buses, etc.)
· Accommodations
· Food
· International Trips
· Season Ticket at Red Bull Arena
The Red Bull Academy currently has three players in the prestigious US U-17 MNT Residency Program in Bradenton, FL. Goalkeeper Keith Cardona and Agudelo recently graduated Residency after the 2009 U-17 FIFA World Cup in Nigeria. In addition, 14 other members of the Academy have made up the U.S. U-14, U-15 and U-18 National Teams during 2009/2010.
To register for a tryout or for more information on the Red Bulls Academy visit www.redbullsacademy.com/academy.
SOLO FUTBOL AIRS SUNDAY: Red Bulls WADO 1280 AM and 92.7 FM announcers Ernesto Motta and Robert Sierra host their weekly call-in radio show, Solo Futbol, on Sunday night from 8-11 PM on WADO 1280 AM. Motta, Sierra and their panel of experts and guests analyze the Beautiful Game and the New York Red Bulls.
