RED BULLS WITH FOUR PICKS HEADING INTO SUPERDRAFT: The Red Bulls will have four selections in Thursday’s MLS SuperDraft which will take place at 12:00 PM ET in Baltimore, MD (TV: ESPN2).
New York have the 13th selection overall in the first round as well as two second round picks (25th and 30th) and one third round selection (38th). Expansion side Vancouver Whitecaps FC own the draft’s first overall selection and fellow expansion club Portland Timbers will choose second overall.
Last season, the Red Bulls made five draft choices, all of whom made the roster for the 2010 season. New York selected midfielder Tony Tchani with the second overall (first round) selection, midfielder Austin da Luz 14th overall (first round), defender Tim Ream 18th overall (second round), forward Conor Chinn 34th overall (third round), and midfielder Irving Garcia 50th overall (fourth round). Ream went onto become a finalist for the MLS Rookie of the Year award after playing in every minute of every regular season match, while Tchani chipped in with 27 appearances, one goal and three assists.
REAM AND AGUDELO GET USMNT CALL: Red Bull New York announced defender Tim Ream and forward Juan Agudelo have been called up to the United States National Team’s January camp in preparation for its friendly versus Chile on Jan. 22, 2011 at The Home Depot Center in Carson, CA. The duo is among the 24 players called in by USMNT Head Coach Bob Bradley that began gathering on Jan. 4 at U.S. Soccer's National Training Center at The Home Depot Center. Agudelo also attend U.S. Under-20 camp in Florida in early January.
Agudelo, 18, a product of the Red Bulls Academy and a veteran of the United States Youth International squads, recently earned his first call up and cap for the senior national side in the United States’ 1-0 victory over South Africa on Nov. 17. He became the youngest player to ever score for the U.S., coming off the bench to provide the game winning goal in the 85th minute. In his first season with the Red Bulls First Team, Agudelo played in two regular season matches and started New York’s two playoff matches. He picked up an assist in the team’s 3-1 loss in the second leg of the Eastern Conference Semifinal versus the San Jose Earthquakes on Nov. 4.
Ream is coming off a stellar rookie season which saw him nominated as a finalist for Major League Soccer’s Rookie of the Year award. In 2010, Ream, 23, led all Major League Soccer outfield players in minutes played, featuring in the maximum 2,700 minutes in the Red Bulls’ 30 regular season matches. Ream’s strong play earned him his first call up to the national side on Nov. 17, when he also made his international debut in a 1-0 victory over South Africa in Cape Town. Ream started the match and played 67 minutes.
RED BULLS 2010 IN REVIEW: The 2010 season was a memorable one for the Red Bulls, as they began play in the brand new Red Bull Arena, and completed the best turnaround in league history. Red Bull Arena – the elite facility of its kind in North America – officially opened on March 20 with the Red Bulls earning a 3-1 win over Brazilian side, Santos FC. After finishing the 2009 season with the fewest points in the league, New York rebounded in 2010 by finishing first in the Eastern Conference. First year head coach Hans Backe’s revamped squad proved to be the stingiest defense in the East, conceding just 29 goals overall and a mere nine at home. The East title was just the second in franchise history, matching the 2000 squad’s crown.
2010 also marked the arrival of two international superstars to the Red Bulls. In July, the club welcomed French striker Thierry Henry, and less than a month later, his former Barcelona teammate and Mexican Captain Rafa Márquez joined the squad. Henry played in 11 matches in 2010, scoring twice and picking up three assists, while Márquez notched a goal and an assist in ten appearances. Both players were instrumental in helping the Red Bulls secure first place in the Eastern Conference down the stretch.
Two Red Bulls players found their club success in 2010 rewarded with their first call-ups to the United States National Team. Red Bulls Academy product Juan Agudelo and MLS Rookie of the Year candidate Tim Ream both made their international debuts on Nov. 17, 2010 in a friendly in Cape Town versus South Africa. Ream started the match and played 67 minutes, while Agudelo came off the bench and became the youngest player to score for the United States, as he tallied the winner in a 1-0 victory.
NEW YORK TO HOST SEATTLE TO OPEN 2011 SEASON: The New York Red Bulls’ 2011 campaign will kick off on Saturday, March 19 when the Red Bulls host Seattle Sounders FC at Red Bull Arena. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 PM ET.
The Red Bulls enter their second season at Red Bull Arena. In 2010, New York completed the best single season turnaround in Major League Soccer history, finishing with 51 points and atop the Eastern Conference with a record of 15-9-6. At home, the Red Bulls posted a 10-3-2 record and surrendered just nine goals. The 2011 season will be the first full year for New York Designated Players Thierry Henry and Rafa Márquez, who joined the club midseason last year.
