MLS New York Red Bulls

New York Red Bulls Weekly Update

January 11, 2010 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
New York Red Bulls News Release


RED BULLS TO INTRODUCE BACKE ON WEDNESDAY: Red Bull New York will introduce head coach Hans Backe (pronounced BAH-kuh) to the local media on Wednesday, Jan. 13 at 12:30 PM ET at Red Bull Arena's Bulls Corner, located on the stadium's third level. Backe was named the team's new head coach on Jan. 7. He will retain assistant coach Richie Williams and goalkeeper coach Des McAleenan for his staff. Jeremy Holsopple will also join the staff as the team's Strength and Conditioning Coach.

"I have followed Hans' career for many years and I think he will be an excellent coach for this team," said Red Bull New York General Manager and Sporting Director Erik Soler. "Hans brings a vast amount of experience from a variety of different clubs in Europe and he has been a fantastic mentor for many young and established players. We are confident that he will be able to help our club accomplish our goal of competing for a MLS Cup."

"I am pleased that Richie Williams and Des McAleenan will remain with the club," Soler continued. "They are both important to the success of the organization with their depth of player and league knowledge."

"I am extremely excited to join the Red Bulls," Backe said. "It is evident with the stadium and the resources available that Red Bull is very committed to making this club the best in Major League Soccer. I hope that I can bring my expertise to the club and build a winning squad for our supporters."

Backe enjoyed success in a number of European leagues, capturing four Danish titles with FC Copenhagen (2000-01, 2002-03 and 2003-04) and Aalborg BK (1998-99). He also won the Danish Cup in 2004 and the Danish Super Cup in 2001 and 2004 with Copenhagen. Backe was with Aalborg from 1998-2000 and headed Copenhagen from 2001-05.

The 57-year-old Swede joins the Red Bulls after a short stint with English League Two side, Notts County. Prior to being hired by Notts County, Backe worked as an assistant manager at Manchester City in the English Premiership with former England National Team manager, Sven-Goran Eriksson, from 2007-08. Backe later joined Eriksson's staff when Eriksson became the Mexican National Team head coach on June 3, 2008.

Backe started his illustrious career with Swedish club, Djurgardens IF, before moving to other major teams in Scandinavia including Stabek, Hammarby IF, Osters IF and AIK. He has also coached at SV Salzburg and Greek Super League team, Panathinakos. Before coaching, Backe played professionally for a number of Swedish clubs, including AIK and IF Brommapojkarna. Backe also worked as a soccer analyst and commentator for Swedish TV4 and was an advisor to Osters IF.

RED BULLS HEAD TO PHILLY FOR 2010 MLS SUPERDRAFT: The Red Bulls look to bolster their squad on Thursday, when they will participate in the 2010 MLS SuperDraft at the Philadelphia Convention Center in Philadelphia, PA. Heading into the draft, New York has seven selections - two in the first (2nd overall, 14th), second (18th, 31st) and third (33rd, 47th) and one in the fourth (49th). The Red Bulls have the most picks out of any team in the draft. Aside from the team's inaugural season in 1996, this is the second-most amount of picks New York has had since 2003, when it picked eight players.

Last season at the 2009 MLS SuperDraft in St. Louis, MO, the Red Bulls selected University of Maryland defender/midfielder Jeremy Hall (1st round, 11th overall), Santa Clara University defender Babajide Ogunbiyi (2nd, 18th), University of Notre Dame defender Jack Traynor (2nd, 29th) and James Madison University midfielder Nick Zimmerman (3rd, 44th). Hall and Zimmerman ended up playing significant roles for the Red Bulls in their rookie seasons, with Hall playing in 24 games and Zimmerman featuring in 11. Zimmerman was selected by the Philadelphia Union in last November's MLS expansion draft.

In the past, the draft has provided New York with many top players including Seth Stammler (2004), Jozy Altidore (2006) and Dane Richards (2007). Currently, Red Bulls General Manager and Sporting Director Erik Soler and assistant coaches Richie Williams and Des McAleenan are in Ft. Lauderdale, FL for the MLS Combine.

MILLER JOINS THE RED BULLS: Red Bull New York announced on Jan. 8 that it signed Costa Rican defender Roy Miller. Miller will be added to the team's Senior Roster after he gets P-1 visa approval, passes a physical and the club receives receipt of his International Transfer Certificate (ITC).

"I have followed Roy for a few years, as he has enjoyed success in the Norwegian League. I am confident that he will be able to adjust well to Major League Soccer," said Red Bull New York General Manager and Sporting Director Erik Soler.

Miller, 25, who was acquired from Norwegian Premier League club, Rosenborg, was most recently on loan with Swedish Allsvenskan (First Division) club, Orgryte, since July 28, 2009. With Orgryte, Miller played 11 games. In one season with Rosenborg, Miller featured in 14 matches.

