BULLS WRAP UP SWING IN TORONTO: After playing their last two games on the road, the Red Bulls will complete a three-game road trip when they take on Eastern Conference rival, Toronto FC, at BMO Field on Saturday night at 8:00 PM ET (TV: MSG Plus; Radio: WADO 1280 AM). This match was originally scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 9 at 3:00 PM ET at BMO Field but was moved by Major League Soccer on May 29. Last week, New York played two road games in the span of four days and came out with a pair of losses. On Thursday, the Red Bulls fell, 2-0, to D.C. United at RFK Stadium. Then on Sunday, the New England Revolution dropped New York to a 4-0 defeat at Gillette Stadium. New York will be heading to Canada to face a Toronto FC team that is currently amid a two-game losing streak after a 2-1 loss at home to the Los Angeles Galaxy last Saturday. Galaxy forward Alan Gordon put the visitors ahead five minutes in, but Toronto FC forward Danny Dichio leveled the match in the 64th minute. However, the Galaxy earned the full three points when Edson Buddle scored his second of the season 13 minutes from full time. Toronto FC finds itself in a four-way tie for third place in the Eastern Conference on 16 pts. with a 4-5-4 record.
Saturday's match between the Red Bulls and Toronto FC will kick off a three-game series between the two sides in the 2009 regular season. The two teams will play two other times this season - on June 24 at 7:30 PM at Toronto and on Oct. 24 at 7:30 PM at Giants Stadium. New York holds a 3-2-1 all-time advantage over their northern counterparts and the two teams split the season series at 1-1-1 last year. After playing to a 1-1 tie at BMO Field on May 1, the Red Bulls earned a 2-0 win at Giants Stadium on Aug. 17 despite playing a man down for most of the second half following a Gabriel Cichero red card. Mike Magee gave the Red Bulls the lead in the 37th minute and Juan Pablo Angel tallied in second half stoppage time to ensure that New York earned the full three points. Toronto FC earned revenge at Giants Stadium on Oct. 4 with a 3-1 victory over New York. Chad Barrett scored twice for the visitors and Abdus Ibrahim notched the third in the win. The Red Bulls are 1-1-1 all-time at BMO Field. Angel has recorded four goals and two assists in six games against Toronto FC, while midfielder Dane Richards has two goals and one assist.
RED BULLS HOST VIEWING PARTY: The Red Bulls are hosting an Official Viewing Party for the team's match against Toronto FC on Saturday at 8:00 PM ET. Fans who attend will be able to enjoy drink specials and prize giveaways at Mulligans Pub on 159 First St. in Hoboken, NJ. For more information on Mulligans, log onto www.mulligansonfirst.com.
NEW YORK FALL TO REVS, 4-0: In the second game of a three-game road trip, the New York Red Bulls fell, 4-0, to the New England Revolution on Sunday night at Gillette Stadium. The defeat dropped New York to 2-9-3 (9 pts.) in the regular season while the Revolution improved to 4-3-4 (16 pts.).
During an evenly-played first half, New England earned the first scoring chance of the match in the 12th minute. Shalrie Joseph found Sainey Nyassi racing down the right wing and Nyassi was able to brush off his defender before forcing goalkeeper Jon Conway to make a diving stop. Steve Ralston almost was there to knock in the rebound, but Red Bulls midfielder Luke Sassano held him off and New York was able to clear.
Seconds later, New York midfielder Dane Richards got free in the penalty box and hit a deflected shot that went across the face of goal. Juan Pablo Angel was unmarked and nearly tapped it into the empty net, but he could not get to the ball. Conway was called upon again four minutes later, knocking over a Jeff Larentowicz free kick.
In the 34th minute, the Red Bulls again came close when a Sassano cross was headed over the bar by Angel. On a similar play, Kenny Mansally got free on the left wing and put in a ball that Joseph headed high.
New England took the lead in the last play of the first half. Ralston took the ball into the right side of the penalty box looking for Joseph. Joseph was able to hold off his defender and slide it to a wide-open Jay Heaps, who knocked it past Conway.
