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MLS New York Red Bulls

New York Red Bulls Weekly Update

October 27, 2008 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
New York Red Bulls News Release


RED BULLS LOOK AHEAD TO THE PLAYOFFS: The Red Bulls clinched the final wildcard berth and qualified for their sixth-straight posteason despite losing to the Chicago Fire last Thursday, 5-2. The only team that could catch New York was D.C. United and only a win in its match against the Columbus Crew would suffice. However, a Brad Evans goal in the 77th minute gave the Crew a 1-0 win at Crew Stadium and helped the Red Bulls earn the fourth seed in the Western Conference. New York finished one point ahead of Colorado and two points ahead of D.C. United for the final spot.

Here are the final playoff standings:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Rk. Team GP Points

1. Columbus 30 57

2. Chicago 30 46

3. New England 30 43

4. Kansas City 30 42

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Rk. Team GP Points

1. Houston 30 51

2. Chivas USA 30 43

3. Real Salt Lake 30 40

4. New York 30 39

NON-PLAYOFF TEAMS

Rk. Team (Conf.) GP Points

9. Colorado (West) 30 38

10. D.C. United (East) 30 37

11. FC Dallas (West) 30 36

12. Toronto FC (East) 30 35

T-13. Los Angeles (West) 30 33

T-13. San Jose (West) 30 33

The two wildcard teams are seeded according to conference first. If more than four teams qualify from one conference, the team finishing lower than fourth in its conference will shift over to the other conference bracket. A team switching conference brackets will be seeded below all other teams in its new conference playoff bracket.

With the MLS regular season in the rearview mirror, the Red Bulls turn their attention to the Houston Dynamo - their opponent in their two-leg, home-and-home Western Conference Semifinal Series, which kicks off Saturday at Giants Stadium at 4 PM ET (TV: MSG; Radio: WADO 1280 AM).

After starting out the season with a 4-4-5 record, the two-time defending MLS Cup champion Dynamo has only lost one match in their last 17, going 9-1-7 since June 12. However, Houston's only loss in that span came against New York - a 3-0 Red Bulls win at Giants Stadium on Aug. 24. New York capped a three-game winning streak that afternoon with goals from Juan Pablo Angel, Dane Richards and Mike Magee. The Dynamo won the first encounter of the season against a depleted Red Bulls squad at Robertson Stadium on May 31, 1-0, behind a Brian Ching strike in the 68th minute.

Ching leads the Dynamo with 13 goals and five assists while All-Star Dwayne De Rosario has scored seven goals and two assists. Two-time MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Pat Onstad has started in 24 games, posting a 1.03 record and seven shutouts. In Houston's last match on Saturday, it tied Chivas USA, 1-1, at The Home Depot Center. De Rosario converted a penalty kick in the 52nd minute to put Houston ahead, but a late Jim Curtin goal gave each side a point.

The Red Bulls face the Dynamo in the return leg at Robertson Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 9 at 3 PM ET (TV: MSG Plus, TeleFutura; Radio: WADO 1280 AM). The team that scores the most goals over the two legs will advance to the Western Conference Final, where it will play the winner of the Chivas USA-Real Salt Lake series. If the series is tied after both games are played, the teams will play two 15-minute halves. If a winner is not determined, then a penalty shootout will take place.

PLAYOFF PRIMER: This is the tenth season over New York's 13-year history that the club has qualified for the playoffs. Here are a few facts regarding the team's postseason history:

- While the team's only postseason series win came in 2000 (over Dallas), the Red Bulls hold a 3-1-1 record all-time against Western Conference teams in the playoffs. New York has faced Dallas and Los Angeles in the postseason.

- New York has never faced Houston in the playoffs.

- New York's streak of six-straight playoff appearances is second only to the New England Revolution's seven-straight playoff appearances.

- Players on the Red Bulls roster have a combined 45 playoff appearances. The most for an individual player is eight - forward John Wolyniec.

- New York is tied with Los Angeles, Dallas and Chicago for the most playoff appearances with 10.

- 15 current Red Bulls have not played in the MLS playoffs before. This list includes: Andrew Boyens, Danny Cepero, Diego Jimenez, Macoumba Kandji, Matthew Mbuta, Juan Pietravallo and Jorge Rojas.

