Red Bull Salzburg
A vital win over SK Rapid Wien pulled the Red Bulls back into the title race after perhaps their worst match of the season the week prior in falling to FC Wacker Innsbruck at home that had dropped the club to fifth place. The 2-1 victory was Salzburg’s from the start; Rapid Wien managed only a late consolation tally.
The three points gained vault Salzburg back into third place with only one point’s margin on either side and still five out of first, as SK Sturm Graz was also victorious. Salzburg needs only one point to assure itself of no worse than seventh in the table, but stands only five points clear of that place as well.
Five matches remain as the Red Bulls (13-7-11) continue their trek for the title. With matches again mid-table SC Wr. Neustadt on Saturday, May 7 and low-level KSV Superfund on Tuesday, May 10, Salzburg should expect to pick up another six points, as both are at home, despite recent troubles at Red Bull Arena. The Red Bulls will not get another chance to face SK Sturm Graz head-to-head (Salzburg was victorious 3-0 away two weeks ago), they will be able to play at least for second, with the season finale against FK Austria Wien looming.
RB Leipzig
The Red Bulls took three points in a 3-2 win over FC Energie Cottbus II. Daniel Frahn netted yet another goal and Stefan Kutschke came away with a brace in putting their club up 3-0, and although Energie Cottbus managed two on a penalty and perseverance, they were not enough even as Leipzig missed a penalty of its own and held on for the victory.
Leipzig (16-5-9) retained its position in fourth place, still three points clear of fifth and five out of third. Even with the rousing victory, it was a sobering fact that, with only four matches remaining, the Red Bulls are now mathematically eliminated from the title race, as Chemnitzer has amassed 70 points. In order to claim second, Leipzig will need at least three wins and a draw in its final four matches, assuming WfL Wolfsburg II does not glean another point. A tall order to be sure, especially with a bout against Chemnitzer looming, but with ZFC Meueselfwitz next on the schedule for May 8, the Red Bulls will have their first chance in the stretch run to prove themselves.
Red Bull Ghana
The Red Bulls have shaken up the divisions within their program, moving from U-12, U-14 and U-16 squads to U-13, U-15 and U-17s in tandem with their players aging in order to extend their youth careers rather than force them into the First Team prematurely.
Red Bull Brasil
May 9 looms as the date on which the team will resume operations, with player contracts ending and the choice to re-sign for the Copa Paulista being necessary at that point. The format for the Copa Paulista was released over the weekend, with RB Brasil falling into Group 3 with Internacional-SP, São Bento, XV de Piracicaba, Ituano, Rio Branco, Itapirense, Palmeiras and União Barbarense, out of which the four top qualifiers will advance to the second phase. The Copa Paulista champion receives a berth in the 2012 Copa do Brasil.
The U-20 squad also received its championship tournament format, being placed in Group 5 with Corinthians, Portuguesa, Flamengo-SP, Bragantino and São José in the São Paulo Championship. As in the Copa Paulista, the top four teams will advance to the next stage.
Meanwhile, the U-15 and U-17 squads once again paired to sweep their common opponent Juventus, the U-15s by a 5-0 score and the U-17s by a 2-1 margin in the Campeonato Paulista. The dual victories keep the youth squads undefeated at the top of each table at 4-0 along with both Corinthians squads. The two teams will each host low-level Barcelona on Saturday.
