MLS Red Bull New York

New York Red Bulls Weekly Update

Published on November 9, 2008 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Red Bull New York News Release


RED BULLS PLAY RSL FOR MLS CUP BERTH: After earning a resounding 3-0 win and 4-1 on aggregate over the two-time defending champion Houston Dynamo at Robertson Stadium on Sunday afternoon, the Red Bulls will turn their attention to the Western Conference Final, where they face Real Salt Lake on Saturday at 9:30 PM ET at Rio Tinto Stadium in Salt Lake City, UT (TV: Fox Soccer Channel, HDNet; Radio: WADO 1280 AM).

The winner of the Red Bulls-Real Salt Lake match will face the victor of the Columbus Crew-Chicago Fire Eastern Conference Final at MLS Cup 2008 on Sunday, Nov. 23 at 3:30 PM ET at The Home Depot Center in Carson, CA (TV: ABC, TeleFutura).

New York notched arguably its greatest win in its 13-year history last Sunday. The Red Bulls and Dynamo tied the first leg at one in the opening leg of their Western Conference Semifinal Series on Saturday, Nov. 1 at Giants Stadium when a Juan Pablo Angel goal was cancelled out by Kei Kamara. With the two-game series tied going into the second leg, the winner of last Sunday's match at Robertson Stadium would determine who would advance one step closer to the MLS Cup.

New York went ahead in the 25th minute. Midfielder Sinisa Ubiparipovic lofted a ball into the Houston half and Dane Richards beat his defender and shot it past goalkeeper Pat Onstad for his first career MLS playoff goal. Richards, who was a nuisance throughout the game, had a hand in the second goal as well 11 minutes later. The winger made a run on right wing before crossing it into the box. Houston's Ricardo Clark was adjudged to handle Richards' cross in the penalty box and referee Baldomero Toledo pointed to the penalty spot. Angel stepped up and knocked in his second goal of the postseason.

The Dynamo peppered the Red Bulls' net but goalkeeper Danny Cepero, who made his first MLS start three weeks ago, made five saves for his first career shutout. The Red Bulls iced the game in the 81st minute when Richards made a spectacular run from his own half and centered it to John Wolyniec, who tapped it in from close range.

With the win, the Red Bulls earned only their second postseason series victory in club history (the only other series victory came against Dallas in 2000 when New York won 2 games to 1). The victory was the Red Bulls' first-ever at Roberston Stadium and their first playoff road win since Sept. 20, 2000 - a 2-1 road victory over Dallas.

After knocking off the Dynamo, the Red Bulls, fourth seed in the Western Conference, will take on the third-seeded Real Salt Lake. Real Salt Lake advanced to the Western Conference Final on Saturday night at The Home Depot Center with a 2-2 draw against Chivas USA. Since Real Salt Lake won the first leg via a late Yura Movsisyan goal, 1-0, it won the series 3-2 on aggregate. In the second leg, Chivas USA went ahead in the 30th minute when Sacha Kljestan converted a penalty kick in the 30th minute. However, former Red Bull Dema Kovalenko equalized with a header in the 39th minute. Javier Morales put Real Salt Lake up, 2-1, in the 77th minute, putting a host past goalkeeper Zach Thornton. Chivas USA's Justin Braun was able to pull a goal back seven minutes from full time but the Goats were unable to score another goal to tie the series.

The Red Bulls have never lost to Real Salt Lake in the teams' four-year rivalry, going 2-0-6 all-time. New York won the 2008 season series against their Western Conference rival with a 1-0-1 record. On Sept. 13, the Red Bulls defeated Real Salt Lake, 2-1, at Giants Stadium. Movsisyan put Real Salt Lake up in the 38th minute, but second half goals from Angel and Dave van den Bergh gave the Red Bulls the three points. The two teams also played to a 1-1 draw on Oct. 9 in the opening of Rio Tinto Stadium. Van den Bergh put the Red Bulls ahead in the 31st minute. However, Jamison Olave scored 10 minutes later to tie the game.

Movsisyan led Real Salt Lake in the regular season in goals with seven while Findley and Morales chipped in with six. Morales also recorded 15 assists in 2008.

AFTER THE GAME: Here was some of the post-game reaction after the Red Bulls' 3-0 second leg win over Houston:

NEW YORK COACH JUAN CARLOS OSORIO

On the victory ...

