RED BULLS FIGHT RAPIDS SATURDAY: The Red Bulls look to bounce back after a weekend defeat when they host the Colorado Rapids Saturday afternoon at 4:00 PM ET at Red Bull Arena (TV: MSG, TeleFutura; Radio: WADO 1280 AM).
Despite staying within striking distance throughout the match, the Red Bulls fell to Real Salt Lake, 1-0, last Saturday night at Rio Tinto Stadium. Currently in second place in the Eastern Conference, New York is now 11-8-4 in 2010 with 37 points – seven shy of leader, the Columbus Crew.
In its only home match of September, New York faces a Colorado side that is coming off a resounding 3-0 win at home over Chivas USA. Boasting one of the most dangerous forward duos in MLS, striker Conor Casey found the back of net for the ninth time of the season while partner Omar Cummings tallied his seventh and eighth goals to secure the result. The victory pushed Colorado to fourth place in the competitive Western Conference, as it has 34 points off a 9-6-7 record.
New York was able to earn a point in the first regular season showdown between the two sides, drawing 1-1 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on July 4. Cummings gave the hosts the lead in the 15th minute, but Juan Pablo Angel tied the match 19 minutes later, controlling a Sinisa Ubiparipovic corner and slotting it in. In Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup MLS Qualifying, the Red Bulls defeated the Rapids, 3-0, behind a two-goal John Wolyniec performance and a strike from Conor Chinn on May 26 at Red Bull Arena.
LAST WEEK:
Red Bulls 0, Real Salt Lake 1 at Rio Tinto Stadium on Sept. 4.
THIS WEEK:
Red Bulls vs. Colorado Rapids on Saturday, September 11 at Red Bull Arena at 4:00 PM ET (TV: MSG, Telefutura; Radio: WADO 1280 AM)
NEXT WEEK:
Red Bulls at FC Dallas on Thursday, September 16 at Pizza Hut Park at 9:00 PM ET (TV: MSG, Telefutura; Radio: WQBU 92.7 FM)
2010 MLS STANDINGS - INCLUDES GAMES OF SUNDAY, September 05, 2010
RED BULLS FALL TO RSL, 1-0: In a tight match, the New York Red Bulls fell to defending MLS Cup Champion, Real Salt Lake, 1-0, Saturday night in front of an announced crowd of 19,115 spectators at Rio Tinto Stadium.
Real Salt Lake put its name on the scoresheet four minutes into the encounter. Midfielder Kyle Beckerman lofted the ball over the top to an on-rushing Fabian Espindola, who shook off his defender and slotted it past goalkeeper Greg Sutton with his left foot.
The Red Bulls, who were missing four starters from last Saturday’s 2-0 win over San Jose due to international duty – midfielders Rafa Marquez and Dane Richards, goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul, and defender Roy Miller – tried to get right back into the game in the 12th minute, as midfielder Seth Stammler found Juan Pablo Angel in the penalty box and the Colombian’s header forced goalkeeper Nick Rimando to parry it off the left post. Four minutes later, Real Salt Lake’s Andy Williams sliding volley was held by Sutton.
In the 33rd minute, Angel’s aerial prowess again nearly earned the visitors a goal as his header from a Joel Lindpere corner kick was cleared off the line by Williams. Soon after, Sutton made a huge save to keep the match at 1-0 when he pushed away a Robbie Findley eight-yard header.
In the second half, New York put more pressure on the hosts and Angel was denied for a third time in the 55th minute. Lindpere’s corner swung to the Designated Player, whose powerful header was saved by a diving Rimando. Angel’s ensuing attempt on the rebound was deflected by Rimando and cleared from the goal mouth by Beckerman.
FOUR RED BULLS CALLED INTO NATIONAL TEAMS: Red Bulls midfielders Rafa Márquez and Dane Richards, goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul, and defender Roy Miller were called up to their national teams for the next set of FIFA International dates from Sept. 3-7 and were unavailable for the Red Bulls’ match at Real Salt Lake on Sept. 4.
Márquez was called up for Mexico’s friendlies on Sept. 4 against Ecuador in Guadalajara, Mexico and on Sept. 7 versus Colombia in Monterrey, Mexico. He played 90 minutes in a 2-1 loss to Ecuador. Márquez has represented Mexico 96 times, and captained the team at the 2002, 2006, and 2010 FIFA World Cups. Márquez signed with the Red Bulls as a Designated Player on Aug. 2, and scored his first goal for the club on Aug. 21 in a 4-1 victory over Toronto FC.
