The New York Red Bulls have had a busy week leading up to their season opener tomorrow against Vancouver Whitecaps FC at BC Place at 7:30 PM on MSG 2. Here are some of the highlights of the week:
Tuesday
The Red Bulls hosted their 2014 Media Day and Jersey Week Party at Stage 48 in New York City. Showcasing their slick, new adidas secondary jersey, the Red Bulls are looking to defend the MLS Supporters’ Shield.
Led by MLS Coach of the Year finalist Mike Petke, New York knows that the expectations have been raised even higher for this season.
Afterwards, the team met with over 1,000 season ticket holders at the Jersey Launch party, where Petke introduced the entire team on stage. Here are some tweets from the day:
Wednesday
While the Red Bulls were in the New York area, their teammates Tim Cahill and Roy Miller were on international duty. And Cahill made history for his country, scoring not one, but two goals for the Socceroos in their 4-3 loss to Ecuador at The Den in London and breaking Australia’s record for the most goals scored all-time.
In the 8th minute a corner was sent into the box and the Ecuadorians attempted to clear the ball, but Australian midfielder Mark Milligan headed the ball back into the area. From inside the six-yard box, Cahill headed the ball into the back of the net. The record-breaking goal was Cahill’s 30th for the Socceroos, breaking Mori’s record that has stood since 2002.
Cahill would go on to score his 31st career goal for his country in the 31st minute. Midfielder Tommy Oar made a strong run down the left side and sent a curling cross into the box to Cahill, who finished with an excellent diving header from inside the six-yard box to score Australia's third goal of the match.
Reactions from Cahill and Ange Postecoglou, Head Coach of the Australia, after the match.
Thursday
No rest for the weary as the Red Bulls were back on the field on a chilly morning.
The Red Bulls were also able to announce their new, multi-year deal with MSG Networks, which is airing the team’s opener against Vancouver on MSG 2 (click here for local listings).
In addition, Red Bull Arena will be one of three locations for the U.S. Men’s National Team Send-Off Tour before they head to Brazil for the 2014 World Cup. The U.S. will face Turkey on June 1 at 2:00 PM in Harrison.
Media Recap:
Here are some other selected clips from this week to get you caught up:
Red Bulls, Mike Petke confident that stability of roster will lead to more success in 2014 (The Star-Ledger)
King Henry (Sports on Earth)
MLS Season Preview: New York Red Bulls (NBCSports.com)
Jersey Week 2014: New York Red Bulls make it clear they're the Big Apple's team with new away kit (MLSsoccer.com)
Red Bulls Season Preview (Soccer America)
MLS Preview (SBNation)
Taylor Twellman and Alexi Lalas preview the Red Bulls (ESPNFC.com)
Red Bulls Season Preview (Metro New York)
Red Bulls’ Henry driven to win MLS Cup, not “going out on top” (Empire of Soccer)
Dax’s Take (BigAppleSoccer.com)
2014 New York Red Bulls Preview: Chemistry and continuity vs. the clock | Armchair Analyst (MLSsoccer.com)
MLS title or bust for Red Bulls (New York Post)
Eastern Conference Primer (SI.com)
