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New York Red Bulls

New York Red Bulls Weekly Update

February 23, 2009 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
New York Red Bulls News Release


RED BULLS ARRIVE IN ARGENTINA: After an 11 hour flight from New York to Buenos Aires, Argentina on Friday, the 2008 MLS Cup Finalist Red Bulls kicked off their second preseason trip on Saturday morning. The Red Bulls will be training in Pilar, Argentina for the next two weeks before returning on March 9.

RED BULLS FIRST MATCH ON TUESDAY VS VELEZ SARSFIELD

On Tuesday, Feb. 24, the Red Bulls will play their first match while in Argentina. Their first opponent will be Velez Sarsfield of the Argentinean First Division. The Red Bulls will face Velez's first team in the opening 45 minutes. Red Bulls midfielder Juan Pietravallo started his professional career for Velez, appearing in 31 matches from 2000-2002.

NEW YORK RED BULLS SCHEDULE (Feb. 23-28)

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, Feb. 23: Training in Pilar, Argentina at 9 AM and 4 PM

Tuesday, Feb. 24: Red Bulls vs. Velez Sarsfield at 9:30 AM. Training at 4 PM

Wednesday, Feb. 25: Training in Pilar, Argentina at 9 AM and 4 PM

Thursday, Feb. 26: Red Bulls vs. River Plate reserves at 10 AM

Friday, Feb. 27: Training in Pilar, Argentina at 9 AM and 4 PM

Saturday, Feb. 28: Training in Pilar, Argentina at 9 AM and 4 PM

The Red Bulls brought 26 players to camp with them, including Khano Smith, who was acquired from Seattle Sounders FC on Feb. 12, and three new guest players who joined the team in Argentina: Alberto Celades, Jaime Duran, and Aklie Edwards.

Celades is a veteran of La Liga, having played for FC Barcelona from 1995-99 and Real Madrid from 2000-05, winning major national and international championships with both sides, including a Champions League title with Real Madrid in 2001-02. The defensive minded player spent the last three seasons with Real Zaragoza of the Spanish Second Division. The 33 year-old has made four appearances for the Spanish national team, including two appearances as a sub during the 1998 World Cup.

Duran, a 23-year old defender, most recently played for Skoda Xanthi F.C. of the Greek Super League. The Mexican played the bulk of his career for Atlas of the Mexican First Division. He has also played for the Mexican U23 team.

Edwards is another left-sided defender. The 23-year old is a member of the national team for Trinidad and Tobago, earning 11 caps while scoring one goal. He last played for Defence Force of the TT Pro League.

Here is the training camp roster as of today:

Goalkeepers: Danny Cepero, Jon Conway, Alec Dufty*

Defenders: Andrew Boyens, Alberto Celades*, Jaime Duran*, Aklie Edwards*, Kevin Goldthwaite, Chris Leitch, Carlos Mendes, Mike Petke, Jack Traynor

Midfielders: Danleigh Borman, Jeremy Hall, Matthew Mbuta, Juan Pietravallo, Jorge Rojas, Dane Richards, Khano Smith, Luke Sassano, Seth Stammler, Sinisa Ubiparipovic, Nick Zimmerman

Forwards: Juan Pablo Angel, Dominic Oduro, John Wolyniec

* - Guest Players

Macoumba Kandji did not travel due to visa issues and is training individually. Terry Boss, Oscar Echeverry, and Michael Palacio did not travel due to injury.

For daily updates from Red Bulls training camp, please visit www.newyorkredbulls.com or Red Bulls Reader - the official team blog (www.redbullsreader.com).

CLUB TO HOST CHARITY MATCH: Red Bull New York announced Monday that a celebrity game will be among the pre-match festivities as the team opens its 2009 Major League Soccer (MLS) home schedule against the New England Revolution at 7:30 PM on Saturday, March 28 at Giants Stadium (TV: Fox Soccer Channel; Radio: WADO 1280 AM)

The celebrity pre-game, kicks off at 5:00 PM and will feature notable celebrities from the worlds of soccer, television, movies, radio, and music. The match will be promoted through numerous mediums, with give-aways as well as a contest. The contest winner will watch the game from the field with the players and celebrities. The Red Bulls will donate a portion of each game ticket sold to the Books for Kids Foundation.

For 23 years, Books for Kids has been responsible for distributing over five million books to needy children, in the New York area and across the nation. The mission of Books for Kids Foundation (www.booksforkids.org) is to promote literacy among all children with a special emphasis on low income, disadvantaged children of pre-school age. Books for Kids creates libraries, donates books and partners with world renowned literacy programs to help develop the critical foundation and skills which these young children need to be successful in life.

The celebrities scheduled to participate in the match include:

- Werner Roth, Former New York Cosmos

- V Factory, band from Radio Disney

- Lance Reddick, actor in Lost, the Fringe, the Wire.

