The New York Red Bulls traded 19-year-old striker Juan Agudelo to Chivas USA today in exchange for defender Heath Pearce and allocation money they can use going forward. Rumors started mid-day that New York was involved in a trade, though initial speculation centered on designated player Rafa Marquez. Within about half an hour Agudelo’s name was thrown into the mix, and the trade was confirmed shortly thereafter. It’s a bold move for the Red Bulls and will certainly be an unpopular one for many fans. Agudelo’s successful stint for the United States about this time last year created a great deal of hype around the young prospect, and the trade further perpetuates the idea that New York is unwilling or unable to develop talent internally. [Read more...]
Red Bulls Trade Juan Agudelo to Chivas USA
Weekend Wrap – Thrilling Finish to the Premier League Season, Red Bulls Keep Rolling
Words won’t suffice in describing the final day of the 2011-12 Premier League season. If you weren’t tuned for the final forty-five minutes around the league Sunday, you missed a genuinely unique, utterly captivating sequence of events, a finale that will be referenced for decades to come. That noted we have to say something about what occurred Sunday morning. The final hour was so chaotic and unpredictable that it’s actually funny to glance at the final standings now and notice that nothing significant has changed from yesterday. Manchester City is still on top by virtue of a +8 goal differential, but even on points with second place Manchester United. Arsenal, Tottenham and Newcastle round out the top five. Everton finished ahead of Liverpool. Queens Park Rangers survived and Bolton is headed to the Championship next season. The table was scattered throughout the morning, teams moving up and down minute by minute, go ahead goal here, an equalizer there. All the pieces up in the air, shocking storylines coming together, then order restored suddenly just before the final whistle of the season, with each major piece falling back into its original place. [Read more...]
Premier League Finale – Everything up for Grabs on the Final Day in England
The 2011-2012 Premier League season wraps up tomorrow morning, and fortunately for fans every significant position on the table is still in doubt. When play kicks off at 10AM eastern time the league title will be on the line, as well as tickets to the Champions League, Europa League and one last ticket to the Championship via relegation. Let’s take a look at what’s on the line in each segment of the table. [Read more...]
New York Red Bulls 1, Houston Dynamo 0
Wednesday night’s game at Red Bull Arena probably won’t be the most memorable home game New York plays this season. In front of an announced crowd of 11,315 the Red Bulls won their third consecutive 1-0 game, their second win in a row without Thierry Henry. The attendance number must have been inflated because the stadium was a sea of empty seats, but fans in attendance got an opportunity to see the suddenly pragmatic, defensively sound team continue to hum along. It hasn’t been the prettiest soccer since Henry went down in the first half against New England, but it’s been effective, and New York’s much-maligned defensive unit has handled its responsibility admirably. [Read more...]
Weekend Wrap – FA Cup Final, Battle of Manchester and a New York Red Bulls Victory
It was a full weekend of soccer as the European club season winds down and Major League Soccer season ramps up. The action began early on Saturday, Cinco de Mayo, with the FA Cup Final. The weekend’s results allow us to start finalizing the story for England’s major clubs. In England, it was a good weekend to be wearing Blue – Red, not so much. Chelsea captured its first trophy of the 2011-12 campaign while Manchester City moved one step closer to its first ever Premier League Title. Locally, the New York Red Bulls made the most of their first game without Thierry Henry, defeating the Los Angeles Galaxy 1-0 in front of a capacity crowd at the Home Depot Center. [Read more...]
FA Cup Final – Liverpool v. Chelsea
Tomorrow’s FA Cup Final is a matchup of two prestigious English clubs not quite at the height of their powers. Looking at the pairing on paper – Liverpool and Chelsea – we have two of the most famous clubs in the world, true giants of the English game. But their respective reputations belie the reality for each club at the end of this 2011-2012 campaign. Liverpool is in the final for the first time since winning in 2006, and must seize the opportunity to salvage some dignity from an otherwise disastrous season. Chelsea, in the midst of its own disappointing domestic season, has considerably more leeway after advancing to the Champions League Final –though they’d likely feel a lot more relaxed making the trip to Germany with a Cup Title already in hand. [Read more...]
Manchester City (Probably) Wins the Premier League Title
Manchester City knocked off their dynastic neighbors 1-0 on Monday to pull ahead in the Premier League Title race with two weeks left. Even on points with Manchester United, City holds the advantage of two wins head to head this season. If Roberto Mancini’s side can win each of their remaining two games they’ll be crowned Champions of the 2011-2012 Premier League season – it will be their first championship in the top tier since the 1967-68 season. [Read more...]
New York Red Bulls 1, New England Revolution 0
Coming off a disastrous
defensive performance last week in DC, the New York Red Bulls pitched a surprising shutout Saturday against the New England Revolution. Surprising not because New England is an offensive juggernaut – their five goals on the season rank near the bottom of the league – but rather, because New York ranks last in MLS in goals against. Fielding a makeshift defense, New York shut down the Revolution attack allowing few serious scoring opportunities. Young goalkeeper Ryan Meara competently handled the few chances New England produced, and the end result was a much needed 1-0 Red Bulls victory. [Read more...]
DC United 4, New York Red Bulls 1
On a rain soaked afternoon in our nation’s capitol, the Red Bulls had no answers for their biggest rivals. DC United took advantage of a laughable defensive performance by New York, moving into second place in the Eastern Conference with a 4-1 victory. New York, playing without Rafa Marquez and Wilman Conde, allowed the game to get out of hand quickly and never recovered.
The story of the game was the Red Bull’s complete defensive meltdown. There were troubling signs from the outset. New York was unable to dictate play early in the game. The back line repelled the first few DC chances but couldn’t link a counterattack together. Play proceeded rhythmically for a bit – DC attack, clear, DC attack – until the first major mistake in the 8th minute. Thierry Henry lost control of the ball near midfield and had it taken away by DC’s Chris Pontius, who turned and took off for goal. New York’s two central defenders, Markus Holgersson and Stephen Keel, gave Pontius all the space he needed to uncork a shot just under the crossbar from about 20 yards out. It was an excellent finish by Pontius. Holgersson made a half-attempt at pressuring Pontius towards the end of his run, while Keel seemed prepared to backpedal out of the stadium. [Read more...]
Red Bulls Still Trying to Break Through in New York City
Yesterday’s Wall Street Journal featured an article which addressed the New York Red Bull’s continued battle for relevance in the New York area. After sixteen MLS seasons, currently in their third at Red Bull Arena, the Red Bulls still haven’t arrived as a prominent team in the New York sports world. Using whatever metric you’d like – attendance, television ratings, column space in the local papers – it’s clear that the Red Bulls are still at or near the bottom of the lengthy local food chain. Right now the only major franchise they might see in the rearview mirror is the New Jersey Nets – and that figures to change next season when the Nets make their high profile move to Brooklyn. While they’ve shown steady growth in recent years, the Red Bulls still face a number of challenges moving forward. [Read more...]
