MLS Red Bull New York

New York Red Bulls Weekly Update

Published on April 20, 2009 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Red Bull New York News Release


RED BULLS KICK OFF BUSY SCHEDULE WITH TRIP TO KC: The New York Red Bulls start a span in which they play four games in 10 days when they take on the Kansas City Wizards at CommunityAmerica Ballpark on Thursday at 8:00 PM ET in a match that will be telecasted live on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes and broadcasted on WADO 1280 AM. Three days later, the Red Bulls return home to Giants Stadium to battle Atlantic Cup rival, D.C. United, at 3:00 PM ET in the first of two games between the teams (TV: MSG, TeleFutura; Radio: WQBU 92.7 FM)

The Red Bulls (1-2-2, 5 pts.) are coming off their first win of the season on Saturday, with a 2-0 victory over Real Salt Lake at Giants Stadium. Forwards Macoumba Kandji and Juan Pablo Angel scored on either side of the halftime intermission and goalkeeper Jon Conway stopped four shots to earn his first shutout of the season.

New York takes on a Kansas City squad that is unbeaten in its last three games, going 2-0-1. Currently 2-2-1 (7 pts.) and in third place in the Eastern Conference, the Wizards dropped their first two games of the season before picking up a 2-0 home win against San Jose on April 5 and handing Seattle Sounders FC their first loss on April 11- a 1-0 decision. Last Saturday, the Wizards overcame a two-goal deficit against the Chicago Fire at Toyota Park and earned a 2-2 tie. Fire forward Brian McBride scored goals in the 13th and 20th minutes to put the hosts ahead, but Kansas City forward Josh Wolff answered with strikes in the 78th and 89th minutes to give the Wizards a point.

Along with Wolff, the Wizards have been paced by midfielder Davy Arnaud, who has enjoyed a strong start to the season by recording three goals and an assist. Argentinean forward Claudio Lopez leads the Wizards with three assists while goalkeeper Kevin Hartman has earned two shutouts and an 1.40 goals against average. The Red Bulls are 14-14-9 all-time against the Wizards in MLS regular season action. Last year, the Wizards won the season series with a 1-0-1 record. The two teams played to a 1-1 tie at Giants Stadium on May 17 before Kansas City took a 2-1 decision at CommunityAmerica Ballpark on July 10. Angel has done particularly well against the Wizards, scoring six goals and one assist in five games. Wolff is the Wizards' top scorer against New York with four goals in 10 games played. The two teams will also face off at Giants Stadium on Sept. 12.

RED BULLS HOST D.C. SUNDAY: On Sunday, the Red Bulls host rival D.C. United, which is currently perched in fourth place in the Eastern Conference with a 1-1-3 record (6 pts.). United is coming off a 1-1 tie against the New England Revolution at RFK Stadium last Friday. After a scoreless first half, Revolution midfielder Shalrie Joseph put home a Steve Ralston cross to give the visitors the lead in the 50th minute. However, D.C. earned a point when Ben Olsen bullied his way past his defender and knocked in a Jaime Moreno pass in second half stoppage time.

Like New York, D.C. will also have a busy week with a U.S. Open Cup Play-In match against FC Dallas at home on Wednesday night. The Red Bulls are 17-27-6 all-time against United and went 1-1-1 against their Eastern Conference foe in 2008. After D.C. took the opening game of the series at RFK Stadium, 4-1, on June 14, the Red Bulls responded with a 4-1 victory of their own at Giants Stadium on Aug. 10 - the largest margin of victory for a Red Bulls team ever against a D.C. squad. In the third match, the two teams played to a 0-0 tie at RFK Stadium on Aug. 30.

Moreno, who became the first player in MLS history to reach the 100-goal, 100-assist plateau, has enjoyed success against New York, scoring 23 goals and 18 assists in 38 games. Olsen has tallied 11 goals and eight assists in 30 games versus New York. Angel has scored four goals in four matches against United and Conway has posted a 2-1-1 record with two clean sheets and a 1.25 goals average. The Red Bulls and United will also play on June 4 at RFK Stadium.