Miller started his career at Costa Rican club, Cartagines, in 2001 before moving onto Norway's Bodo/Glimt in 2005, where he scored six goals in 45 games. The 6-2 defender earned 12 caps for the senior Costa Rica National Team and competed in the qualification rounds for the 2006 and 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2001 FIFA U-17 World Championship.

TEAM TO OPEN RBA AGAINST FIRE: The Red Bulls will open its regular season slate at Red Bull Arena on Saturday, March 27, 2010, when they host the Chicago Fire at 7:00 PM ET for the start their 2010 MLS Regular Season slate. The game will be telecast nationally on ESPN2. The match is just 75 days away as of Jan. 11 and will be the first MLS game in the new stadium.

Full Season Ticket Plans for the Red Bulls' first season at Red Bull Arena are on sale now. Midfield seats in the 100-Level are already sold out, but good seats are still available. For more information or to purchase tickets, call 1.877.RBSOCCER or log onto www.newyorkredbulls.com.

Fans are urged to secure their season tickets and seat locations as soon as possible. Ticket prices for the 2010 season range from just $272 to $585 per seat. Seating at Red Bull Arena is as close as seven yards from the touchline and all seats are covered underneath a dynamic 360-degree roof. Club Seats for the 2010 season are also on sale. For just $3,000 per seat, these premium seats are located behind the team bench, and enjoy several unique features, including access to a private club for all-inclusive food and beverage service.

The prices for 2010 Full Season Ticket Plans are as follows:

Club Seats: $3,000

Midfield: $585

Sideline: $425

Corner Flag: $335

Endline: $299

Supporters: $272

SOLER APPOINTED GM/SPORTING DIRECTOR: Red Bull New York announced on Dec. 7 the appointment of Erik Solér as its General Manager and Sporting Director. The appointment was made by Dietmar Beiersdorfer, Head of Red Bull Global Soccer. Solér will be responsible for the overall management of the New York Red Bulls, including its sporting division - comprised of the First Team, the Red Bulls Academy, its developmental system and scouting.

"Erik Solér is highly respected in the international soccer world," Beiersdorfer said. "We are excited to appoint him as General Manager and Sporting Director. We are convinced that he has the leadership qualities and the experience in developing a soccer culture that is crucial to bringing our club to the level everybody here in New York and New Jersey expects -- to make the New York Red Bulls a winning MLS franchise."

Solér, 49, joins the Red Bulls after a successful career as a player, agent, broadcaster and executive. From 2002-2008, he served as the co-owner and chairman of the board at Norwegian club, IK Start. He has also served as a TV expert-commentator for ViaSat in Norway since 1998, covering the UEFA Champions League and the Norwegian National Team. In 1995, Solér founded International Sports Management Group (ISM), and served as its CEO until 2000, as the agency was sold to Proactive Sports. He remained with Proactive until 2002, when he purchased an interest in IK Start. He also served as founder and CEO of a management consultancy and recruitment company beginning in 1993 that was sold in 2001 to TMP Worldwide, a NASDAQ-listed company.

As a player, Solér started his career in his hometown of Lillestrøm, Norway, with Lillestrøm SK of the Norwegian league from 1978-1983. He left the club for a short stay in the Norwegian league's Eik-Tønsberg in 1983, before being transferred to Hamburger SV (HSV) of the German Bundesliga, where he played from 1984-1986. After one and a half seasons in HSV, he returned to Norway, signing for SK Brann from 1986-1987. In 1988, he joined AGF Aarhus and scored the decisive goal in the Danish Cup. He later retuned to Lillestrøm to finish his playing career in 1988 and his club won the Norwegian League championship. Solér is a graduate of Oslo University with a degree in Psychology.

RBA TO HOST BIG EAST TOURNAMENT: The BIG EAST and Red Bull New York will join forces with a three-year partnership for the Conference's men's soccer championship to be held at the new state-of-the-art Red Bull Arena through the 2012 tournament. The soccer-specific facility in Harrison, N.J., is the new home of the New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer (MLS) and is scheduled to open on March 27, 2010.

The BIG EAST will hold its semifinal and championship games at the venue, along with team practices before each day of competition, beginning in 2010. The dates of the championships over the next three years are: 2010 - Nov. 12 & 14; 2011 - Nov. 11 & 13 and 2012 - Nov. 9 & 10.

"The BIG EAST is thrilled to announce the partnership with Red Bull New York and their new world-class facility," said Jim Siedliski, BIG EAST Associate Commissioner for Olympic Sports. "We feel Red Bull Arena is the ideal location to hold our men's soccer championship, and will allow our student-athletes to play in a professional atmosphere and in a major metropolitan market that embraces the sport of soccer."