- Last season, the Red Bulls lost, 1-0, on aggregate to the New England Revolution in the Eastern Conference Semifinal Series. After the teams drew 0-0 at Giants Stadium in the first leg, a Taylor Twellman goal at Gillette Stadium a week later was enough to put the Revolution through to the Eastern Conference Final. In the second leg, the Red Bulls lost Designated Players Claudio Reyna (right hamstring) and Juan Pablo Angel (concussion) due to injury.

- The Red Bulls have never lost to Houston at Giants Stadium, going 2-0-1 over the past three seasons. Conversely, New York has never defeated the Dynamo at Robertson Stadium, going 0-2-1.

LAST WEEK:

Red Bulls 2 at Chicago Fire 5 at Toyota Park on Oct. 23 / End of Regular Season

THIS WEEK:

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINAL SERIES: GAME 1: Red Bulls vs. Houston Dynamo on Nov. 1 at Giants Stadium at 4 PM ET (TV: MSG; Radio: WADO 1280 AM)

PLAYOFF TICKETS ON SALE: Tickets for the New York Red Bulls' home playoff match against the Houston Dynamo on Saturday at 4 PM ET are on sale through the Red Bulls ticket office by calling 1.877.RBSOCCER, by logging onto the official Red Bulls web site, www.newyorkredbulls.com, or through TicketMaster. Individual tickets to the home playoff match are priced at $25 per seat, while groups of 15 or more can purchase tickets for $20 per seat.

New for 2008, the Red Bulls are also offering a Playoff Ticket Pack for just $94.95, whereby fans receive four tickets to the match and an 8x10 matted Juan Pablo Angel photo.

NEXT WEEK:

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINAL SERIES: GAME 2: Red Bulls at Houston Dynamo on Nov. 9 at Robertson Stadium at 3 PM ET (TV: MSG Plus, TeleFutura; Radio: WADO 1280 AM)

FIRE EXTINGUISHES RED BULLS, 5-2: Chicago Fire forward Chris Rolfe tallied a first half hat trick in a 5-2 win at Toyota Park before a crowd of 13,274 on Thursday, Oct. 23.

After Rolfe opened the scoring in the 11th minute, the Red Bulls pulled even in the 32nd minute when Dave van den Bergh sent a cross into the area, which was nodded home by Juan Pablo Angel for his team-leading 14th goal of the season.

Rolfe then found the back of the net twice in a six minute span to open up a 3-1 halftime lead. Two more Chicago goals expanded the lead to 5-1 before Macoumba Kandji scored his first MLS goal in the 89th minute to provide the final margin.

JUAN IS ON: Forward Juan Pablo Angel has scored 12 goals in his last 15 games and has been one of the hottest players in the League. Angel, who has 14 goals this season, led the Eastern Conference in goals after scoring in a 5-2 loss to Chicago last Thursday. Angel finished fourth in goals in MLS, behind Los Angeles' Landon Donovan (20), FC Dallas' Kenny Cooper (18) and Los Angeles' Edson Buddle (15).

Since joining the Red Bulls last season, Angel has scored at a historic rate, as he has found the back of the net 33 times in 47 games played for New York. That works out to a 0.702 strike rate for the Colombian international, a number that is the best all-time for the New York franchise (minimum of 35 games played). Players with strike rates over .400 are listed.

Rank Name Goals Games Strike Rate

1. Juan Pablo Angel 33 47 0.702

2. Giovanni Savarese 41 85 0.482

3. Clint Mathis 39 93 0.419

4. Adolfo Valencia 21 48 0.438

5. Rodrigo Faria 20 49 0.408

6. Alex Comas 15 37 0.405

Jozy Altidore 15 37 0.405

Juan Pablo Angel is racing up New York's all-time goals scored list. Entering this season (his first full season with the organization), Angel ranked seventh all-time, but has steadily climbed the list this season and surpassed Amado Guevara for sole possession of third place. (Players with 20 or more goals scored in a New York uniform listed).

Rank Name Goals GP

1. Giovanni Savarese 41 85

2. Clint Mathis 39 93

3. Juan Pablo Angel 33 47

4. Amado Guevara 32 103

5. John Wolyniec 24 119

6. Mike Magee 23 130

7. Adolfo Valencia 21 48

8. Rodrigo Faria 20 49

Angel is also second in Red Bulls history in multi-goal games after his two-goal performance against Columbus on Oct. 18, surpassing Clint Mathis.