- Robert Funaro, Emmy nominated actor who has appeared in The Sopranos and

American Gangster and the new prime time series The Unusuals

- Michael Johns, American Idol Season 7 favorite

- John Driscoll & Jeff Branson, actors in Guiding Light

- Ken Stafford, Contestant in Survivor Thailand-

- Kaycee Stroh, High School Musical

- Goumba Johnny from WKTU will serve as the MC for the game.

Radio Disney will also be present on site with giveaways and entertainment. More celebrities names set to follow.

For tickets to the match, please call 1.877.RBSOCCER or log onto www.newyorkredbulls.com. To learn more about the Books for Kids Foundation please call 212-252-9168 or log onto www.booksforkids.org

BULLS SIGN RICHARDS TO EXTENSION: Red Bull New York announced Feb. 18 that it signed midfielder Dane Richards to a new, multi-year contract. Per club and MLS regulations, specific terms of the deal were not disclosed.

"During his time in New York, Dane has developed into one of our most potent offensive threats and one of the top young players in MLS," said Sporting Director Jeff Agoos. "We're thrilled that we were able to agree to a new contract with Dane, as one of our goals was to stabilize our roster and promote consistency within our club."

Richards will be starting his third season with the Red Bulls after a strong sophomore season, when he recorded a career-high three goals to go along with a team-high six assists in 23 appearances and 18 starts. The 25-year-old played in all four playoff games in the Red Bulls' run to their first MLS Cup Final. The Montego Bay, Jamaica, native was instrumental in the team's success in its Western Conference Semifinal second leg match against the Houston Dynamo on Nov. 9, when he had a hand in each of the New York's three goals in a 3-0 win. Richards won MLS Player of the Week for that performance. He also tallied an assist against the Columbus Crew in the MLS Cup Final.

In 2007, Richards was a MLS Rookie of the Year finalist after recording two goals and six assists in 28 games. On the international level, Richards has earned 12 caps for the Jamaican National Team. Richards was acquired by the Red Bulls via the 2007 MLS SuperDraft, when he was picked in the second round (19th overall) out of Clemson University.

ROTH WAIVED: Red Bull New York announced on Feb. 18 that it waived midfielder David Roth. Roth was drafted in the fourth round (44th overall) in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft out of Northwestern University. In his first year in MLS, Roth was sidelined during the 2008 preseason with a left knee injury that kept him out until June. The left-footed midfielder made 10 appearances and recorded three assists for the Red Bulls Reserves and played in the Red Bulls' third round Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup match against Crystal Palace Baltimore on July 1, but he did not appear in a regular season game.

Also, the team also announced that that goalkeeper Caleb Patterson-Sewell will not be returning to the club for the 2009 season. Patterson-Sewell was offered a contract but decided to pursue other options.

"With smaller rosters and the cancellation of the MLS Reserve League, Caleb thought it would be in his best interests to pursue other options so that he could earn more competitive experience," said Sporting Director Jeff Agoos.

Patterson-Sewell was signed by the Red Bulls on March 20, 2008. Serving as the back-up goalkeeper in several matches, Patterson-Sewell's first team debut came on Aug. 6, when he played the second half against FC Barcelona. Prior to joining the Red Bulls, Patterson-Sewell played for the Cleveland City Stars of the USL Second Division, helping lead the club to its first-ever Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup qualification. He also enjoyed a stint in 2006 with the Toowoomba Raiders of the Australian League Second Division.

THE REMAINING PRESEASON SCHEDULE: Here is the rest of the Red Bulls training schedule prior to their home opener on March 19.

2009 NEW YORK RED BULLS PRESEASON SCHEDULE

Feb. 20 - Team leaves for Pilar, Argentina

March 9 - Team returns to NY/NJ area

March 12 - Red Bulls at Crystal Palace Baltimore at 7 PM in Annapolis, MD.

March 19 - Red Bulls at Seattle Sounders FC at 9 PM ET (TV: ESPN2, ESPN

Deportes)

IN AND OUT: The Red Bulls have several new faces on their team in 2009 as well as others who departed in the offseason. Here is a list:

New Players (6): Jeremy Hall (Selected in the first round (11th overall) of the 2009 MLS SuperDraft on Jan. 15, 2009) ; Dominic Oduro (Acquired in a trade with FC Dallas on Jan. 13, 2009) ; Mike Petke (Acquired in 2008 MLS Waiver Draft on Nov. 26, 2008); Khano Smith (Acquired in a trade with Seattle Sounders FC on Feb. 12, 2009); Jack Traynor (Selected in the second round (29th overall) of the 2009 MLS SuperDraft on Jan. 15, 2009) ; Nick Zimmerman (Selected in the third round (44th overall) of the 2009 MLS SuperDraft on Jan. 15, 2009)