"The Red Bulls organization is excited to bring the BIG EAST Men's Soccer Championship to Red Bull Arena," said Erik Stover, Red Bull New York Managing Director. "One of our goals is to help elevate the sport of soccer in the United States and our partnership with the BIG EAST Conference is an important step in that process."

The BIG EAST men's soccer championship began in 1982, when it was a four-team tournament. There have been eight different tournament champions in the 28-year men's soccer history.

Currently, the top 12 of the league's 16 teams earn a berth to the championship. Selection and seeding are based on regular-season conference records. The top six teams in both the Blue and Red Divisions, seeded by conference point total, qualify for the league championship. The top two teams in each division earn first-round byes to the quarterfinals. The first-round and quarterfinal games are held on the campuses of the higher seeded teams. The winner of the BIG EAST championship earns the league's automatic berth into the NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship. The BIG EAST jumped into the national scene when St. John's captured the NCAA title in 1996. Connecticut resurrected its long-standing tradition of success by winning the national championship in 2000 - nearly 20 years after its 1981 title. In addition to the two banner years for the BIG EAST, Connecticut also advanced to the College Cup and national championship game in 1999, while St. John's made similar runs to the College Cup in 2001, '03 and '08. Connecticut also played in the national semifinals in 1983 and '82.

CLUB TO PLAY IN WORLD SERIES OF FOOTBALL: Red Bull New York and the Football World Series announced a multi-year agreement that will see Red Bull Arena serve as one of the annual sites for the major international soccer tournament. The 2010 version of the summer tournament will also be staged in Amsterdam, Holland; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; and Shanghai, China. The New York Red Bulls will serve as the host and participate as one of the four teams in the four-match tournament.

In each of the four locations for 2010, a four-team tournament that features some of the top soccer clubs in the world will be staged.

"Bringing the Football World Series to Red Bull Arena fulfills one our commitments of bringing top international matches to the New York area," said Red Bull New York Managing Director Erik Stover. "Having the Red Bulls participate in the tournament will give us the opportunity to compete against some of the top clubs in the world."

"We are pleased to welcome Red Bull New York to Football World Series as we see the United States as an integral part of our global expansion plans," said Football World Series Chief Executive Officer Bill Miles. "We are delighted to be staging one of our tournaments in the exciting and vibrant metropolitan New York area."

The final dates, participating clubs and ticket pricing for the Football World Series at Red Bull Arena will be announced early in 2010.

In addition, Red Bulls Season Ticket Holders will have an exclusive window to purchase tickets to the Football World Series before they go on sale to the general public. The exclusive window date will be announced in the near future.

In recent years, Football World Series has staged international four-team tournaments in Amsterdam, Dubai and Shanghai, featuring AC Milan, Manchester United, Barcelona and Boca Juniors, amongst other world class teams.

STAMMLER, HALL VISIT HAITI: With many of the players off for the off-season, Red Bulls midfielder Seth Stammler, awarded the team's Humanitarian of the Year Award three times over the course of his six-year career, and first-year defender Jeremy Hall, utilized their time in a truly unique and philanthropic manner.

Stammler, founder of Sporting Chance Foundation, led a five-day philanthropic trip to Haiti and the Dominican Republic from Dec. 14-18, 2009. Red Bulls defender/midfielder Jeremy Hall, the 2009 Red Bulls Newcomer of the Year, joined Stammler on the trip.

For Stammler, the trip to Haiti marked the first time he's been back since Dec. 2006, when he visited Haiti with then teammates Jozy Altidore and Jerrod Laventure. This trip featured the benefits of his three-year fundraising efforts, as he raised over $100,000 to fund scholarships for Haitian youth as well as built its first water well, providing clean water to the area. His goal is to assist the Haitian people with the tools to achieve sustainable progress and long-term development as 65% of Haiti does not have electricity, nor access to clean drinking water.

Stammler and Hall begin the trip in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, where they worked with Red Bull Dominica and its "Under my Wings" program to conduct two soccer clinics. The players then traveled to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, where they visited two community schools and two accelerated schools where Sporting Chance Foundation has endowed over 100 kids with academic scholarships.

Stammer visited the new water station that has been funded through his fundraising efforts. This water station was completed in Oct. 2009 and provides clean drinking water to the local residents.

The trip concluded when Stammler and Hall conducted instructional clinics and seminars for Haitian children at the sports non-governmental organization, L'Athletique d'Haiti. Founded by former political prisoner Robert Duvall, L'Athletique is one of the main soccer facilities for youth in Haiti.

Check out the New York Red Bulls Statistics



Major League Soccer Stories from January 11, 2010


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