Rank Name Multi-Goal Games

1. Giovanni Savarese 10

2. Juan Pablo Angel 7

3. Clint Mathis 6

DUTCH DELIGHT: Red Bulls midfielder Dave van den Bergh has been one of the team's most consistent players this season, scoring seven goals and five assists this season. Van den Bergh is second in both categories. Van den Bergh, who has made 26 appearances and 25 starts this season, has played on the left side and in the center of the midfield as well as at left back.

Now in his second year after being acquired on Jan. 11, 2007, from the Kansas City Wizards in exchange for a 2007 third round supplemental draft pick, van den Bergh has only missed five games over the past two seasons. He missed two games this season after undergoing hernia surgery on Sept. 19. Earlier this year, van den Bergh missed one game due to red card suspension and another after he was expecting the birth of his second child.

MAC ATTACK: Red Bulls forward Macoumba Kandji scored his first-ever MLS goal in the Red Bulls' 5-2 loss at Chicago last Thursday. Kandji came on at halftime for Seth Stammler.

Kandji has played in five games, starting in two. Kandji, who has two assists this season, made his first MLS start for the Red Bulls in the team's 1-1 draw against Real Salt Lake on Oct. 9. Kandji played 78 minutes before being replaced by Luke Sassano.

The Red Bulls announced Kandji's signing on Sept. 15. The 23-year-old, who has one assist this season, is on loan to play for the Red Bulls until the end of the 2008 MLS season. MLS and the Red Bulls finalized the loan and agreed to personal terms with Kandji and the Atlanta Silverbacks of the United Soccer Leagues' First Division before the MLS Roster Freeze Deadline. A Silverback for the past two seasons, Kandji appeared in 21 matches this year, scoring 11 goals and five assists. The Dakar, Senegal native was named to the USL-1 Best XI five times, including twice being named USL-1 Player of the Week (Weeks 10 and 16).

HOMECOMING FOR DANE: Now in his second season in the league, Red Bulls midfielder Dane Richards continues to be a main contributor for New York. Playing in 23 games this season, Richards has tallied a career-high in goals with three to go along with a team-high six assists in 2008. Richards recorded his sixth assist on Macoumba Kandji's goal in the Red Bulls' 5-2 loss at Chicago last Thursday.

A 2007 finalist for the MLS Rookie of the Year award, Richards, 24, has ties to Houston, as he attended San Jacinto College in Houston between 2003-04 before he transferred to Clemson University. At San Jacinto, he scored 22 goals and 11 assists and was named the National Junior College Player of the Year in 2004.

DREAM DEBUT: With goalkeeper Jon Conway missing due to suspension, Danny Cepero made his first-ever MLS start for the Red Bulls against Columbus on Saturday, Oct. 18 and he made the most of his opportunity. Cepero made two saves in New York's 3-1 win over Columbus to keep their playoff hopes alive. To top it off, Cepero made history in the 83rd minute, scoring a goal on a free kick that was over 80-yards long. Cepero became the first goalkeeper in MLS' 13-year history who had scored a goal.

The second-year goalkeeper, drafted by the Red Bulls in the 2007 MLS Supplemental Draft in the fourth round (46th overall) from the University of Pennsylvania, was loaned to the Harrisburg City Islanders of the United Soccer Leagues' Second Division earlier this year. In Harrisburg, he started in 18 games, earning a 1.00 goals against average and six shutouts. Cepero returned to the Red Bulls from Harrisburg on Aug. 20. Cepero hails from nearby Baldwin, NY, and attended Baldwin High School.

MENDES HAS SUCCESSFUL SURGERY: Defender Carlos Mendes underwent successful surgery in Munich, Germany, on Thursday, Oct. 23, to repair a sports hernia. Dr. Ulrike Muschaweck, the surgeon, performed a Minimal Repair Technique, which is a procedure developed and performed exclusively by Muschaweck. Mendes was expected to miss 2-3 weeks.