RED BULLS TOP RSL, 2-0: The New York Red Bulls earned their first win of the 2009 MLS Regular Season as they defeated Real Salt Lake, 2-0, at Giants Stadium Saturday night. Forwards Macoumba Kandji and Juan Pablo Angel tallied goals and goalkeeper Jon Conway made four saves for his first shutout of the season and the Red Bulls' second in as many games.

The Red Bulls have never lost to Real Salt Lake in MLS action, going 4-0-6 in all competitions and 3-0-2 at Giants Stadium. Saturday's match was a rematch of last year's Western Conference Final on Nov. 15 - a 1-0 New York win at Rio Tinto Stadium.

New York took an early lead two minutes in. Off a long Jeremy Hall throw-in on the right wing, midfielder Dane Richards was able to get to the ball and brush off Real Salt Lake's David Horst, before driving to the box and hitting a cross that goalkeeper Nick Rimando could only get a touch on. Kandji was on hand to tap the rebound into the open net.

Real Salt Lake's first chance came when Javier Morales earned a free kick and attempted to catch Conway off his line. However, his shot went over the bar. Real Salt Lake did not have a shot on goal in the first half.

The Red Bulls almost doubled their lead in the 18th minute as New York earned a free kick from 25-yards-out. Midfielder Jorge Rojas stepped up and curled a shot off the upper right corner of the metalwork. Twelve minutes later, Hall crossed the ball to an open Angel, whose header on goal was punched away by Rimando.

Real Salt Lake had their best chance to score up to that point five minutes into the second half. Morales played the ball through to Yura Movsisyan, whose shot hit Conway and was deflected goal bound off Hall's back. However, defender Kevin Goldthwaite slid and cleared it away before the ball crossed the goal line.

New York made it 2-0 in the 57th minute. Angel and Kandji played a give-and-go before Kandji slid it to Angel on the right side of the penalty box. Angel took one touch before hitting a low shot past Rimando for his first goal of the season.

The Red Bulls went a man down in the 66th minute after Hall slid in late on Real Salt Lake's Will Johnson. Hall will be suspended for the Red Bulls' next match against the Kansas City Wizards. Four minutes later, Richards got through on a break and into the penalty box but could only get a weak shot off on Rimando.

Moments later, Conway was called upon to stop another Movsisyan blast from 10 yards out. Johnson nearly scored a goal for the visitors in the 89th minute when his free kick went past the wall and forced Conway to dive to his right to make the save.

LAST WEEK: Red Bulls 2, Real Salt Lake 0 on April 18 at Giants Stadium

THIS WEEK: - Red Bulls at Kansas City Wizards on April 23 at 8:00 PM ET at CommunityAmerica Ballpark (TV: ESPN2, ESPN Deportes; Radio: WADO 1280 AM) - Red Bulls vs. D.C. United on April 26 at 3:00 PM ET at Giants Stadium (TV: MSG, TeleFutura; Radio: WADO 1280 AM)

NEXT WEEK: - Red Bulls at San Jose Earthquakes on April 29 at 10:30 PM ET (U.S. Open Cup Play-In Game) at Buck Shaw Stadium (NO TV, Radio) - Red Bulls at Los Angeles Galaxy on May 2 at 10:30 PM ET at The Home Depot Center (TV: MSG; Radio: WADO 1280 AM)

NEW YORK RED BULLS SCHEDULE (April 20-26) Please contact a member of the Red Bulls Communications Staff if you have any requests or questions.

This Week's Schedule (subject to change - all times ET):

Monday, April 20: Training at Montclair State University facility (artificial turf field) at 10 AM.

Tuesday, April 21: Training at Montclair State University facility (artificial turf field) at 10 AM.

Wednesday, April 22: Training at Montclair State University facility (artificial turf field) at 10 AM. Travel to Kansas City at 1 PM.

Thursday, April 23: Red Bulls at Kansas City Wizards at 8:00 PM ET at CommunityAmerica Ballpark (TV: ESPN2, ESPN Deportes; Radio: WADO 1280 AM)

Friday, April 24: Return to NY/NJ area. OFF

Saturday, April 25: Training at Montclair State University facility (artificial turf field) at 10 AM.