The Revolution doubled its lead seven minutes into the second half. At the left corner flag, Heaps was able to dispossess Nick Zimmerman and hit a right-footed cross into the box that was headed inside the right post by Ralston. Five minutes later, New England extended its lead to 3-0. Joseph received the ball in the Red Bulls' half and curled a pass to Taylor Twellman. Twellman rose above his defender and headed it in for his 100th career MLS goal.
Twellman scored his second of the match in the 64th minute. Mansally played a cross into the box that the Red Bulls were unable to clear and the ball fell to Ralston. Ralston hit a one-time pass across the box to Twellman and he knocked it under a diving Conway.
New York attempted to get on the scoreboard, with Zimmerman forcing goalkeeper Matt Reis to make a pair of saves with long range shots. With 10 minutes left, substitute John Wolyniec was able to get free on a header from a Danleigh Borman corner kick, but Revolution defender Kevin Alston was able to head it off the line.
RED BULLS DROP TIGHT LOSS TO D.C.: A Santino Quaranta first half goal and a late Jaime Moreno penalty kick conversion gave D.C. United a 2-0 win over the visiting New York Red Bulls at a wet RFK Stadium on Thursday night. New York dropped its third-straight contest and fell to 2-8-3 (9 pts.) in 2009.
D.C. United tested Red Bulls goalkeeper Jon Conway two minutes in when Clyde Simms unleashed a shot from 25-yards-out that went wide left. Three minutes later, New York midfielder Jorge Rojas had a shot outside the box that was pounced on by goalkeeper Josh Wicks. Rojas almost found Juan Pablo Angel behind the defense in the 14th minute, but the Colombian forward couldn't get on the end of it from 10-yards out.
United midfielder Chris Pontius tried to find the left side netting in the 20th minute. However, his attempt went wide. A minute later, Kevin Goldthwaite flicked on an Albert Celades free kick to Mike Petke, whose shot on goal was caught by Wicks.
D.C. took the lead in the 36th minute. From the right sideline, Luciano Emilio headed on a ball on to a streaking Fred, who dribbled the ball to the end line. Fred passed it low to Quaranta and he slid it in past Conway at the near post from close range.
The Red Bulls almost equalized two minutes before the break. Seth Stammler put the ball over the top to a wide-open Danleigh Borman, who was by the penalty spot. Borman however, was unable to control the ball and Wicks gobbled it up before the Red Bull got a shot off.
D.C. substitute Christian Gomez had two chances within a minute to put D.C. up, 2-0. Gomez first blasted a shot from long range that Conway dove to punch away. Emilio picked up the loose ball and curled a cross into Gomez, who nodded it off the top of the crossbar. After being substituted out of the game, Emilio earned a red card in the 64th minute from the referee for his behavior on the sideline.
In the 63rd minute, Rojas slipped Dane Richards into D.C.'s half. Richards raced to the end line and tried a short-angle shot that Wicks hit away. Ten minutes later, Pontius spun around his defender in the penalty box and blasted a shot that Conway parried.
The Red Bulls pressed for an equalizer and in the 79th minute, rookie Nick Zimmerman, who made his MLS debut, fired an attempt that Wicks could only punch over the bar. Moments after, Angel won a free kick outside of United's penalty box and his subsequent shot zipped just high. Later, Goldthwaite was able to get on the end of a Rojas corner kick but his header was off-target.
Moments later, Angel had a good opportunity to tie the game. Zimmerman found Richards at the top of the penalty box and he flicked it onto an open Angel. Angel took a shot from 10-yards-out that was saved by a fully extended Wicks.
United iced the result in the game's waning minutes when, on a counterattack, Conway was adjudged to have taken down Gomez in New York's penalty box. Moreno stepped up and scored on the penalty kick.
