MLS Red Bull New York

Weekly Update: Red Bulls Go for Third Straight Victory Saturday in Columbus

Published on April 2, 2012 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Red Bull New York News Release


RED BULLS VISIT CREW SATURDAY, LOOKING FOR THIRD STRAIGHT WIN

Looking for their third consecutive victory, the New York Red Bulls visit Eastern Conference rival the Columbus Crew on Saturday at Crew Stadium. The match is slated for a 3:00 PM kickoff, and will be broadcast live on MSG Network and Galavision.

MLS Player of the Week Thierry Henry continued his red-hot play on Saturday, notching his first career MLS hat trick and setting up another goal in the Red Bulls' comeback 5-2 victory over the expansion Montreal Impact. Kenny Cooper scored his fourth of the season, while Mehdi Ballouchy came off the bench to tally his first of the 2012 campaign. The win improved the Red Bulls to 2-2-0, 6 pts., which places them in a second place tie in the Eastern Conference.

The Crew enters the match 2-1-0 on the season, even with the Red Bulls on six points. Since dropping its opening match of the season to the Colorado Rapids, Columbus has rebounded with two shutout victories, most recently defeating Toronto FC by a 1-0 score this past Saturday. Second year midfielder Bernardo Anor's first goal of the season in the 56th minute held up as the Crew defense stayed firm in front of goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum.

This will be the 53rd all-time regular season match between New York and Columbus, a matchup that dates back to MLS' inaugural 1996 season. The Crew holds a slight one game advantage, earning 23 victories to New York's 22, with seven matches having ended as a draw. Last season, the teams were even in their two contests, a 0-0 draw at Crew Stadium on March 26, and a 1-1 tie on June 4 at Red Bull Arena. The teams will play the return fixture at Red Bull Arena on Saturday, Sept. 15 at 7:00 PM ET.

HENRY WINS SECOND-STRAIGHT MLS PLAYER OF THE WEEK AWARD

New York Red Bulls forward Thierry Henry was named the Major League Soccer Player of the Week for Week 4 of the MLS season Monday by the North American Soccer Reporters. Henry, who earned the award last week for a two-goal, one-assist performance against the Colorado Rapids on March 25, topped that showing by recording his first-career MLS hat trick and adding an assist in New York's second-straight win "" a 5-2 victory over the Montreal Impact Saturday afternoon at Red Bull Arena.

With the Red Bulls down 1-0, Henry put New York on the board in the 28th minute, rising between two Impact defenders to nod a Rafa Marquez long ball into the back of the net. On the team's second goal in first half stoppage time to again tie the match, Henry provided the final pass to Dax McCarty, who earned a penalty kick that Kenny Cooper converted.

In the second half, Henry doubled his tally and scored the eventual game-winner. Eleven minutes into the interval, Henry controlled a McCarty feed, turned at the top of the box and ripped a shot past goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts inside the left post. On New York's fourth goal, Henry was the provider, flicking on a Jan Gunnar Solli cross to Mehdi Ballouchy, who one-timed it in. Henry completed his hat trick in the 89th minute and became the first New York player in over five years to score three goals in one match, knocking the ball in after Cooper's shot was parried by Ricketts.

The last Red Bull to secure a hat trick was midfielder Amado Guevara on Oct. 14, 2006 against Kansas City at Giants Stadium. He is also the first player since Jozy Altidore (Aug. 2007) to record two-straight multi-goal game performances.

Henry leads the League in goals scored with five and is second with three assists on the year. The Frenchman has had a hand in eight of New York's MLS-leading 10 goals this season. Last year, Henry led the club and finished third in MLS with 14 goals and was named to the MLS Best XI. Since joining the Red Bulls in July 2010, the former World Cup, European Cup and UEFA Champions League winner has played in 41 matches, starting them all, while scoring 21 goals and recording 10 assists overall.

The MLS Player of the Week is selected each week of the regular season by a panel of journalists from NASR. The group consists of members of print, television, radio and online media. More information and membership information can be found at http://www.soccerreporters.com/.