Sunday, April 26: Red Bulls vs. D.C. United at 3:00 PM ET at Giants Stadium (TV: MSG, TeleFutura; Radio: WADO 1280 AM)

Parking Advisory:

If you are planning to watch training at Sprague Field (turf field on Montclair State University campus), please park your car in the Red Hawk Parking Deck, located adjacent to the field.

BREAKING THROUGH:

After finding the back of the net through an own goal once in their first four games, the Red Bulls earned their first win of the season with a 2-0 victory over Real Salt Lake Saturday. Macoumba Kandji scored just two minutes in and also earned an assist on Juan Pablo Angel's second half goal. For Kandji, it was his second-career goal after joining the Red Bulls on Sept. 15, 2008. The goal was one of three that was scored in club history in the second minute. The others were by Clint Mathis (Sept. 5, 2002 at Dallas) and Peguero Jean Philippe (June 10, 2006 vs. Houston). Former Red Bulls Jozy Altidore (May 24, 2007 vs. Chicago) and Dave van den Bergh (April 5, 2008 vs. Columbus) have scored in the first minute of a game.

Angel now has 34 regular season goals to his name during his career in MLS. He has averaged 0.65 goals per game - the highest number in club history. Last Friday, April 17, marked the two-year anniversary of when Angel signed with the Red Bulls as its Designated Player.

NO WAY PAST CONWAY:

Red Bulls goalkeeper Jon Conway made his first start since Oct. 9, and he made it count with a four-save shutout performance in the Red Bulls' 2-0 win over Real Salt Lake Saturday. It was the first game he was available since he served a 10-game suspension that he was given by MLS on Oct. 16, 2008 for violating the League's Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health policy by testing positive for two performance enhancing substances. Prior to serving the suspension, Conway was the team's starting goalkeeper, playing in 28 games and posting a 9-10-9 record with seven shutouts and a 1.50 goals against average. He is now in his fourth season with New York. On Saturday, Conway stopped a pair of Yura Movsisyan shots in the second half and pawed away a Will Johnson free kick later on.

KILLER D:

Since conceding three goals in the team's season opener, the Red Bulls have only given up two goals in the past four games and have earned shutouts in two-straight games. The last time the Red Bulls have posted two-straight clean sheets was between Aug. 17-30, where New York had three-straight shutouts with wins over Toronto FC (2-0) and Houston (3-0) and a 0-0 tie with D.C. United. The longest recent stretch was from Aug. 17-Sept. 6, 2008 when the Red Bulls did not concede a goal for 380 minutes.

Red Bulls defender Kevin Goldthwaite, who has started every game this season, made a goal line save off a Yura Movsisyan shot in the 50th minute to keep Real Salt Lake off the scoreboard Saturday.

PACHECO SIGNS AND STARTS:

Red Bulls defender Alfredo Pacheco made his MLS debut, playing the full 90 minutes in the Red Bulls' 2-0 win over Real Salt Lake Saturday. A day before, the Red Bulls announced that it signed the 26-year-old El Salvadorian. To make room for Pacheco on its 24-man roster, the club waived goalkeeper Alec Dufty and moved midfielder Danleigh Borman from the senior roster to the developmental roster.

In addition, the Red Bulls announced that forward Macoumba Kandji was granted asylum status by MLS and is now considered a Domestic Player on New York's roster.

Prior to joining New York, Pacheco played for El Salvadorian First Division club, C.D. FAS, since 2000. After playing on the reserve team in his first season, the left back made 217 first team appearances for his club, scoring 32 goals. Pacheco was the team's captain since 2005.

The Santa Ana, El Salvador native competed on several youth international levels and has been a fixture on the senior national team. Pacheco was involved in El Salvador's 2006 World Cup Qualifying campaign and is currently participating in his country's current run to qualify for the 2010 World Cup.

JOHNSON AVAILABLE, HALL NOT:

Red Bulls defender Carlos Johnson served a one-game suspension for earning a red card on April 11 against Houston and will be available for selection against the Kansas City Wizards on Thursday. However, midfielder/defender Jeremy Hall will not be available after the rookie was set off in the 66th minute for a late challenge on Real Salt Lake's Will Johnson. He will serve a one-game suspension.

