Another week and another win as the Red Bulls are slowly but surely working their way up power rankings across the web. A three-game win streak will certainly help any team's chances at climbing the ladder, but New York's ability to win three straight by a differential of three goals or more has undoubtedly helped the team's case as well.
MLSsoccer.com has the Red Bulls making a huge jump from eighth place to fourth place after yet another strong performance against the Columbus Crew
. The play of Kenny Cooper and Thierry Henry, who have combined for 13 of New York's 14 goals, is as good a reason as any to consider the Red Bulls' climb, but so too is the team's critical stance on allowing a goal despite the win:
"Thierry Henry's "celebration" after his second goal against Columbus was our favorite part of the weekend. It was a classic "drop the mic" moment from a player who isn't satisfied with a multi-goal win, but demands greatness as well."
Soccer by Ives has the Red Bulls in a two-way tie with the Houston Dynamo for 5th place.
Soccer by Ives
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"The year still is young, but New York acquiring Kenny Cooper from Portland for a first-round SuperDraft pick and allocation money is turning out to be quite the move for the Red Bulls. With six goals, Cooper is tied for second in the league, only trailing teammate Thierry Henry, whose seven tallies have helped the Frenchman become the first player to win three straight MLS Player of the Week awards."
ESPN Soccernet's Jeff Carlise has the Red Bulls jumping from seventh to sixth (and unlike many, is bold enough to drop the Galaxy way down to the bottom from 10 to 15).
ESPN Soccernet
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"The front-line tandem of Thierry Henry and Kenny Cooper remained in sizzling form, as each recorded a brace in New York's 4-1 demolition of Columbus."
Avi Creditor over at Sports Illustrated has New York moving up the table as well, citing Henry and Cooper as the best one-two tandem in the League.
Sports Illustrated
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There's no hotter combo than the Thierry Henry-Kenny Cooper forward tandem in New York, with the two accounting for 12 goals in the last three games, including four against Columbus. The scoreboard was not completely indicative of how often the Red Bulls' defense got burned, though, with some errant point-blank chances, a few big Ryan Meara saves and the crossbar preventing the Crew from getting back in the game.
