MLS Red Bull New York

New York Red Bulls Weekly Update

Published on February 21, 2012 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Red Bull New York News Release


NYRB TO PLAY PUMAS IN ARIZONA AT RED BULL RETO DEL SOL THURSDAY

New York will face Pumas UNAM in a friendly match on Thursday, Feb. 23 in Red Bull Reto del Sol, or "Challenge of the Sun." This will be a follow up to last year's Red Bull Reto del Sol match, which pitted the Red Bulls vs. Club Atlas de Guadalajara.

Red Bull Reto del Sol will once again bring professional soccer to the Valley of the Sun, with some of the top players in the United States and Mexico participating, including Rafa Márquez, Thierry Henry, Martin Bravo, EfraÃ-n Velarde and DarÃ-o VerÃ"ne. The Red Bulls, who finished the 2011 season by advancing to the Western Conference Semifinals, will go up against Primera DivisiÃ"n Team Pumas UNAM. Pumas, widely regarded as one of the most popular clubs in Mexico, are champions of the 2011 Clausura tournament, having won their seventh championship against Monarcas Morelia.

"We are looking forward to returning to the Phoenix area to face Pumas, an elite Mexican side that will provide us with a big test," said Red Bulls General Manager and Sporting Director Erik Soler. "We had a good match against Atlas in 2011 playing in front of a great crowd and we look forward to competing in a similar atmosphere at this year's Red Bull Reto del Sol."

In 2011, Red Bull Reto del Sol took place in Glendale, AZ, pitting the Red Bulls vs. Atlas, and drew more than 23,000 spectators. After a scoreless first half, the Red Bulls went down 0-1 when Atlas player Edgar Pacheco put up a ball that was inadvertently deflected into the net by New York defender Tim Ream. However, former Atlas star and current Red Bull Márquez converted a penalty kick in the 89th minute, earning New York a 1-1 draw.

Tickets for Red Bull Reto del Sol are now on sale, starting at $20 and can be purchased through Ticketmaster by calling (800) 745-3000 and online at ticketmaster.com. Tickets are also available at usual tienda locations in the Phoenix area and at the Chase Field box office in person or via phone at 480-339-5000. For additional information please log on to www.azchasefield.com.

NEW YORK BEGINS DESERT CUP THIS WEEK VS. REAL SALT LAKE, NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION

The Red Bulls begin play in the 2012 FC Tucson Desert Diamond cup this week, kicking things off on Wednesday when they face Real Salt Lake. New York continues the competition on Saturday, Feb. 25 against Eastern Conference rival, the New England Revolution. The Red Bulls' third match of the tournament is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 29 versus the defending MLS Cup Champion Los Angeles Galaxy, and the tournament concludes with the championship and third place matches on Saturday, March 3. The first three matches all kickoff at 10:00 PM ET. The Red Bulls return to the New York area March 4, concluding the preseason travel schedule.

RED BULLS, TECOS PLAY TO 1-1 TIE

The New York Red Bulls completed their third preseason match with a 1-1 draw against Mexican side Estudiantes Tecos in Guadalajara, Mexico last Tuesday, Feb. 14. The game marked the final match of the team's preseason tour through Mexico. New York is now 1-0-2 in preseason play.

Kenny Cooper kicked off the scoring for the Red Bulls, when he ripped one from outside the box to beat Tecos goalkeeper Guadalupe Martinez in the 28th minute for his second tally of the preseason. Tecos answered back with the equalizer shortly after in the 34th minute, when Gabriel Pereyra placed his foot on a loose ball and put it past New York goalkeeper Ryan Meara.

The teams remained locked in a 1-1 tie for the remainder of the match.

RED BULLS, MSG NETWORKS REVEAL 2012 TELEVISION SCHEDULE

The New York Red Bulls and MSG Networks unveiled the official television schedule for the upcoming 2012 season. MSG and MSG+ will televise 19 MLS regular season of the team's 34 matches. In addition, MSG will also televise New York's preseason friendly match labeled "Red Bull Reto del Sol" on Feb. 23 against Mexican side, UNAM Pumas, live at Chase Field in Phoenix, AZ at 10:00 PM ET on MSG+.