In his fourth season with the Red Bulls, Mendes has made 17 appearances and 10 starts for New York in the defense and in the midfield. The Mineola, NY, native has played a total of 95 games with New York, earning one assist. Mendes is the second Red Bull to undergo hernia surgery this year after Muschaweck performed the surgery on midfielder Dave van den Bergh on Sept. 19.

2009 SEASON TICKETS ARE ON SALE: New York Red Bulls 2009 season tickets are on sale now to the general public through the Red Bulls front office and team website (www.newyorkredbulls.com). By becoming a season ticket holder - a Red Bulls Member - in 2009, fans will be assigned a Priority Number for the seat relocation process which will guarantee each Red Bulls Member a seat in the Red Bulls new 25,000-seat soccer-specific stadium -- Red Bull Arena, under construction in Harrison, New Jersey. Red Bulls Members with a Priority Number will have the first chance to pick their seat locations at Red Bull Arena based on their number. To purchase 2009 season tickets, please call 1.877.RBSOCCER or log onto www.newyorkredbulls.com.

As a Red Bulls Member, fans receive a ticket to all 2009 Red Bulls Matches, including playoffs, a Priority Number for Red Bull Arena, Members-only access to the Bulls' Corner Pub both pre-game and post-game, a Ticket Exchange Program for unused tickets, invitations to exclusive Meet the Team Day Events, a RBNY hooded sweatshirt made by adidas (one per seat on account), access to the Red Bulls priority purchase windows for select international matches at Giants Stadium and much more. As a Bull's Eye Member, fans receive all the same benefits, plus access to a private lounge for complimentary pre-game hospitality and a season parking pass.

Red Bull New York also announced that there will be no increase in season ticket pricing from 2008. Plus, for 2009, the Red Bulls announced a new price category - Endline Bull's Eye seating -- of which there are only 56 available seats. For just $882 per seat, a fan can sit in the front row in the East End Zone and enjoy all of the benefits of a Bull's Eye Membership.

Pricing for Full Season Tickets for 2009 are as follows:

Seat Location Price Per Seat

Bull's Eye Memberships

Bull's Eye (North and South Touchlines) $1,088

*NEW*Endline Bull's Eye (East End Zone) $882

Red Bulls Memberships

Midfield (Adult) $528

Midfield (Youth) $352

Sideline (Adult) $368

Sideline (Youth) $256

Corner Flag $272

MAGEE MOVING UP: Just 24-years-old, midfielder Mike Magee made his 130th appearance for the Red Bulls against Columbus last Saturday. Magee is the longest-tenured Red Bull, having been with the team since 2003.

Games Played (All-Time)

1. Mike Petke (134)

2. Jeff Parke (132)

3. Mike Magee (130)

4. Tony Meola (125)

5. Steve Jolley (120)

6. John Wolyniec (118)

7. Tab Ramos (112)

8. Amado Guevara (103)

Red Bull Academy Update: Oct. 27

A Look Back:

U20s: The U20s are not in season.

U18s: The U18s are not in season.

U16s: The U16s are not in season.

U15s: The U15s are not in season.

U14s: The U14s advanced to the semifinals of the New Jersey State Cup after defeating U14 Pasco Stallions, 2-0, on Saturday, Oct. 25. The Red Bulls received goals from Fredy Umanzor and John Toher, while Brandon Hannat recorded the clean sheet victory. The semifinals will match the U14s with U14 North Hunterdon Attack on Saturday, Nov. 1 at 1:30 pm at Mercer County Park. The finals are slated for Nov. 2.

In Central Jersey Youth Soccer Association (CJYSA) action, the U14s improved to 4-1-1 in league play following a 3-0 win over U14 Cherry Hill FC Hammerheads on Sunday, Oct. 26. Matt Miazga, Toher, and Umanzor were the goal scorers for the Red Bulls. In this match, it was David Greczek who tallied the shutout win for the U14s

In addition, the Red Bull Academy is ranked third in Super-Y League in the Boys Division.

A Look Ahead:

Saturday, Nov. 1st

U14 Red Bulls vs. U14 North Hunterdon Attack 1:30 pm @ Mercer County Park (New Jersey State Cup Semifinals)

Sunday, Nov. 2nd

U14 Red Bulls vs. NJSA04 United/Millburn Patriots 2:00 pm @ Mercer County Park (New Jersey State Cup Finals)

Check out the New York Red Bulls Statistics

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