"I'm very pleased with everybody. Danny Cepero did an excellent job, and all the back four plus Luke [Sassano]. I was very, very pleased with the commitment of the team. At the end, I think it was a great reward to beat the best, well-balanced team, as I've said in the past, and the past champion."

On the play of goalkeeper Danny Cepero ...

"It was key that Danny sent an early message to the back four. He was aggressive enough to go for crosses, and it worked out very well. I only remember one time he missed the ball, so a very good performance, and I'm very happy for him."

On the play of midfielder Dane Richards ...

"He played with a controlled aggression. A lot had been said about the rivalry between him and the fullback (Wade) Barrett, but I think at the end, Dane got the better of the two with his pace. He's doing a lot better work now. He comes inside and looks for a pass, now his combination play is better, and we always know that he is a threat in behind, and we're very pleased with his performance today."

On strategy for the game ...

"We knew coming in here that they would throw everything at us in the first 20 minutes, and all we needed was to get in behind, and fortunately that worked for us."

On the starting lineup ...

"When it comes down to playing against Houston, to have a good chance you have to have a team spirit. You have to be very committed, very combative, very competitive. I think we did that last week, and I was pleased with all the guys that started, so that's why I gave them a second chance this time around."

NEW YORK FORWARD JUAN PABLO ANGEL

On the result ...

"I am very happy, because we didn't come to this game as favorites and after 90 minutes, we beat the best team in the league. I'm also very happy because it's been a long time since this team moved on in the playoffs, and now all we have left is to get ready for the game on Saturday."

On the Red Bulls' performance ...

"I think the team played very, very well. We took advantage of every opportunity we had, and we were also lucky that they didn't take advantage of the opportunities they had."

On the series ...

"The game in New York was very important to see how well we could compete with them. We knew that this was a 180-minute game, and we did the same things well here that we did in New York. I think we were the fair winners."

NEW YORK GOALKEEPER DANNY CEPERO

On the win ...

"I think that coming in here is an uphill battle. This was our biggest win of the season, obviously, to come in and dethrone the defending champion. Now, with the history, obviously it's bigger in terms of the bigger picture with the franchise in general, but I can only speak this year for our team this season, and I think it's our biggest win this season."

HOUSTON HEAD COACH DOMINIC KINNEAR

On the game ...

"I feel sick to my stomach. I think it's the most lopsided 3-0 loss I've ever seen in my life. You have to score to win games, and that was very evident today. ... Sometimes you make your own luck. They made a lot of luck, but we didn't."

On the Dynamo's defending ...

"We just gave them a little too much space, and their pace was really what kind of carried them through. We got caught going forward a couple of times, and they took advantage. I don't think that was a penalty, but we had enough chances to win three or four games."

HOUSTON FORWARD BRIAN CHING

On the game ...

"New York had a game plan, and I guess they executed it. When we dig a hole for ourselves, it's tough to come out. We've done it for the past couple of years, but if you do it enough, it'll catch up to you. I'm frustrated, but that's the end of the season."

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:

- After the Red Bulls defeated Houston, 4-1, on aggregate, the Red Bulls now hold a 4-1-2 record all-time against Western Conference teams in the playoffs. New York has faced Dallas (2000), Los Angeles (2001) and Houston (2008) in the postseason.

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

- Prior to the start of the 2008 playoffs, players on the Red Bulls roster had a combined 45 playoff appearances. The most for an individual player was eight - forward John Wolyniec.

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

- 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.

LAST WEEK:

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINAL SERIES: GAME 2: Red Bulls 3 at Houston Dynamo 0 on Nov. 9 at Robertson Stadium

THIS WEEK:

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINAL: Red Bulls at Real Salt Lake on Nov. 15 at Rio Tinto Stadium at Sandy, UT at 9:30 PM ET (TV: Fox Soccer Channel, HDnet; Radio: WADO 1280 AM)

NEXT WEEK:

MLS CUP - Sunday, November 23, 2008 at the The Home Depot Center at 3:30 PM ET (TV: ABC, TeleFutura)

Winner of Columbus Crew/Chicago Fire vs. Winner of RED BULLS / Real Salt Lake. TBD

ANGEL LEADS THE WAY: Forward Juan Pablo Angel scored 12 goals in his last 15 regular season and has been one of the hottest players in the League. Angel, who had 14 goals in the regular season, led the Eastern Conference in goals. Angel finished fourth in goals in MLS, behind Los Angeles' Landon Donovan (20), FC Dallas' Kenny Cooper (18) and Los Angeles' Edson Buddle (15). In all competitions, Angel has tallied 14 goals in his last 17 games and has scored in four straight games.

