RED BULLS HOST DYNAMO SATURDAY: After a well-earned draw in Columbus over the weekend, the Red Bulls return home to host the Houston Dynamo on Saturday at Red Bull Arena at 7:30 PM ET. This will be the first meeting between the teams this season, with the return fixture in Houston set for May 21. For tickets, call 1.877.RBSOCCER or CLICKING HERE.
New York enters the match currently in a three-way tie for second place in the Eastern Conference. The Red Bulls have four points through their first two games, which matches the point total of the Chicago Fire and New England Revolution. Despite using a different goalkeeper in each of its first two matches, the Red Bulls are one of two teams in Major League Soccer this season to post clean sheets in its first two games of 2011; rival Philadelphia Union is the other. After Greg Sutton shut out Seattle Sounders FC on the opening weekend, Alex Horwath was called in to replace the injured Sutton last Saturday against the Crew and didn’t miss a beat, registering his first career clean sheet in his Red Bulls and MLS debuts.
The Houston Dynamo currently sits in eighth place in their first season as an Eastern Conference team. Dominic Kinnear’s side has one point through its first two matches, earning that point on March 25 in a 1-1 draw with Seattle Sounders FC. Houston’s Geoff Cameron staked the Dynamo to a lead in the 42nd minute, but the home side got the equalizer ten minutes from full time through Steve Zakuani. Houston goalkeeper Tally Hall was a big reason for Houston sharing the spoils, making six crucial saves. The Dynamo dropped its first match of the season, 1-0, to the Union on March 19.
Last season, the Red Bulls went 1-0-1 against Houston, with both games being decided in the final minutes. On June 2 at Red Bull Arena, a stoppage-time free kick goal by Juan Pablo Angel gave the Red Bulls a dramatic 2-1 victory. The return match on July 31 in Houston marked the regular season debut for Thierry Henry, and the Frenchman made it a memorable one, providing two assists. The Dynamo tied the game on a late goal by Brian Mullan, as the match ended 2-2. All-time, the Red Bulls are 3-2-5 against the Texas side. The Red Bulls have earned at least a point against Houston in their past five matchups, posting a 2-0-3 record over that span. New York has also never lost a home game to Houston, going 3-0-2 all-time when they host the Dynamo.
MANCHESTER UNITED TO PLAY MLS ALL-STARS AT RED BULL ARENA: Major League Soccer announced Monday that Barclay’s English Premier League leader Manchester United will return as the AT&T MLS All-Star Game opponent. The marquee match will be played on Wednesday, July 27 at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, NJ and broadcast live on ESPN2, Galavision and TSN (in Canada) starting at 8:30 p.m. ET.
MLS Commissioner Don Garber and New York Red Bulls’ Thierry Henry and Erik Soler will welcome Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson to Red Bull Arena for a photo opportunity tomorrow Tuesday, March 29, followed by a formal press event featuring Ferguson, who will announce the remaining details of the Manchester United 2011 North American tour.
The event will be streamed live on www.NewYorkRedBulls.com starting at 12:30 p.m. ET.
The 16th All-Star Game in League history will be a rematch of Manchester United’s victory in the 2010 event, when a sellout crowd of more than 70,000 fans at Houston’s Reliant Stadium witnessed the first regulation loss by an MLS All-Star team against an international opponent. This summer’s matchup will be the eighth time the MLS All-Star team will take on an international opponent, having a 5-1-1 record in this format. A full press release can be found on www.newyorkredbulls.com.
ALL-STAR TICKET INFORMATION:
Prior to the General Public sale, an exclusive presale for Red Bulls Plan Holders to purchase All-Star Game tickets will begin on Wednesday, April 20 at 10 a.m.
All Red Bulls Full Season Members will have the first chance to purchase seats, followed by 10-Game Plan Holders, 5-Game Plan Holders and Red Bulls Membership Card holders. Full Season Members will also receive a discount on tickets purchased equal to the number of Full Season Memberships on their account. In total, Full Season Members can purchase up to double the amount of seats on their account during this exclusive presale. After the Full Season Member presale, all Red Bulls 10-Game Plan Holders, followed by 5-Game Plan Holders, will have an opportunity to purchase tickets to the AT&T MLS All-Star Game up to equal the amount of plans on their account. These tickets will be full price with fees and will be based on availability. Red Bulls Members will also have an opportunity to purchase a limited number of tickets to the AT&T MLS All-Star Game, based on availability, after the Plan Holders presale is complete.