Last season, the Red Bulls split their series with Seattle Sounders FC, winning a 1-0 decision on April 3 at Qwest Field, while falling 1-0 at Red Bull Arena on May 15. All-time against Seattle, New York is 1-2-1. Seattle finished 2010 in fourth place in the Western Conference with a record of 14-10-6 and 48 points. They were eliminated by the Los Angeles Galaxy, 3-1 on aggregate, in the Western Conference Semifinals. Seattle features Colombian striker and Designated Player Fredy Montero, who led the club with 10 goals and 10 assists in 2010, and former United States International goalkeeper Kasey Keller.
RED BULL ARENA TO HOST CONCACAF GOLD CUP DOUBLEHEADER JUNE 13: CONCACAF announced today that Red Bull Arena has been chosen as one of the 13 venues that will host matches for the upcoming 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Red Bull Arena will host a first round doubleheader on June 13, 2011. Participants, time, and ticket information will be announced at a later date.
“Red Bull Arena is the premier soccer venue in North America, and we are proud to host a match for the 2011 Gold Cup,” said Red Bull New York Managing Director Erik Stover. “The Gold Cup is an important competition in North American soccer. We will strive to provide a first-class experience to the teams and the fans who attend the match.”
The CONCACAF Gold Cup is the top international tournament in North America. The bi-annual competition features 12 teams from the region. Already qualified are the United States, defending champions Mexico, Canada, Jamaica, Cuba, Grenada, and Guadeloupe. The remaining five participants will be determined during the Copa Centroamericana, which takes place in Panama on Jan. 14-23, 2011. The winner of the 2011 Gold Cup will earn a spot in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup.
RED BULL ARENA TO HOST DISPATCH JUNE 18: Red Bull Arena will host its first-ever concert, with Dispatch coming to Harrison, NJ on June 18. Dispatch, which drew more than 110,000 people to their most recent hometown appearance at Boston’s Hatch Shell and was the first independent band ever to sell out New York City’s Madison Square Garden, a feat they repeated for three consecutive nights, will visit Red Bull Arena as part of a six-city nationwide tour in their first appearances since 2007.
Dispatch has taken the extraordinary step of setting ticket prices at $40 across the board. Tickets go on sale to the general public at 12 PM ET on Jan. 28 at www.dispatchmusic.com. Fans are also invited to sign up at www.dispatchmusic.com for access to a special presale, which begins at 12 PM ET on Jan. 21 and runs until the public onsale. 2011 Red Bulls Season Ticket Holders will have access to purchase tickets through the exclusive presale window without having to register online. For more information, call 1.877.RBSOCCER
(1.877.727.6223) TTY/Hearing Impaired - 973.482.9060.
“With its dedicated following across the country, including the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area, we are very excited to welcome Dispatch to Red Bull Arena this summer,” said Red Bull New York Managing Director Erik Stover. “We have had many proposals to hold a number of different acts since Red Bull Arena opened last March and we felt that this was the perfect occasion to host our first concert.”
Social responsibility has always been a major component of the Dispatch culture and this summer’s tour is no exception. This summer, the band will roll out their Amplifying Education campaign, which will focus on educational issues here in the United States. Not only will fifty cents from each ticket sold go to benefit education in each local market, but the band is planning additional programs to spotlight education in every market they visit.
Known as a band who attained superstar live status completely on their own terms, the members of Dispatch – Brad Corrigan, Pete Heimbold and Chad Urmston – released album after album on their own Bomber Records label, steering clear of the major label system and selling more than 600,000 albums. In the process the trio became true indie pioneers, building an enormous, passionate base of fans through the embrace of internet file sharing, word-of-mouth and constant touring.
The band’s career looked as if it would culminate in their historic show at Boston’s Hatch Shell, The Last Dispatch , which drew more than 110,000 people from 25 countries. Meant as the band’s farewell gig, the show was the largest independent music event in history. Then in 2007, inspired to reunite to raise money for charity projects in Zimbabwe, Dispatch played three sold out shows at Madison Square Garden. Both events were chronicled in successful film projects.
This month the band will enter the recording studio for the first time in 11 years to work on new material, some of which may appear in the set lists this summer and on a future release. The band has not released a studio album since 2000’s Who Are We Living For? In addition to their four studio albums, the band has a number of live albums, as well as a full length feature film, THE LAST DISPATCH.
The band is offering free downloads of their entire studio album catalog to fans who help get the word out about the summer tour. By following a few simple steps – including friending Dispatch on Facebook, following them on Twitter and sending five friends an email about the tour – fans will get a special code to enable the download of the band’s four studio albums. Complete details are available at www.dispatchmusic.com.
FIVE AND 10 GAME PACKS ON SALE THURSDAY: Five and 10-game ticket plans for the 2011 New York Red Bulls season at Red Bull Arena go on sale to the general public on Thursday, Jan. 13 at 10:00 AM ET. Fans can purchase five-game plans for as little as $90 and 10-game plans for as low as $170 per person. To buy tickets or for more information, call 1.877.RBSOCCER (1.877.727.6223) or TTY/Hearing Impaired line: 973.482.9060 or log onto www.newyorkredbulls.com.
