RED BULLS TRAVEL TO TORONTO FOR EASTERN CONFERENCE SHOWDOWN: The Red Bulls look to distance themselves from Toronto FC in the Eastern Conference table when the two teams meet for a Saturday afternoon battle at BMO Field (1:00 PM ET; TV: MSG; Radio: WQBU 92.7 FM).
The Red Bulls enter the match five points ahead of Toronto FC for second place in the East after defeating the Canadian club 1-0 at Red Bull Arena last Wednesday night. Joel Lindpere scored his second goal of the season in the first half off assists from Seth Stammler and Thierry Henry to earn the Red Bulls three points. New York dropped its last match, a 1-0 decision to the Los Angeles Galaxy in front of a sold out crowd at Red Bull Arena last Saturday. The Galaxy tallied the only goal of the match in the 10th minute, when former Red Bull and United States 2010 World Cup forward Edson Buddle notched his league leading 13th goal of the season. Red Bulls midfielder Rafa Márquez made his home debut for the club, starting the match and playing 71 minutes. With the 1-1-0 week at home, the Red Bulls sit at 9-7-4 with 31 points.
The Red Bulls visit BMO Field for their only trip north of the border this season. Last season, the Red Bulls were unsuccessful in two tries in Toronto, falling 2-1 on June 13, 2009, and 2-0 on June 24, 2009, but defeated Toronto on October 24, 2009, 5-0, at Giants Stadium. Two Red Bulls players will be returning to Toronto for the first time as visiting players. Midfielder Carl Robinson, who signed with the Red Bulls prior to the 2010 season, spent three seasons in Toronto, appearing 74 times and scoring three goals. Goalkeeper Greg Sutton also spent three seasons with Toronto prior to joining the Red Bulls this offseason, appearing 34 times during his three year stay in his native Canada. Sutton started in goal and posted the clean sheet win in the Red Bulls win over the Reds on August 11, while Robinson came on in the 89th minute as a sub. Last Wednesday’s victory over Toronto FC gave the Red Bulls a 5-4-1 all-time advantage over their Canadian foes. All-time at BMO Field, the Red Bulls are 1-3-1. Juan Pablo Angel has scored the most goals of any Red Bull against Toronto, finding the back of the net six times.
LAST WEEK:
Red Bulls 1, Toronto FC 0 at Red Bull Arena on August 11.
Red Bulls 0, Los Angeles Galaxy 1 at Red Bull Arena on August 14.
THIS WEEK:
Red Bulls at Toronto FC on Saturday, August 21 at Red Bull Arena at 1:00 PM ET (TV: MSG; Radio: WQBU 92.7 FM)
NEXT WEEK:
Red Bulls vs. San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday, August 28 at Red Bull Arena at 7:30 PM ET (TV: MSG; Radio: WQBU 92.7 FM)
2010 MLS STANDINGS
INCLUDES GAMES OF SATURDAY, August 14, 2010
RED BULLS FALL TO GALAXY, 1-0, IN FRONT OF SELLOUT CROWD: The New York Red Bulls were defeated by the Los Angeles Galaxy, 1-0, on Saturday night in front of an announced sellout crowd of 25,000 at Red Bull Arena – the venue’s first sellout for a MLS game. Edson Buddle’s first half goal was the only tally of the match.
Chris Birchall troubled the Red Bulls early, winning possession in New York’s half and unleashing a shot from 27 yards out that beat Bouna Coundoul, but hit the crossbar and bounded over the net for a goal kick.
The Galaxy took the lead in the 10th minute on Buddle’s league-leading 13th goal of the season. Juninho collected an errant pass and played Buddle behind the defense, where the forward took a touch a beat Coundoul low to the right side.
The Red Bulls, who outshot the Galaxy 12-9, had their best goal scoring chance of the first half came in stoppage time. Midfielder Rafa Márquez, who made his MLS home debut, delivered a free kick from about 30 yards from goal that met the head of Juan Pablo Angel. Angel’s nodded over goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts and hit the crossbar.