Despite Hall's red card, the Red Bulls won the game, 2-0. New York is now 25-32-7 all-time when at least one red card is issued to one of its players.

RED BULLS HOST SUCCESSFUL BONE MARROW DRIVE:

The New York Red Bulls hosted a bone marrow match drive prior to last Saturday's Red Bulls-Real Salt Lake match to benefit Real Salt Lake midfielder Andy Williams' wife, Marcia, who is battling leukemia. Over 100 people, including a number of Red Bulls such as Juan Pablo Angel, Danleigh Borman, Mike Petke, Dane Richards and Seth Stammler, participated. Red Bulls front office staff also took part. The number of participants was well above the average for bone marrow drives.

As a non-profit organization, DKMS relies on the generosity of individuals to help finance the $65 cost DKMS pays to tissue type each bone marrow donor who registers.

About DKMS

DKMS was founded in Germany in 1991 by Peter Harf and Professor Dr. Gerhard Ehninger, after Peter lost his wife, Mechtild, to acute leukemia. Today DKMS is the world's largest marrow donor center with over 1.8 million registered marrow donors. Since its founding, DKMS has facilitated more than 16,000 transplants. The mission of DKMS is to give every blood cancer patient a second chance at like by recruiting marrow donors from every race and ethnicity. We inspire hope and healing by matching our donors with patients around the world in need of a marrow transplant. DKMS Americas is a 501 (c)(3) non profit organization. For more information about DKMS or to donate, please visit ww.dkmsamericas.org or call 1.866.340.3567

RED BULLS-RSL POST-GAME:

Here was the reaction after the Red Bulls-Real Salt Lake match on April 18:

NEW YORK RED BULLS HEAD COACH JUAN CARLOS OSORIO

On the team's overall performance:

"Very pleased with the performance tonight. I think it was always difficult coming into this game. They are a very good attacking team. And we limited them to very few chances so I'm very pleased. I think when you have the commitment that we showed today, the clinical finishing that was showed, I think we showed signs of a good team and hopefully, we can repeat that in the next games."

On how important it was scoring the first goal:

"I think it was huge. I didn't want to put it up to too much pressure on the strikers. I said that we will improve because the service will come from other places, and it did. I think that you guys saw today the distribution from the back improving substantially and it makes me very pleased."

On individual players stepping up their game:

"Again, during the week, I talked to them individually and I told them the reasons why they are in the team and the reasons why I chose them. They have to help me, and they have to help themselves to find the game, and I think when we don't win, I will take full responsibility but today, credit to them. As you pointed out, they played really well. I think there were many good performances today."

On Alfredo Pacheco:

"I think that, I don't want to speak too soon, but this has been a long process trying to get Alfredo here, as some of you have known this has been four or five months. Finally, we got him here and he showed today why I was so adamant to get him. And hopefully, he will contribute to a very good campaign."

On the partnership of forwards Juan Pablo Angel and Macoumba Kandji:

"Good. You saw today, and the more the games they play together, the more difficult it will be for me not to pair them up. They played very well today."

NEW YORK RED BULLS MIDFIELDER SETH STAMMLER

On the impact of Macoumba Kandji: "Kandji obviously brings a lot of creativity and athleticism and I think this whole season and preseason, he started to understand the intricacies of the game, where he needs to be defensively and where he needs to help out as opposed to last year when he got caught up in tricks and things like that. He's settling into the team and MLS very well."

On scoring two minutes in: "Any time you get a goal that early, it's great. You have to put the other team in a position where they have to push forward and hopefully, we can get them on the counterattack which is what we did with Juan Pablo's goal"

NEW YORK RED BULLS FORWARD MACOUMBA KANDJI

On his confidence: "Once I start getting comfortable, I am going to start doing my thing. I told them I am going to pick up where I left off and that's what I am doing. It's just my third game in and I have a long way to go. I am going to try and improve each day."

On finding out he was playing: "I found out on Thursday I was going to play. I trained with the team on Wednesday, but they didn't let me do any contact. On Thursday, coach (Osorio) called me into his office and I told him I'm good to go. I was in a little pain but I just want to play. Pain is all in your head so I just wrapped it up, took some painkillers, and I was good to go.