Last Sunday, Angel scored his second postseason goal of 2008 and of his career, converting a penalty kick after Ricardo Clark handled the ball in the box en route to the Red Bulls' 3-0 win over Houston, A week before, Angel scored the Red Bulls' only goal in their 1-1 draw against Houston. The goal was Angel's first in three career playoff games. Last season, in the second game of the Red Bulls' series against New England, Angel was forced to leave the game after sustaining a concussion.

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 regular season 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

SUPER DANE: Now in his second season in the league, Red Bulls midfielder Dane Richards had a man of the match-type performance in New York's 3-0 win over Houston on Sunday, helping the Red Bulls punch a berth into the Western Conference Final.

Richards scored his first-ever postseason goal when he latched onto a Sinisa Ubiparipovic long ball and put his shot past goalkeeper Pat Onstad to put the Red Bulls ahead for good in the 25th minute. Eleven minutes later, Richards hit the cross that was handled inside the penalty box by Ricardo Clark and the subsequent penalty kick was converted by Juan Pablo Angel. Richards capped his dominant performance with a run from his own half before crossing it to John Wolyniec, who tapped it in from close range.

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. He played the full 90 minutes against Houston the first leg of the teams' playoff series.

A 2007 finalist for the MLS Rookie of the Year award, Richards, 24, had 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.

DANDY DANNY: With goalkeeper Jon Conway missing due to suspension, Danny Cepero has come up big for the Red Bulls at the end of this season. In the Red Bulls' 3-0 win over Houston on Sunday, Cepero earned his first-ever shutout, making five stops to keep the Dynamo at bay.

With two games left in the regular season and the Red Bulls clinging onto a playoff spot, 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 its 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.

JOHN ON THE SPOT: Red Bulls forward John Wolyniec made his first start since Sept. 13 against Real Salt Lake and he did not disappoint, earning an assist on Juan Pablo Angel's goal in the team's 1-1 tie against Houston in the first leg of the Red Bulls-Dynamo Western Conference Semifinal Series.

In the second leg, Wolyniec scored his first-ever postseason goal, tapping home a Dane Richards cross in the team's 3-0 win. Wolyniec, who leads the team with 10 playoff appearances, made 19 appearances and five starts in the regular season, notching one assist.

TENACIOUS D: The quartet of Kevin Goldthwaite, Andrew Boyens, Diego Jimenez and Chris Leitch have started together in five games this season (three regular season, two postseason games) and have only conceded two goals. The Red Bulls have gone 3-0-2 in those games.

IT'S ALL THE SAME: In the Red Bulls' second leg against Houston, Red Bulls head coach Juan Carlos Osorio kept the same Starting XI that earned a 1-1 draw against Houston in game one. That XI was: Danny Cepero, Kevin Goldthwaite, Andrew Boyens, Diego Jimenez, Chris Leitch, Dave van den Bergh, Luke Sassano, Dane Richards, Sinisa Ubiparipovic, John Wolyniec, Juan Pablo Angel.

DEBUTANTS: Six Red Bulls made their first playoff appearances in the Houston series. Goalkeeper Danny Cepero, defenders Diego Jimenez and Andrew Boyens and midfielder Luke Sassano all made their first MLS playoff starts and midfielder Juan Pietravallo and forward Macoumba Kandji came on as a substitutes during the series.

ON THE MENDES: Red Bulls defender/midfielder Carlos Mendes came on as a substitute against Houston in New York's 3-0 win on Sunday. It was his first game back since undergoing hernia surgery on Oct. 23 to repair a sports hernia. Mendes, who played in 17 games and made 10 starts in 2008, had his surgery performed by Dr. Ulrike Muschaweck on Oct. 23.

MAGEE MOVING UP: Just 24-years-old, midfielder Mike Magee has made 130 appearances for the Red Bulls. 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)

9. Chris Leitch (101)

In addition, with his start on Oct. 18 against Columbus, defender Chris Leitch made his 100th appearance for New York.

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

Check out the Red Bull New York Statistics

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Major League Soccer Stories from November 9, 2008


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