In the second half, Thierry Henry looked to net his first goal of the season on a feed from Joel Lindpere, but the Frenchman’s effort from 12 yards out sailed high and wide. In the 71st minute, New York had an opportunity off a Lindpere corner, but Ricketts denied Tony Tchani’s header, and Galaxy defender Gregg Berhalter blocked Tim Ream’s shot off the rebound in front of the goalmouth.
RED BULL ARENA, BIG EAST RELEASE TICKET DETAILS FOR MEN’S BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIP: Red Bull Arena and the BIG EAST Conference announced today 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.
Red Bulls Full Season Ticket Holders will be able to purchase seats for the tournament during a ticket pre-sale, which will take place starting Tuesday, August 17 at 11:00 AM and will continue through Thursday, August 19. Tickets will then go on sale Friday, August 20 at 11:00 AM to the general public.
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.
RED BULLS TO HOST SECOND MAYOR’S CUP: Red Bull New York will host the second annual Mayor’s Cup, a match between the soccer teams of the New York Police Department and the Fire Department of New York, immediately following the Red Bulls vs. San Jose Earthquakes match on Saturday, Aug. 28 at Red Bull Arena. The Red Bulls vs. Earthquakes match kicks off at 7:30 PM ET. The Mayor’s Cup will benefit the New York City PBA Widows’ and Children’s Fund and the Firefighter Sergio Villanueva Soccer Foundation.
The New York City PBA Widows’ and Children’s fund provides assistance to the widows and dependents of officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty. The Firefighter Sergio Villanueva Fund promotes domestic and international goodwill through the sport of soccer and commemorates the life of Sergio Villanueva, a New York City firefighter and former New York Police Department officer who gave his life on September 11, 2001.
“It is great to get the support from the premier football club in New York,” said Jonathan Kanovsky, Executive Director of the Firefighter Sergio Villanueva Soccer Foundation. “It is a great feeling to partner with the Red Bulls and have a local event that our supporters in the area can attend. It will be great to play on the best pitch in the United States and to be able to play our rivals in what we believe is the premier soccer facility in the country. What better place to promote international and domestic goodwill than the cultural melting pot that we live in here in the New York-Metro area.”
Fifty percent of Mayor’s Cup tickets sold will be donated to the aforementioned foundations. Tickets can be purchased by logging on to www.newyorkredbulls.com/mayorscup or by calling 1.877.RBSOCCER.
“We are very excited about the upcoming match,” said Lt. Ronald Mejia, coach of the NYPD Soccer Team. “It’s an honor to play at the Red Bulls’ new stadium, and at the same time play for bragging rights and of course two great causes. The Fire Department has a solid soccer team and although we are rivals on game day, they are our best friends off the field. We support each other's causes and really look forward to August 28th when we face off. The Red Bulls have given our teams such a big opportunity that we cannot thank them enough.”
Last year’s Mayor’s Cup was won by the FDNY, who defeated the NYPD by a 3-0 score.
BOUNA TIME: Red Bulls goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul, with two more saves against Los Angeles on Saturday, leads MLS this season in saves. Coundoul, who was signed by the team on June 29, 2009, boasts a 1.16 goals against average in 19 starts this season.
2010 MLS SAVES LEADERS
Player, Saves
1. Bouna Coundoul (NY), 72
2. Stefan Frei (TOR), 67
3. Jimmy Nielsen (KC), 59
T-4. William Hesmer (CLB), 58
T-4. Nick Rimando (RSL), 58
5. Matt Pickens (COL), 55
REAM LEADING THE WAY: New York rookie defender Tim Ream is the only Red Bulls player to play every minute of the team’s 20 MLS regular season matches this year.
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, August 28: Red Bulls vs. San Jose Earthquakes – 7:30 PM
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 – 4:30 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.