2009 MLS STANDINGS INCLUDES GAMES OF SUNDAY, JUNE 7, 2009
Eastern Conference ---------- OVERALL ----------- ---- HOME ---- ---- ROAD ---- GP W L T PTS GF GA GD W L T GF GA W L T GF GA Chicago 13 5 2 6 21 20 17 3 1 2 3 5 8 4 0 3 15 9 D.C. United 13 4 2 7 19 20 17 3 3 0 4 10 6 1 2 3 10 11 Columbus 12 3 2 7 16 17 17 0 2 0 3 9 7 1 2 4 8 10 Kansas City 13 4 5 4 16 16 16 0 2 2 2 7 7 2 3 2 9 9 New England 11 4 3 4 16 14 17 -3 3 1 1 9 5 1 2 3 5 12 Toronto FC 13 4 5 4 16 17 21 -4 3 3 2 8 9 1 2 2 9 12 New York 14 2 9 3 9 12 22 -10 2 3 2 12 10 0 6 1 0 12
Western Conference ---------- OVERALL ----------- ---- HOME ---- ---- ROAD ---- GP W L T PTS GF GA GD W L T GF GA W L T GF GA Chivas USA 13 8 2 3 27 18 9 9 6 1 1 14 7 2 1 2 4 2 Houston 11 6 2 3 21 15 7 8 4 0 2 9 2 2 2 1 6 5 Seattle 12 4 3 5 17 15 10 5 3 1 2 9 3 1 2 3 6 7 Colorado 11 4 2 5 17 17 14 3 2 0 2 7 4 2 2 3 10 10 Los Angeles 12 2 1 9 15 15 14 1 1 1 4 7 7 1 0 5 8 7 Real Salt Lake 12 3 6 3 12 16 16 0 3 1 2 15 7 0 5 1 1 9 FC Dallas 12 2 6 4 10 14 19 -5 1 2 3 8 11 1 4 1 6 8 San Jose 12 2 7 3 9 14 24 -10 2 2 2 9 9 0 5 1 5 15
LAST WEEK: - Red Bulls 0, D.C. United 2 on June 4 at RFK Stadium - Red Bulls 0, New England Revolution 4 on June 7 at Gillette Stadium THIS WEEK: Red Bulls at Toronto FC on June 13 at 8:00 PM ET at BMO Field (TV: MSG Plus; Radio: WADO 1280 AM)
NEXT WEEK: Red Bulls vs. Seattle Sounders FC on June 20 at 7:30 PM ET at Giants Stadium (TV: MSG; Radio: WADO 1280 AM)
NEW YORK RED BULLS SCHEDULE (June 8-14) Please contact a member of the Red Bulls Communications Staff if you have any requests or questions.
This Week's Schedule (subject to change): Monday, June 8: OFF Tuesday, June 9: OFF Wednesday, June 10: Training at Montclair State University facility at 12:30 PM ET. Open practice at 4:00 PM ET at River Bank Park in Newark, NJ. Thursday, June 11: Training at Montclair State University facility at 10:00 AM ET. Friday, June 12: Training at Montclair State University facility at 10:00 AM ET. Travel to Toronto. Saturday, June 13: Red Bulls at Toronto FC at 8:00 PM ET at BMO Field (TV: MSG Plus; Radio: WADO 1280 AM) Sunday, June 14: Travel back to NY/NJ area.
RED BULLS TO HOST OPEN TRAINING SESSION: Red Bull New York announced that it will hold an open training session on Wednesday, June 10, 2009, at River Bank Park, in the Ironbound section of Newark, New Jersey. The open training session will begin at 4:00 PM. River Bank Park is located at 618 Market Street, Newark, NJ, and is directly across the Passaic River from Red Bull Arena being constructed in Harrison. Following the First Team training session, the Red Bull Training Academy will hold a youth clinic from 5:30-6:30 PM with the players from the Ironbound Soccer club.
"The Ironbound has such a storied soccer history and is such a vibrant Newark neighborhood," said Red Bull New York Sporting Director Jeff Agoos. "It should be a fun afternoon for the fans to come out and see the team prepare for its match that weekend in Toronto."