Players who have left (9): Gabriel Cichero (Waived on Nov. 26, 2008); John Gilkerson (Did not return to team after 2008 season); Diego Jimenez (Returned to Tecos after loan expired with New York on Dec. 31, 2008); Gordon Kljestan (Waived on Nov. 26, 2008); Mike Magee (Traded to the Los Angeles Galaxy on Jan. 14, 2009); Jeff Parke (Selected by Seattle Sounders FC in 2008 MLS Expansion Draft on Nov. 26, 2008); Caleb Patterson-Sewell (Did not return to team after 2008 season); David Roth (Waived on Feb. 18, 2009); Sainey Touray (Waived on Nov. 26, 2009); Dave van den Bergh (Traded to FC Dallas on Jan. 13, 2009)

The Red Bulls must trim their roster to 24 players (between 18-20 senior roster players and the rest developmental) to be compliant with League regulations on March 2. Last year, each team was allowed a 28-man roster (18 senior, 10 developmental).

INDIVIDUAL TICKET PACKS ON SALE: Individual ticket packages for the first eight New York Red Bulls 2009 regular season games at Giants Stadium are on sale now by calling 1.877.RBSOCCER. The individual ticket packages include four (4) tickets to a Red Bulls match and a choice of either four t-shirts or a $20 concession voucher for use at the Giants Stadium concessions stands. The packages start as low as $89.95.

The Red Bulls also announced that four-game and eight-game ticket plans are also available for the 2009 season. Fans securing Full or Partial Season ticket plans this season will receive priority access to select their seats in Red Bull Arena, the state-of-the-art soccer-specific stadium being constructed in Harrison, New Jersey, scheduled to open in 2010.

Looking to follow-up on their Cinderella run to the MLS Cup in 2008, the Red Bulls begin their 2009 campaign on March 19 when they take on Seattle Sounders FC at Qwest Field at 9 PM ET (TV: ESPN2, ESPN Deportes; Radio: WADO 1280 AM). Head coach Juan Carlos Osorio returns for his second season at the helm. On the field, the team is led by striker Juan Pablo Angel, the leading goal scorer in MLS over the past two seasons.

After their season opener at Seattle, the Red Bulls open their home campaign on March 28 against I-95 rival, the New England Revolution, led by Taylor Twellman. On April 18 at 7:30, the Red Bulls host Real Salt Lake in a rematch of last year's Western Conference Final. On April 26, the Red Bulls will host Atlantic Cup rival D.C. United in a 3 PM affair. Then, the Red Bulls are home for four consecutive weeks, hosting the San Jose Earthquakes on May 8 (7:30), the Houston Dynamo on May 16 (7:30), and the Chicago Fire, led by Mexican star and designated player Cuauhtémoc Blanco on May 24 at 3 PM. New York wraps up May when the Colorado Rapids visit East Rutherford on May 30 at 7:30 PM.

For more information, please call the Red Bulls Fan Services department at 1.877.RBSOCCER.

RED BULLS ACADEMY UPDATE:

A LOOK BACK:

U20s: Did not play.

U18s: The New York Red Bulls opened up Mid-Atlantic Divisional play in the USDA with a 3-0 over Match Fit. The Red Bulls started the game very well and opened the scoring in the 12th minute when Zachary Gomez rifled in a shot into the lower left corner off a pass from Dragan Naumoski. The Red Bulls continued to apply pressure right before half-time and Dylan Mencia scored in the 37th minute.

"At halftime, we stressed the importance of the first 15 minutes of the second half, not allowing Match Fit to get back in the game. The third goal was vital" said U18 Coach Paul O'Donnell.

The third goal was scored from a direct free kick in the 47th minute by Jack Freeman.

"I thought that we were excellent defensively, Shiroc (Jean Baptiste) and Sacir (Hot) were solid in the back. The win was especially more pleasing as we are still missing 6 players through injury" stated O'Donnell.

U16s: The Red Bulls ran their winning streak to six and unbeaten run to eight with a 3-2 win over in-state rival, MatchFit.

After falling behind 1-0, the Red Bulls rallied on goals from David Najem in the 23th minute, and two goals from Jon Gonzalez in the 26th and 65th minutes. Gonzalez now has six goals in eight games for the U16's.

"It was a hard fought game. MatchFit competed very well and gave us all we could handle today but in the end we had just enough to get the result," said Rob Elliott, U16 Head Coach.

U15s: Did not play.

U14s: Did not play.

LOOKING AHEAD:

Saturday Feb. 28

U16 Red Bulls vs. Potomac 3:45pm @ NJIT

U18 Red Bulls vs. Potomac 5:45pm @ NJIT

Sunday March 1

U14 Red Bulls vs. FC Greater Boston Bolts 1:00pm @ Rutgers-Newark

U15 Red Bulls vs. FC Greater Boston Bolts 3:00pm @ Rutgers-Newark

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