On getting his first goal: "It feels great. I am very happy. Juan Pablo (Angel) told me that playing up top is a partnership and we both showed up today."

On being unlucky around the goal in previous games: "This game is very tricky. Sometimes, you have to bury your chances and if you do that, everything will be good. If you miss it, you have to keep going until you get that first goal."

NEW YORK RED BULLS DEFENDER KEVIN GOLDTHWAITE

On consecutive shutouts and play of defense: "It's good to get these two shutouts during this long stretch of games we have right now. It was tough that first game in Seattle when we got a bit shocked, but the last couple games, we defended well and hopefully, we continue playing like that for the next couple weeks."

On clearing the ball off the line in the second half: "I think (Jon) Conway came out and made a great save and it was kind of a bang bang play. I was at the right place at the right time and was able to put the ball off the line."

NEW YORK RED BULLS GOALKEEPER JON CONWAY

On Kevin Goldthwaite's goal line save: "At first, I didn't know where I was and once I saw where it was going I was like, ‘Oh S$#%!' But luckily he (Kevin Goldthwaite) made a great play and was able to dig it out."

On adapting to his first game: "I didn't really have much to do on the first half; I thought we controlled the game quite well, we were pretty successful coming out of the back. Second half, you know it's going to happen, you know they are going to catch the flow of play. I thought all in all, defensively, we were great. It was great to see Juan Pablo (Angel) get one, which for me... as soon as he gets that first one, he's bound to start lighting it up, so I'm pretty excited about that."

On playing a man down: "We were great, I thought that we made necessary changes that we needed to, everybody buckled down and defensively we stayed strong all through that period."

CLUB ADDS NEW ONLINE INITIATIVES: The New York Red Bulls have added several new multimedia initiatives across the team's web portals, including the team's official website: NewYorkRedBulls.com.

Adding to the club's existing list of web content, including Red Bulls Wrap, a weekly podcast, Red Bulls Insider, a bi-weekly video program taking a behind-the-scenes look at the Red Bulls, the Red Bulls Facebook page, and RedBullsReader.com, the official blog of the club, are two new podcast offerings as well as two Twitter options.

This season the team has launched two new podcasts. Red Bulls Al Aire, a Spanish language offering hosted by the radio voices of the club, Ernesto Motta and Robert Sierra, posts new episodes every Wednesday. Every Thursday, a new offering is online from Petke's Podcasts, hosted by New York and MLS veteran Mike Petke, provides the players' view on the club, from the defender's unique, and often hilarious, point of view. All three podcasts are available through iTunes.

The Red Bulls and Mike Petke have also joined Twitter.com, offering thoughts and information from the club 140 characters at a time. Follow the club at www.twitter.com/redbullsreader, and follow Petke at www.twitter.com/petkemike.

Red Bull Academy Update: April 20

A Look Back U20s: Did not play.

U18s: The U18 Red Bulls posted a 0-1-1 week in US Soccer Development Academy action.

On Saturday April 18th, the U18s dropped a 2-1 decision to BW Gottschee. The Red Bulls created quality chances in the early going, but could not find the back of the net, as Nick Gendron just missed a goal at the back post when he made a diving effort for a tap in but narrowly missed. Zachary Gomez also came close and Peter Touros had a goal disallowed for off sides. Right before the half, BW Gottschee scored to bring a 1-0 lead into halftime.

"When you don't put away your chances it is bound to catch up to you," stated U18 head coach Paul O'Donnell.

The U18s deficit was doubled early in the 2nd half on a 20-yard blistering shot by Leonardo Fernandes. In the 60th minute, Giorgi Chirgadze entered the game after a three month lay-off due to injury. He made an immediate impact on the game as he was brought down for penalty kick in the 64th minute and scored to make the score 2-1. Despite pressure for the rest of the game the Red Bulls could not equalize.

Sunday April 19th saw the U18s battle Northeast Division leaders Albertson to a 2-2 draw on two late goals. The Red Bulls started the game a little tentative and struggled to find a rhythm in the first half. That off balanced play caught up to them as Albertson scored from a free kick in the 25th minute.