The practice is a key event leading up to the Portuguese Day Festival that runs June 13-14, 2009, in the Ironbound. The Red Bulls will be a part of the two-day festival as they have been approved to shut down Van Buren Street, between Ferry Street and Lafayette Street, and will set up a mini soccer pitch as well as the Red Bulls Interactive Zone. Activities that will take place include pick-up soccer matches, a soccer-tennis court, as well as appearances by the Red Bulls Freestyle Soccer Team.
The Portuguese Day Festival is run by the Bernardino Coutinho Foundation and is in its 30th year. The Festival began as a commemoration of Portugal Day among the Portuguese citizens of Newark. Today over a half a million people visit the two day festival that not only celebrates Portuguese culture but includes food, music and traditions of Brazil, Mexico, Ecuador and other cultures of today's Newark Ironbound residents.
RBNY ANNOUNCES 2010 FULL SEASON PRICING: Red Bull New York today announced the Full Season and Day of Match pricing for its first season in Red Bull Arena - the soccer-specific stadium being constructed in Harrison, New Jersey.
Fans still have a chance to lock in 2009 season ticket prices by purchasing a Full Season ticket package by June 19, 2009. Season tickets purchased by that date will "freeze" the price for the 2010 season as well as place fans on the Priority Seating List whereby they will be first in line to select their seats in Red Bull Arena. The relocation process for the 2010 Red Bulls season will begin later in 2009.
"The pricing for current season tickets holders has been frozen for 2010 as a benefit to our loyal long time customers," said Red Bull New York Managing Director Erik Stover. "Overall, we believe that when we move into Red Bull Arena in 2010, our pricing will have an unmatched value in the marketplace for sports and entertainment. A new, soccer-specific arena with affordable pricing and first-class amenities will make attending a Red Bulls match an unrivaled fan experience."
Full Season ticket prices for the 2010 Red Bulls season are as follows:
2009 2010 2010 2010 Category Full Season Price Freeze New Full Season Day of Match Club Seats N/A N/A $3,000.00 N/A Midfield $528.00 $528.00 $585.00 $45.00 Sideline $368.00 $368.00 $425.00 $35.00 Corner Flag $272.00 $272.00 $335.00 $25.00 Endline N/A N/A $299.00 $22.00 Supporter $272.00 $272.00 $272.00 $20.00
In addition, fans that have purchased youth-price season tickets in 2009 will be able to "freeze" the pricing for the 2010 season, only, with their renewal. The youth pricing will be eliminated in 2011 for current plan holders. The youth-ticket pricing is not available for new full season ticket accounts.
ZIMMERMAN GETS IN: Red Bulls rookie midfielder Nick Zimmerman made his MLS debut on Thursday in New York's 2-0 loss to D.C. United. Zimmerman was a halftime substitute, coming on for defender Carlos Mendes. Four days later, Zimmerman made his first MLS start against the New England Revolution, tallying a team-high two shots on goal.
Zimmerman earned his first team debut for the Red Bulls on May 20 against D.C. United in U.S. Open Cup action, substituting in at halftime for Juan Pietravallo. Zimmerman was the only player on the Red Bulls' 24-man roster who had not seen action. He was drafted in the third round (44th overall) from James Madison University in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft. Every Red Bull on the roster has started in an MLS game for New York this season.
IRON MEN: Out of all of the players on the Red Bulls' roster, only defender Kevin Goldthwaite and forward Juan Pablo Angel have started and played in every game for New York this season. Goldthwaite leads the team in minutes played with 1,225 and is first in MLS entering the weekend. Angel is second in MLS with 1,221 minutes played.
NOT GUN SHY: Red Bulls forward Juan Pablo Angel has been moving up the club's annals in shots and shots on goal. Angel is currently third in each category, with 217 shots and 115 shots on goal. He is trailing Clint Mathis (276, 125) and Amado Guevara (260, 121). Angel is tied for first in MLS in shots (44) and second in shots on goal (21).