LAST WEEK

Red Bulls 5, Montreal Impact 2 on Saturday, March 31 at Red Bull Arena

THIS WEEK

Red Bulls at Columbus Crew at Crew Stadium on Saturday, April 7 at 3:00 PM ET (TV: MSG/Galavision)

NEXT WEEK

Red Bulls vs. San Jose Earthquakes at Red Bull Arena on Saturday, April 14 at 7:00 PM ET (TV: MSG)

RED BULLS-CREW CONNECTIONS

Columbus employs five former members of the New York franchise. Defender Carlos Mendes is in his first season as a member of the Crew after spending his first seven MLS seasons with New York. From 2005-2011, Mendes appeared in 146 regular season games, starting 128 of them and logging 11,498 minutes, each of which rank second all-time in team history behind Mike Petke. Mendes also appeared in 20 additional matches in other competitions, ranking third all-time behind Petke and John Wolyniec. Mendes joined the franchise in 2005, signing from the Rochester Raging Rhinos of the United Soccer Leagues, and departed when he was selected by Columbus in the MLS Re-Entry Draft following the 2011 season. Mendes has yet to play this season for Columbus due to injury.

Eddie Gaven also began his MLS career with New York when the club selected him with the 12th overall pick in the 2003 MLS SuperDraft. Gaven became the youngest player in franchise history to play in match (16 yrs. 232 days) when he made his professional debut on June 14, 2003 against the Chicago Fire. During his three seasons with the club, Gaven scored 16 goals and added 12 assists in 69 games.

Midfielder Tony Tchani was drafted by the Red Bulls with the second overall selection in the 2010 MLS SuperDraft, and appeared in 29 games during his one-plus seasons with the club. As a rookie in 2010, Tchani notched a goal and three assists while earning 17 starts in 27 games. Early in the 2011 season, Tchani was traded to Toronto FC along with Danleigh Borman and a 2012 first round MLS SuperDraft pick in a deal that brought Dwayne De Rosario to New York.

Midfielder Danny O'Rourke spent the 2008 season with the Red Bulls. He appeared in 28 matches, providing two assists and losing 2,400 minutes of action. He was then taken in the 2006 expansion draft by Toronto FC, and subsequently was acquired by the Crew.

Dilly Duka, a native of Montville, NJ, played in the Red Bulls Academy before being drafted by Columbus in the 2010 MLS SuperDraft.

RED BULLS DEFEAT MONTREAL, 5-2, BEHIND HENRY'S HAT TRICK

Thierry Henry's first-career MLS hat trick lifted the New York Red Bulls to a come from behind 5-2 victory over the Montreal Impact on Saturday at Red Bull Arena in the first-ever MLS matchup between the sides. The win was New York's second straight and improved its record to 2-2-0 (six points) on the season.

Henry was the first New York player in over five years to record three goals in one game. The last player to do it was midfielder Amado Guevara against Kansas City on Oct. 14, 2006. The Frenchman and reigning MLS Player of the Week has five goals in his past two games.

Montreal broke the deadlock 19 minutes after kickoff. Patrice Bernier sent a lofted pass that deflected into the penalty area, where Red Bulls defender Markus Holgersson failed to clear. Sanna Nyassi won the loose ball and fired a shot past diving goalkeeper Ryan Meara.

New York's two Designated Players hooked up to level the match in the 28th minute. Rafa Marquez floated a picture-perfect ball towards the penalty spot in between two Impact defenders. Henry rose and met the ball with his head, redirecting it off the pitch and over Donovan Ricketts for his third goal of the season.

The Impact was able to regain the lead on Justin Mapp's first goal of the season. In the 38th minute, Montreal midfielder Felipe Martins collected the ball in his own half and dribbled into the Red Bulls' end. Martins dished the ball of to Mapp just outside the top left corner of the penalty area. Mapp took a few touches inwards towards the center of the field, and hit a well-placed shot just inside the left post and past the outstretched Meara.

Just before halftime, the Red Bulls cashed in on a penalty kick attempt to enter the locker room even at two apiece. Henry played Dax McCarty into the box behind the Montreal defense. Matteo Ferrari slid into McCarty and was judged to have fouled him by referee Michael Kennedy. Kenny Cooper stepped up to take the penalty, and buried it past Ricketts.

New York took advantage of a turnover by the Impact defense to earn its first lead of the match after the half. McCarty stole a Montreal breakout pass and took a few touches before feeding Henry at the edge of the area. With his back to net, Henry turned and whipped a shot inside the left post for his second goal of the night.

The Red Bulls found their fourth goal of the day in the 72nd minute off the foot of substitute Mehdi Ballouchy. Jan Gunnar Solli brought the ball in from the right corner flag along the endline, and crossed for Henry. Henry flicked a backheel pass to Ballouchy, who redirected the ball past Ricketts.

Henry completed his hat trick in the 89th minute. Cooper tried his luck from distance, and the ball was saved by Ricketts. However, the keeper parried the ball right into the path of Henry, who deposited the rebound into the vacant net to complete his hat trick.