The first MLS regular season match that will be on the MSG networks is the Red Bulls' clash against Real Salt Lake on Saturday, March 17 at 10:00 PM ET with a 15-minute pre-game show starting at 9:45 PM on MSG+. MSG Networks will produce pre- and post-game shows for all Red Bulls home games and also select away matches. All game telecasts will be produced in a high definition format.

"We are excited to continue our strong relationship with MSG Networks," said Red Bulls President, Business Operations Chris Heck. "We believe that their production quality for our fans is among the best in Major League Soccer and we are all looking forward to the 2012 season."

"MSG Networks is proud of its history with the Red Bulls and we look forward to their 17th season on MSG," said Dan Ronayne, Executive Vice President and General Manager, MSG Networks. "With exclusive local coverage of the team, we are excited to deliver Red Bulls soccer to fans in New York."

Veteran sports anchor and reporter Steve Cangialosi returns for his fifth season as the team's play-by-play announcer and 11th covering the Red Bulls, while former New York Cosmos goalkeeper Shep Messing starts his 12th season as an expert analyst. MSG Networks host and experienced sideline reporter Tina Cervasio will be back for her fifth season covering the Red Bulls, while Eddie Caggianelli begins his 11th season producing matches.

New York's remaining 15 regular season matches will be exclusively shown by MLS national partners ESPN Networks (seven times: four on ESPN, three on ESPN2) and the NBC Sports Group (eight times: six on NBCSN, two on NBC). In addition, Galavision will telecast six Red Bulls matches in Spanish (MSG Networks will telecast those games simultaneously in English).

The full 2012 regular season television schedule can be seen at www.newyorkredbulls.com/schedule.

HOME OPENER TICKETS ON SALE WEDNESDAY

Tickets for the New York Red Bulls' 2012 MLS Regular Season home opener at Red Bull Arena against the Colorado Rapids on March 25 are on sale today in an exclusive online pre-sale for Red Bulls Plan Holders. More information on the exact pre-sale windows can be found on www.newyorkredbulls.com/tickets.

Home opener tickets will go on sale to the general public on Wednesday, Feb. 22. For more information, call 1.877.RBSOCCER.

RED BULLS WAIVE MATT KASSEL AND SACIR HOT

The New York Red Bulls announced on Feb. 17 that the team has waived defender Sacir Hot and midfielder Matt Kassel.

"We want to wish Sacir and Matt the best of luck and hope to see them back at the club in the future. Unfortunately, with the talent on our squad, we cannot guarantee that Sacir and Matt will play in first team matches. They are both young players who need more games and we will help them find positive situations where they can succeed and develop. We will also continue to follow their progress at their next club," said New York General Manager and Sporting Director Erik Soler.

"These were difficult decisions, but we think that these are beneficial moves for all parties involved. The club is proud that they developed in our academy and have turned into good professionals," Soler said.

Hot was signed on Jan. 31, 2011 under the MLS Home Grown Player rule after playing at Boston College. The Red Bulls Academy graduate did not feature in a MLS regular season match in 2011, but made his Red Bulls debut in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on June 28 against FC New York.

Kassel, a fellow Red Bulls Academy graduate, was signed on Jan. 25, 2011 and played two regular season games in his rookie year, logging 82 minutes. He also started two Open Cup matches. Prior to joining the Red Bulls, Kassel was a three-year starter for the University of Maryland, helping the team win the NCAA Championship as a junior.

TRIO OF RED BULLS CALLED TO NATIONAL TEAMS, AGUDELO TO U.S. UNDER-23 CAMP

The New York Red Bulls announced that midfielders Joel Lindpere (Estonia) and Rafa Marquez (Mexico) and defender Roy Miller (Costa Rica) have all received call ups from their respective national teams for international friendlies that take place on Wednesday, Feb. 29. In addition, forward Juan Agudelo has been called into United States Under-23 camp for a match on that same date.

Lindpere will join Estonia for its match against El Salvador in Los Angeles, CA. Lindpere has earned 76 caps during his international career, which began with his first call up to the Estonian National Team in 1999. He has become one of the club's most reliable players. In 2011, he set single-season club records in games played and started by earning a start in each of the team's 34 games, recording seven goals and seven assists.