Richards was called in to the Jamaica National Team for its friendlies on Sept. 5 against Costa Rica in Kingston, Jamaica and on Sept. 7 versus Peru in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Richards, who played 69 minutes in a 1-0 win over the Ticos, has appeared 18 times for Jamaica, and has scored one goal, which he notched in his last appearance for the “Reggae Boyz” against Trinidad and Tobago on Aug. 11. Richards has appeared in 19 matches this season for the Red Bulls, registering one goal and three assists.
Coundoul, who has three caps for the Senegal National Team, was called up for Senegal’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Democratic Republic of the Congo on Sept. 5 in Lubumbashi, D.R. He last featured for Senegal in a friendly against Cape Verde Islands on Aug. 11.
Miller was called in for Costa Rica’s friendlies on Sept. 3 at Panama in Panama City, Panama and Sept. 5 at Jamaica in Kingston, Jamaica. Miller has 16 caps for Costa Rica and played 90 minutes against Jamaica. The defender was signed by the Red Bulls on Jan. 8, and has played in 19 matches this season for New York, registering one assist.
Red Bulls midfielder Joel Lindpere was also called up by the Estonian National Team but declined the invitation.
“I have decided to respectfully decline call-ups by the Estonian National Team for the rest of the year to focus on the remainder of the MLS season,” he said. “I feel that it is important to help the Red Bulls firstly, qualify for the playoffs and secondly, compete for the MLS Cup championship.”
PETKE TO RETIRE AFTER 2010 MLS SEASON: Red Bull New York announced Sept. 1 that standout defender Mike Petke will retire after the 2010 MLS season. Petke, a 13-year veteran and a fan favorite who played for New York for seven seasons over two stints, is the club’s all-time leader in games started and games and minutes played and was part of the team’s All-Time Best XI that was unveiled earlier this year.
“After many months of contemplation, I know that this is the best choice for me and my family,” Petke said. “When I first started playing in MLS, I could have not imagined the type of career I was so fortunate to experience over these past 13 years. I am indebted to my family, current and former teammates and coaches and the fans for their support and encouragement. I am at peace with my decision and blessed that I am able to end my career in a place where I truly call home.”
“Mike is a consummate professional and has represented our club with heart and dignity. It is evident during my short time here why he is one of the team’s most popular players all-time,” said Red Bull New York Sporting Director and General Manager Erik Soler. “His ability, work ethic and leadership will be sorely missed, but we want to wish him the best of luck in this exciting new chapter of his life.”
Petke, a three-time MLS All-Star, has featured in 167 regular season games for New York, starting in 158 of them and logging a total of 14,006 minutes. The Bohemia, NY native started his career with New York in 1998, being drafted in the first round (eighth overall) in the 1998 MLS College Draft. Petke played five seasons for New York and helped the club to its first-ever Eastern Conference championship game and division title in 2000.
The 34-year-old re-joined New York from the Colorado Rapids on Nov. 26, 2008 and played in 19 games in 2009. This season, Petke made 14 appearances, starting in 11, and he became only the 12th player in MLS history to appear in 300 regular season matches, reaching the mark with his start on May 20 against the Columbus Crew. In the Grand Opening of the club’s brand-new stadium, Red Bull Arena, on March 20, Petke tallied the Red Bulls’ second goal of the match off a close range volley en route to a 3-1 win over Santos FC.
Petke played for D.C. United from 2003-05 and he won the MLS Cup for the first time of his career in 2004. In 2005, Petke was traded to the Rapids and made 80 appearances over three-plus years. During his 13-year run in MLS, Petke scored 13 goals and four assists in regular season action, logging 25,731 minutes – a mark that is seventh all-time in MLS history.
On the international level, Petke was part of the 2002 U.S. Men’s National Team pool and earned two caps for his country. Petke attended Southern Connecticut State University, where he won a number of accolades including twice being named on the All-New England Collegiate Conference First Team and the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year.
REAM LEADING THE WAY: New York Rookie of the Year candidate Tim Ream leads MLS in minutes played by outfield players, playing all 2070 available minutes of the Red Bulls 23 matches thus far this season.