In the second half, the Red Bulls started attacking with more purpose and began to put more pressure on Albertson. Just as it looked like the Red Bulls would equalize, Albertson scored again to make it 2-0. However, the U18s, as they have done many times this season, never gave up and continued to push forward. In the 79th minute, Gendron scored from a Dylan Mencia pass. Then in the 82nd minute, Chirgadze scored from a tight angle for the equalizer. In the closing minutes, the Red Bulls came close to scoring the winner but had to settle for a point.

"Giorgi Chirgadze was outstanding today. We had only planned on using him for about 30 minutes in each game this weekend. However, right before kick-off he told me he was ready to start. Not only that, he gave us a full match and was brilliant. Giorgi brings more quality and leadership to our team," stated O'Donnell.

The U18 record now stands at 8-7-3 for the season.

U16s: The Red Bull U16s split a pair of matches last week in US Soccer Development Academy action, ending the side's undefeated streak at 16 (13-0-3).

On Saturday, April 18 the U16s dropped their first game of the season to BW Gottschee, 4-1. After falling behind, 2-0, early in the first half, the Red Bulls started to get back into the game. The second half started well until a red card was given to the U16s early in the half. Down a man, the Red Bulls played well and Sam Adjei cut the lead in half in the 49th minute. The U16s kept pushing forward and hit the post two more times but were unable to find the equalizer. In the final 15 minutes of the game BW Gottschee was able to finish the game off scoring two more goals.

On Sunday, April 19, the U16 Red Bulls got back on track with a 2-1 win away to Albertson. Victor Manosalvas scored both goals to lead the Red Bulls to victory. Jon Gonzalez assisted Manosalvas on the first goal and Oscar Gonzalez assisted on the second goal.

"We did not compete well in the first half of the game on Saturday and dug ourselves a hole that we could not climb out of," said U16 head coach Rob Elliott. "On Sunday we competed much better and were able to earn a hard fought win on the road against a good Albertson team."

The U16s record now stands at 14-1-3 on the season.

NOTE: John Agudelo, who is member of the Red Bull Academy on the U16 side, has been selected by U.S. Under-17 Men's National Team head coach Wilmer Cabrera as one of the 20 players who will represent the United States at the 2009 CONCACAF U-17 Championship from April 21-May 2 in Tijuana, Mexico. The four semifinalists at the tournament will qualify for the 2009 FIFA Under-17 World Cup, which is slated for Nigeria from Oct. 24-Nov. 15. Agudelo is currently in the U17 Men's National Team Residency Program at IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL.

U15s: The Red Bull U15s went 0-2-0 over the weekend. The U15s lost, 2-1, to FC Greater Boston on Saturday, April 18 and dropped a 2-1 decision to BW Gottschee on Sunday, April 19. Both games were US Club Northeast Pre Academy League matches.

U14s: The U14 Red Bulls went 1-1-0 over the weekend in US Club Northeast Pre Academy League action, dropping a 3-0 decision to FC Greater Boston before rebounding with a 2-0 win over BW Gottschee.

On Saturday, April 19th, the Red Bulls played a strong first half against FC Greater Boston, but could not find the final pass to get onto the scoreboard. FC Greater Boston carried play for much of the second half as the U14s struggled to generate quality chances. ''Overall we did not compete well enough on the day,'' said U14 head coach Cris da Silva.

Against FC Gottschee on Sunday April 20th, the U14s competed very well, controlled most of the game and created many opportunities to score. Both of the Red Bull goals were scored from set pieces. Matt Miazga scored the first goal from a well driven cross by Arun Basuljevic, and Christian Alexief scored from a cross by Diego Ceron to round out the scoring. Goalkeeper Santiago Casatano went the distance to post the clean sheet.

A Look Ahead: Saturday April 25th U16 Academy @ Met Oval 12:00pm (US Soccer Development Academy League) U18 Academy @ Met Oval 2:00pm (US Soccer Development Academy League)

Sunday April 26th U16 Academy @ FC Westchester 1:00pm (US Soccer Development Academy League) U18 Academy @ FC Westchester 3:00pm (US Soccer Development Academy League)

- www.newyorkredbulls.com -

Check out the Red Bull New York Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Major League Soccer Stories from April 20, 2009


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central