RED BULLS RESERVES TOP IMPACT, 3-1

The New York Red Bulls Reserves won its first match of the season on Sunday, defeating the Montreal Impact 3-1 at Montclair State University. Jhonny Arteaga got the game-winning goal just after halftime for New York, who also received goals from Tyler Ruthven and Victor Palsson.

New York had a number of chances in the opening minutes, and their constant pressure resulted in the game's first goal in the 13th minute. Impact goalkeeper Greg Sutton did well to deny Corey Hertzog's header, pushing it over the bar. On the ensuing corner kick, Ruthven rose to head Mehdi Ballouchy's pass, forcing a save by Sutton. The ball popped right back to Ruthven, who fired the rebound in.

Red Bulls goalkeeper Jeremy Vuolo was first called upon in the 21st minute, and did well to keep New York in the lead. Impact midfielder Miguel Montano gathered the ball in midfield and beat a couple of defenders to give himself space in the left side of the area. Vuolo dove to his left to keep out Montano's effort, parrying the ball away where it was eventually cleared to safety.

Montreal found the equalizer in the 30th minute. Midfielder Gienir Garcia collected the ball on the left side of midfield, and sent a cross into the box for Montano. Montano rose and redirected the ball with his head, looping it over Vuolo inside the far post.

New York regained the lead just three minutes after the restart. Jonathan Borrajo intercepted a pass in his own half and dribbled forward, playing Jose Angulo near the Montreal penalty area. Angulo slipped a through ball behind the Impact defense, into the path of Arteaga, who tucked the ball under Sutton with a left-footed shot.

Vuolo made another excellent stop in the 57th minute. Impact substitute Lamar Neagle had space and had an effort from about 22 yards out. The shot appeared destined for the top right corner, but Vuolo made a leaping save, deflecting the ball away.

New York got an insurance goal in the 87th minute. The Red Bulls held up the play well, and substitute Ryan Maduro found Palsson in the middle of the field. From about 25 yards away, Palsson fired a low shot that went untouched through traffic and beat Sutton inside the left post.

LEADING THE WAY

The Red Bulls' forward tandem of Thierry Henry and Kenny Cooper have combined for nine goals this season, and are currently first and second in Major League Soccer in goal scoring, respectively. Henry's five goals in his past two games puts him solely atop the league's goal scoring list, while Cooper's four ties him for second with Seattle's David Estrada and San Jose's Chris Wondolowski. Henry also ranks second in MLS in assists this season with three. In total, Henry has had a hand in eight of the Red Bulls' 10 league-leading goals. He also played the final pass to Dax McCarty, who earned a penalty kick against the Montreal Impact March 31 that Cooper converted.

BACK-TO-BACK

Thierry Henry's hat trick on Saturday followed up a two-goal performance on March 25 vs. the Colorado Rapids. The last Red Bulls player to have consecutive multi-goal games was Jozy Altidore, who scored two goals on Aug. 12, 2007 vs. Toronto FC, and two more the following match on Aug. 18, 2007 vs. the Los Angeles Galaxy.

CLOUD NINE

The Red Bulls have scored nine goals combined in their past two games, a team record for goals scored over a two-game span.

LINDPERE THE IRONMAN

Joel Lindpere started his 59th consecutive game on Sunday vs. Colorado. Lindpere ranks second in the league in consecutive starts, only behind Vancouver Whitecaps FC forward Sebastien Le Toux, who has started 62 consecutive matches.

TEAM RELEASES STATEMENT ON LUKE RODGERS

The New York Red Bulls released the following statement regarding forward Luke Rodgers on March 30:

"After going through the entire immigration and appeals process, Luke's P-1 Visa application has unfortunately been denied by the U.S. government for now. We have spoken with Luke about potential options and have mutually decided that it would be in all parties' best interests to terminate his current MLS contract so he could play elsewhere. However, we will also continue to track his progress this year while working with immigration officials with the goal that he could join the Red Bulls sometime in the future."

RED BULLS TO HOST TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR ON JULY 31 AT RED BULL ARENA

The New York Red Bulls will face English Premiership club, Tottenham Hotspur, on Tuesday, July 31, at Red Bull Arena as part of the inaugural New York Invitational Cup. Kickoff time and broadcast information will be announced at a later date.

Red Bulls Full Season Ticket Holders will have this match included in their plans as "Event 18" (out of 20). Season Ticket Holders will have access to an exclusive team meet-and-greet, as well as an open practice and autograph session. Fans can purchase tickets for the Tottenham match through an exclusive three-game pack by logging onto www.newyorkredbulls.com or calling 1.877.RBSOCCER.