TRIO OF RED BULLS CALLED UP: New York Red Bulls defenders Andrew Boyens (New Zealand) and Alfredo Pacheco (El Salvador), and midfielder Jorge Rojas (Venezuela) were all called up by their respective national teams last week and missed time with the Red Bulls due to international duty.
Boyens was called by the New Zealand National Team for their participation in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. Boyens joined New Zealand on June 1 for a camp and three friendlies in preparation for the international competition in South Africa. The All Whites had friendlies against Tanzania on June 3, Botswana on June 6, and will face Italy on June 10. New Zealand dropped a 2-1 decision to Tanzania and tied Botswana, 0-0. Boyens earned his ninth international cap by playing the full 90 minutes against Botswana.
New Zealand opens the competition with three group matches, facing Spain on June 14, host South Africa on June 17, and Iraq on June 20. Boyens was unavailable for the Red Bulls' matches against D.C. United on June 4 and New England on June 7 and will miss the team's game against Toronto FC on June 13 and Seattle Sounders FC on June 20.
Pacheco was called up for El Salvador's World Cup Qualifying campaign and will be unavailable for the Red Bulls from May 31 until June 11. Pacheco joined El Salvador for a CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying matches on June 6 against Mexico in San Salvador, El Salvador, and he played 74 minutes in El Salvador's 2-1 win. On June 10, the Salvadorians will play against Honduras in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. Pacheco is expected to return to the team later this week after he missed the Red Bulls' matches against D.C. United and the New England Revolution. Pacheco has 67 caps for the Salvadoran National Team and has scored six goals.
Rojas will be unavailable for the Red Bulls from June 5 until June 11, as he was called up by the Venezuelan National Team for their upcoming CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifier. Venezuela will host Uruguay on June 10 in Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela. As a result, Rojas missed New York's game against the New England Revolution. However, he played the full 90 minutes against D.C. United last Thursday. A veteran of the Venezuelan National Team, Rojas has been capped 91 times and has scored three goals.
LA GALAXY KICKOFF AT 8 PM JULY 16 / MATCH TO AIR ON FOX SOCCER CHANNEL: Red Bull New York announced the start time for its July 16, 2009 match at Giants Stadium against the Los Angeles Galaxy has been set at 8:00 ET. In addition, Fox Soccer Channel announced today that the match will be televised live nationally. The telecast will be an MLS on FSC - Thursday Night Special and will begin at 7:30 p.m. ET with a half hour pre-game show, followed by the 8:00 p.m. kick-off. Following the match, there will be a 30-minute post game show. Fox Sports en Espaņol will also televise the match live in Spanish in a two-hour window beginning at 8:00 pm ET.
FAMILY PACKS ON SALE: The Red Bulls also announced that Family Packs for the remaining seven Red Bulls 2009 regular season games at Giants Stadium will go on sale on Tuesday, May 26 at 10:00 a.m. by calling 1.877.RBSOCCER or logging on to www.newyorkredbulls.com. The Family Packs include four (4) tickets to a Red Bulls match and a choice of either four t-shirts or $20 in concession vouchers for use at the Giants Stadium concessions stands. For the Los Angeles Galaxy game, the package only includes $20 in concession vouchers. The Family Packs start as low as $160.00 for the Los Angeles Galaxy match and $89.95 for the other six matches.
The Red Bulls also announced that the last date to join the Priority List for Red Bull Arena, by purchasing Full Season tickets in 2009 is Friday, June 19, 2009. Fans that purchase by the June 19th deadline - for as little as $272 - will have their pricing "frozen" for the 2010 season as well as be line to select their seats when the Red Bulls move into Red Bull Arena - the state-of-the-art soccer-specific stadium being constructed in Harrison, New Jersey -- For more information and securing your place on the Red Bull Arena Priority List, please call the Red Bulls at 1.877.RBSOCCER.