Any remaining tickets following the presale will be made available through a General Public sale beginning on Thursday, June 2 at 2:00 PM. To participate in the presale please contact the New York Red Bulls to purchase a Full Season Membership, partial ticket plan or Basic Membership. For more information visit www.newyorkredbulls.com/tickets/allstarinfo or call 877.RBSOCCER.
LAST WEEK: Red Bulls 0, Columbus Crew 0 at Crew Stadium on March 26
THIS WEEK: Red Bulls vs. Houston Dynamo at Red Bull Arena on April 2 at 7:30 PM
NEXT WEEK: Red Bulls at Philadelphia Union at PPL Park on April 9 at 7:00 PM.
NEW YORK EARNS HARD FOUGHT DRAW IN COLUMBUS: A shorthanded New York Red Bulls squad grinded out a 0-0 draw against the Columbus Crew at a frigid Crew Stadium Saturday afternoon. New York earned its second straight shutout behind a stout defensive effort and moved to four points on the young 2011 MLS season off a 1-0-1 record.
The Red Bulls had a depleted side Saturday, missing six players due to international duty in addition to injured forward Thierry Henry (left hamstring strain) and goalkeeper Greg Sutton (concussion). As a result, New York made six moves in its Starting XI from its 1-0 win over Seattle a week before – setting an all-time League record in lineup changes from Game 1 to Game 2 in a MLS season.
Goalkeeper Alex Horwath, who was officially signed on Friday morning after winning a roster spot in preseason, made his professional debut and was called upon in the 14th minute, rushing off his line to block a Robbie Rogers shot. Twenty minutes later, midfielder Tony Tchani was able to get enough space to fire an attempt that goalkeeper Will Hesmer dove to his left to collect. The hosts again knocked on the door in the 39th minute, with Emmanuel Ekpo forcing Horwath to make a fingertip save after the Nigerian’s 16-yard-blast.
In the second half, Andres Mendoza again threatened New York’s net, nearly heading in a Ekpo cross from close range three minutes in. Ekpo later fired it just past the left post from 20-yards-out. On the other end, Red Bulls midfielder Joel Lindpere looked to get his name on the board for the visitors, pulling an attempt wide right.
Lindpere nearly won the game for New York in second half stoppage time, driving a shot towards the bottom right corner that a fully-extended Hesmer got a palm on before he collected.
Red Bulls defender Stephen Keel made his New York debut, playing 90 minutes, while forward Luke Rodgers managed to play 84 minutes in his first MLS match. Rodgers' replacement, rookie Corey Hertzog, came on to make his professional debut.
AGUDELO SCORES FOR UNITED STATES: Forward Juan Agudelo was among five Red Bulls unavailable for selection for Saturday’s game against the Columbus Crew because of international duty, and the 18-year old striker made good use of his time with the United States National Team. Agudelo scored the Americans’ tying goal against Argentina at New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ on Saturday night, as the USA earned a 1-1 draw.
It was Agudelo’s second career international goal, and just his third senior cap. In November of 2010, Agudelo became the youngest player to ever score for the United States in the modern era when he notched the winner against South Africa in his national team debut. Red Bulls defender Tim Ream was also called by the United States, but did not play in the match. Agudelo, Ream and the Americans face Paraguay in Nashville, TN Tuesday night.
KEEL, HORWATH, RODGERS, HERTZOG ALL MAKE RED BULLS DEBUTS: Four Red Bulls made their club debuts in Saturday’s 0-0 draw against the Columbus Crew. Goalkeeper Alex Horwath, officially signed just one day prior to the match, got the start in net in place of the injured Greg Sutton. Horwath made five saves en route to posting his first career shutout.
Helping Horwath on the defensive end was Stephen Keel, who started in central defense and made numerous key tackles in his Red Bulls debut. The former Colorado Rapids player played all 90 minutes in helping preserve the shutout.
English forward Luke Rodgers was called upon with the Red Bulls thin at forward due to international call ups and injuries, and the former Notts County man acquitted himself well in his debut. Rodgers, who has been battling injuries himself during preseason, started and played 84 minutes. He was replaced for the final six minutes of the game by debutant Corey Hertzog. Hertzog joined the Red Bulls as their first round selection (13th overall) in the 2011 MLS SuperDraft in January.