"Tottenham has been one of the top EPL teams over the past several years and we are thrilled to play host to them at Red Bull Arena," said Chris Heck, New York Red Bulls President, Business Operations. "We are also excited to bring an elite international club as a reward for our season ticket holders and the supporters for both clubs. There will be several exciting events prior to, during and after the match that will have the direct involvement of fans and we are looking forward to revealing more details later this spring."

"We are delighted to have the opportunity to take part in the inaugural New York Invitational Cup. We enjoyed an excellent match against the Red Bulls during our last tour to the US and we expect this game to be equally competitive," said Tottenham Hotspur Chairman Daniel Levy. "In recent years, we have seen a significant rise in the number of Spurs fans across the USA and especially in and around New York and New Jersey. This match presents us with a great opportunity to give something back to those fans and also introduce new supporters to the Spurs way of playing soccer."

Tottenham, also known as Spurs, is currently fourth in the 2011-12 Barclays Premier League standings with 54 points. The London-based club boasts a number of top international players including Welsh midfielder Gareth Bale, Dutch midfielder Rafael Van der Vaart and Croatian midfielder Luka Modric. In addition, former U.S. Men's National Team standout goalkeeper Brad Friedel plays for Spurs.

Tottenham came to Red Bull Arena on July 22, 2010 as part of the New York Football Challenge and won, 2-1, behind goals from Robbie Keane and Bale. New York forward and former Arsenal FC star Thierry Henry made his Red Bulls debut in that match and scored in the first half. The Red Bulls have a 1-1-1 record all-time against English Premier League sides and are 42-26-15 in international play.

AGUDELO TO UNDERGO KNEE SURGERY, EXPECTED TO MISS SIX WEEKS

The New York Red Bulls announced that forward Juan Agudelo underwent surgery March 26 to repair a torn medial meniscus in his left knee. The procedure was performed by Dr. Riley Williams at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. Expected recovery time is up to six weeks.

Agudelo suffered the injury while he was with the United States Under-23 Men's National Team during a 6-0 win over Cuba on March 22 in Nashville, TN as part of the 2012 CONCACAF Men's Qualifying Tournament. The 19-year-old and former Red Bulls Academy product just began his third MLS season and has made one start this year, playing the full 90 minutes against FC Dallas in a 2-1 loss on March 11 before departing for international duty.

RED BULLS ACADEMY UPDATE

Academy Teams Enjoy Another 6-1 Weekend: The Red Bulls Academy teams went 6-1 this weekend, and are now a combined 12-2 over the past two weekends combined. Despite dropping their first game of the weekend to Empire United on Saturday, the Red Bulls Under-18 squad rebounded with an emphatic 5-0 victory over Seacoast on Sunday. The Red Bulls scored three times within a 13-minute span in the first half, starting with Erik Sa's third goal of the season in the 18th minute, followed up by Sean Sheridan and Danny Bedoya finding the back of the net as well. Danny Bartok and Scotty Thomsen also scored after the restart, while Max Brown went the distance between the posts for the shutout.

The Under-16 Red Bulls went 2-0 this weekend, beginning on Saturday when they defeated Empire United by a 3-0 score. Malcolm Dixon had a standout performance, scoring once and setting up goals for Alex Muyl and Vinny Brunetti. Joe Ohaus earned the shutout in net. On Sunday, The Under-16's earned a hard-fought victory over Seacoast. The Red Bulls went up 2-0 on goals by Amando Moreno and Izzy Tandir, and seemed to be in control of the match, however Seacoast battled back with two quick goals to even the affair. However, the Red Bulls were able to break through twice more through Muyl and Brunetti, and came away with a 4-2 win.

On Sunday, the Under-15 Red Bulls faced off against MatchFit. The Red Bulls entered halftime with a lead, as Donte Perez converted early on. Tyler Pinho doubled the Red Bulls' advantage in the second half, and Perez added another insurance goal as the Red Bulls cruised to a 3-0 win.

The Under-14 Red Bulls also earned a shutout over MatchFit, winning 2-0 on Sunday. Ethan Lochner opened the scoring early in the second half, converting a penalty kick after he was fouled in the box. Ten minutes later, Marcello Borges supplied an insurance goal, as Tom Lapinas and Max Lurie split time in net, pitching a shutout.

Also on Sunday, the Red Bulls Under-13 Pre-Academy team won its matchup with MatchFit, 2-0. Dontae Greer and Chris Schuermann provided the scoring, notching goals on either side of halftime.

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Major League Soccer Stories from April 2, 2012


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