Marquez and Mexico are facing Colombia in Miami, FL. A veteran of the National Team who has earned 109 caps for his country, Marquez is entering his second full season as a Red Bull. Last year, Marquez started in 19 games and registered five assists while missing time in the middle of the season due to the CONCACAF Gold Cup "" a tournament Mexico won.

Entering his third season in New York, Miller was called up by Costa Rica for its international friendly against Wales in Cardiff. Since joining the Red Bulls for the 2010 season after playing professionally in both Costa Rica and Norway, Miller has earned 51 starts in 55 total appearances for the club, notching five assists while playing primarily at left fullback. Miller is looking to earn his 28th cap for his country.

Agudelo will join the U.S. Under-23 side in Frisco, TX as the Americans take on the Mexico Under-23 National Team at FC Dallas Stadium. This is the final match for the U.S. before the Men's Olympic Qualifying tournament begins on March 22. The 19-year-old and Red Bulls Academy product is in his third season with the Red Bulls and is coming off a 2011 campaign which saw him score six goals and two assists in 27 appearances. He has 16 U.S. senior team caps.

THIERRY HENRY RETURNS FROM ARSENAL LOAN

Red Bulls forward and captain Thierry Henry has completed his loan at Arsenal and has re-joined the Red Bulls for preseason leading up to the start of the 2012 Major League Soccer season. During the short-term loan, which started on Jan. 9 and ended this past Wednesday, Henry scored an impressive three goals.

Henry returned to his former club on Monday, Jan. 9 in a FA Cup Third Round match against Leeds United, coming on as a 68th minute substitute. The Frenchman made his impact felt just 10 minutes after coming onto the pitch, controlling an Alex Song through ball and curling it past goalkeeper Andy Lonergan, recording the game's only goal in a 1-0 victory.

Henry scored his second goal since re-joining Arsenal, netting the final goal in the Gunners' 7-1 rout of Blackburn Rovers on Feb. 4. Henry entered the match for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in the 68th minute, and finished off his chance in the 90th minute.

The Frenchman made his final Premier League game of the season with Arsenal a memorable one, as he notched the game-winning goal in stoppage time to lift Arsenal to a 2-1 victory over Sunderland on Feb. 11. It was Henry's club-leading 229th all-time goal for Arsenal.

Henry was the Red Bulls' 2011 Most Valuable Player, taking home the club's Golden Boot after scoring a team-high 14 goals in the regular season. The Frenchman, who made the MLS All-Star Team and was part of MLS' season-ending Best XI, played in and started 26 games, logging 2,266 minutes and registering four assists in his first full season in the League. He also notched his first career MLS Cup Playoffs goal in New York's 2-0 victory over FC Dallas on Oct. 26 in the Wild Card round. His 14 regular season goals ranked third-best in MLS this season.

Henry was with Arsenal from 1999-07, becoming one of the side's all-time great players. The French marksman was the top scorer in the English Premiership (2002, 2004-06) a record four times and helped Arsenal win the Premiership championship in 2002 and 2004. The 32-year-old also helped lead his team to three English FA Cups and claimed the European Golden Boot in 2004 and 2005.

RED BULLS INK ICELAND MIDFIELDER VICTOR PALSSON

The New York Red Bulls announced Feb. 10 that the club has signed Icelandic midfielder Victor Palsson. He will be added to the team's roster pending receipt of his P-1 visa and International Transfer Certificate.

"Victor is a promising young player who has gained some experience playing in Europe," said New York General Manager and Sporting Director Erik Soler. "He will certainly challenge for a spot in our squad and can provide us an option in midfield."

The 20-year-old defensive midfielder joins New York after spending the past year at Scottish Premier League side Hibernian. Palsson joined the club in Jan. 2011 and appeared in 34 overall games, scoring one goal. Before moving to Scotland, the Reykjavik, Iceland native was at renowned English club Liverpool in 2009, featuring for the club's Reserve Team. In Nov. 2010, Liverpool loaned him out to League One side Dagenham and Redbridge, for whom he made three appearances.

Palsson has featured internationally for Iceland on its various youth teams, including the Under-19 and Under-21 levels. He started his career at Icelandic clubs Fjolnir and Fylkir before moving to Danish club, AGF Aarhus in 2007.

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Major League Soccer Stories from February 21, 2012


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