ECUADOR-COLOMBIA TO PLAY OCT. 8 AT RBA: The South American national teams of Ecuador and Colombia will continue their rivalry in the New York metropolitan area by facing off on Friday, October 8, at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, NJ at 8:30 p.m. ET, Soccer United Marketing (SUM) announced today. The match, which will be played during an official FIFA window, allows the teams to call-up their internationally-based players and will be both teams’ first match up at the new Red Bull Arena.
Tickets are on sale to the general public by calling 1-877-RBSOCCER, logging onto www.redbullarena.us or visiting the Red Bull Arena Box Office, Delgado Travel stores and other usual tiendas in the metropolitan area. Discounted four-ticket packs for the match can also be ordered online or by calling 1-877-RBSOCCER.
Both teams will feature new head coaches. Ecuador is led by Colombian Reinaldo Rueda, who coached the Honduras national team in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, while Colombia will be coached by Hernán Darío “Bolillo” Gomez, who returns to the national team after leading them to the 1998 FIFA World Cup.
The Ecuadorian team features international stars such as Manchester United’s Antonio Valencia, Santos Laguna (Mexico) forward Christian Benítez, Rubin Kazan (Russia) midfielder Christian Noboa, and Villareal (Spain) midfielder Jefferson Montero.
Some of the renowned Colombians playing abroad include the dangerous FC Porto (Portugal) forward Falcao Garcia, AC Milan’s veteran defender Mario Alberto Yepes, Racing (Argentina) midfielder Giovanni Moreno, and Wigan (England) forward Hugo Rodallega.
This marks the first time that Red Bull Arena will host two South American teams and the match will commemorate the Guayaquil Independence Day of Ecuador (Oct. 9).
Fans and media are encouraged to use public transportation provided by New Jersey Transit and via the PATH train to arrive at Red Bull Arena, the 25,000-seat home of Major League Soccer’s New York Red Bulls. Please visit www.njtransit.com and www.panynj.gov/path/ for train stations and schedules or www.redbullarena.us site for more information.
START TIME FOR OCT. 9 MATCH VS REAL SALT LAKE CHANGED: The start time for the Red Bulls’ Oct. 9 match against Real Salt Lake at Red Bull Arena has been changed to 4:00 PM ET. The match will be broadcast on MSG and TeleFutura.
RED BULL ARENA, BIG EAST RELEASE TICKET DETAILS FOR MEN’S BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIP: Red Bull Arena and the BIG EAST Conference announced the ticket purchasing information for the 2010 BIG EAST Men’s Soccer Championship, presented by Travelodge, to be held at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, NJ. The conference championship will take place Nov. 12 & 14, in which the semifinal and championship games will be held.
The BIG EAST Semifinal games will be played on Friday, Nov. 12 with the Championship game taking place on Sunday, Nov. 14. Fans can purchase two-day pass tickets for as little as $16 apiece while single day tickets start at $10. Groups of 10 or more also qualify for discounted tickets to one or both days. For more information or to purchase tickets, call 1.877.RBSOCCER or log onto www.redbullarena.us.
There are 16 teams in the BIG EAST, which are divided into a Red and Blue division. The top 12 teams will earn a berth into the championship. Championship tournament games will be held on the campus of the higher seeded teams prior to the semifinal and championship game at Red Bull Arena. The tournament champion receives the league’s automatic berth into the 48-team NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Championship.
The semifinals will start at 5 PM ET and approximately 7:30 PM ET, while the title game is slated for 12:00 PM ET. The final three matches of the championship will be televised live on the CBS College Sports Network (CBS C). The semifinals also will be carried exclusively on CBS C, while the title game will be shown on numerous regional sports networks, including SportsNet NY (SNY). The title game also will be broadcast live nationally on CBS C beginning at Noon, ET.
MATCH TICKETS FOR SECOND HALF ON SALE: Match tickets for the second half of the Red Bulls’ season are on sale now. Fans can purchase Groups, Family Packs and individual match tickets for all Red Bulls’ matches in August and beyond by calling 1.877.RBSOCCER or by CLICKING HERE. The full schedule of matches that are on sale is as follows:
Saturday, September 11: Red Bulls vs. Colorado Rapids – 4:00 PM
Saturday, October 2: Red Bulls vs. Kansas City Wizards – 7:30 PM
Saturday, October 9: Red Bulls vs. Real Salt Lake – 4:00 PM
Thursday, October 21: Red Bulls vs. New England Revolution – 7:30 PM.
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.