RED BULLS DEFENSE PICKS UP WHERE IT LEFT OFF: The 2010 New York Red Bulls were the best defensive team in the Eastern Conference, and the 2011 version has continued that trend to open the season. Just as they did last year, the Red Bulls have not conceded a goal in the opening two games of the season, posting shutouts over the Seattle Sounders on March 19 and the Columbus Crew on March 26. The club’s best defensive start to a season was in 2007, when the Red Bulls held clean sheets in its first four games of the season.
MARQUEZ EARNS 100th INTERNATIONAL CAP, RICHARDS PLAYS FOR JAMAICA: Red Bulls Designated Player Rafa Marquez achieved his milestone 100th cap for the Mexican National Team on Saturday as Mexico defeated Paraguay 3-1. Marquez assisted on El Tri’s second goal, which was scored by Andres Guardado in the 28th minute. Dane Richards also featured in international action this past weekend, as he started and played 78 minutes in Jamaica’s 2-0 loss to Venezuela on Friday. Richards earned his 27th cap for his country.
RED BULLS GO “ALL IN” IN NEW PROMOTION WITH ADIDAS: adidas and the New York Red Bulls today announced a season-long promotion underscoring the MLS club as the face of soccer in New York.
The “all Red Bulls” promotion officially kicks off April 5 when the Red Bulls team will appear at the adidas Sport Performance store on Broadway to meet fans and sign autographs. The Red Bulls will make additional appearances with adidas throughout the 2011 MLS season.
“Working with adidas on our ‘all Red Bulls’ campaign is a great opportunity for the club to continue expanding our reach and increase awareness in the area,” said Red Bulls Managing Director Erik Stover. “When you think of soccer, adidas immediately comes to mind. We are excited about this local partnership with a globally recognized and respected brand that has supported our team and our league for years.”
This summer, adidas and the Red Bulls will continue to celebrate soccer in New York with exciting events surrounding the 2011 MLS All-Star Game being held at Red Bulls Arena and the 10th annual adiCup tournament in New York City, combining the sport and style sides of adidas.
“New York sports fans are some of the most passionate fans in the world,” said Antonio Zea, director of soccer for adidas America. “The ‘all Red Bulls’ promotion taps into this local spirit and empowers fans to connect directly with the players they cheer on at Red Bulls Arena.”
adidas is the global leader in soccer and partners with the world’s greatest soccer clubs and federations including Chelsea FC, Liverpool FC, AC Milan, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Germany and Japan. adidas is an official partner of FIFA, UEFA, Major League Soccer and the Confederations of African Football. adidas also sponsors world-class athletes like Jozy Altidore, Fredy Montero, Juan Pablo Angel, Lionel Messi, David Villa, Kaka, Steven Gerrard, Michael Ballack, Xavi, Frank Lampard and Andres Guardado, among others.
RED BULLS SIGN HORWATH, LASSITER: Red Bull New York announced March 25 that it signed goalkeeper Alex Horwath. Horwath spent last season with the San Jose Earthquakes and Seattle Sounders after a three-year career at the University of Wisconsin.
Horwath, 23, was a member of the San Jose Earthquakes last season, having been called up as a MLS pool keeper to replace injured starter Joe Cannon. He did not see any action, only serving as Jon Busch’s backup. He was also a member of the Seattle Sounders during the 2010 season. Prior to joining San Jose, Horwath trained with Kansas City in the summer of 2009, also as a pool goalkeeper. Before beginning his professional career, Horwath minded the net for three years at Wisconsin, where he started 52 games and posted 17 shutouts. His collegiate career began at Connecticut, where he redshirted in 2005 due to a knee injury and did not play in 2006, after which he transferred to Wisconsin.
Two days earlier, the club announced it had signed Tyler Lassiter. Lassiter graduated from North Carolina State and was one of the Red Bulls’ two second round picks in the 2010 MLS SuperDraft.
Lassiter, 21, joined the Red Bulls after being drafted in the second round (No. 30 overall) in the 2010 MLS SuperDraft. A central defender at North Carolina State, Lassiter led the Wolfpack in goals scored (six) and all other offensive categories (six assists, 18 points) his senior year. He was named to the ACC-All-Freshman Team in his first year and Second Team as a senior.