The remaining seven Red Bulls home matches available for the Individual Packs are as follows:
Day Date Opponent Time Thursday July 16 L.A. Galaxy 8:00 p.m. Saturday August 15 CD Chivas USA 7:00 p.m. Sunday August 23 FC Dallas 3:00 p.m Sunday August 30 Columbus 6:00 p.m. Saturday September 12 Kansas City 7:30 p.m. Friday September 18 New England 7:30 p.m. Saturday October 24 Toronto 7:30 p.m.
RED BULLS HOST COACHES RECEPTION: Red Bull New York is reaching out to the high school soccer community and is inviting coaches and athletic directors to attend a special High School Coaches Reception on Saturday, June 20 at Giants Stadium at 4:30 PM ET prior to the Red Bulls' match against Seattle Sounders FC at 7:30 PM (TV: MSG; Radio: WADO 1280 AM).
Staff members from the Red Bulls First Team and Academy Teams will be on hand to provide their experiences concerning the development of youth soccer players. The reception will also be an excellent opportunity for coaches to watch a MLS game in person and gain valuable insight on the game played at its highest level, as coaches from both the Red Bulls and Sounders will participate in a pre-game "Chalk Talk." Participants will also be given an introduction to the Red Bulls organization and will have a question and answer session with Sporting Director Jeff Agoos.
The Red Bulls are offering this package for $35, which includes involvement in all activities, admission to the game and a complimentary Red Bulls scarf. In addition, participants can purchase extra tickets for $24 for family and friends to attend the match. The deadline to order tickets is Tuesday, June 16.
RED BULLS-REVOLUTION POST-GAME: Here was the reaction after the Red Bulls-Rapids match on May 31:
New York Red Bulls head coach Juan Carlos Osorio
On giving up goals in a half's final minutes ... "I think it is just that, the pressure. In the last five minutes, we were in the game and seemingly relaxed and counting down. But in the end it was all about the first goal. After that, it was very hard to mentally get the team back in to the game."
On the second-half problems being about the team's mentality... "No, I think the guys gave it their all. I think that when things don't go right, they just don't go right. In the first half, we had more than enough to at least have been tied, but we conceded a very soft goal towards the end and after that I think mentally the guys were all battling back, trying to get into the game."
On whether they can still make the playoffs... "Well, that is the objective. Until we have a chance, I will never deviate from that fact that we still can fight and win some games. Today, I think the second half differed from the first because we competed and were in the game."
New York Red Bulls defender Jeremy Hall
On how much the mental game is playing a part for their team now... "At this point, I don't really know what it is. I guess we played good for the first 44 and a half minutes and in the last 30 seconds, we gave up a goal that killed us. Everybody's heads went down. I thought at half time we talked about coming out strong, but then they got the second, third and fourth goals, and just buried us. So I don't know what it is at this point, but it needs to turn around."
On giving up late goals because of losing focus... "It's when there is injury time and stuff. I don't know if people are falling asleep, thinking the ref is going to blow the whistle. Other teams keep figuring it out. They watch the tape and say well if we keep fighting then they will give up. That is what it seems like. It is just frustrating."
New York Red Bulls Midfielder Nick Zimmerman
On his first-career start ... "It was a great atmosphere and environment and I felt like we came in prepared. It was unfortunate the way the game ended, but it definitely felt good to get out there. It was a good game to come into."
On what happened in the second half... "I take full responsibility for the second goal. That is unacceptable. I misjudged it and made a mistake. It cost the guys a second goal early in the second half and it was just a huge uphill battle from there. So I take full responsibility. I should have done better and I let the guys down."
On feeling like he belongs in this league... "I felt good to be out there and I think the guys around me are really the ones that deserve the credit. They make the runs and make my job easy. They give me confidence. So credit really goes to them and the coaching staff. I wouldn't say that I belong in this league, but it definitely feels good to be out there."
• Discuss this story on the Major League Soccer message board...
• Digg this story
• Add to Del.icio.us
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.