MLS New York Red Bulls

New York Red Bulls Weekly Update

Published on January 30, 2012 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
New York Red Bulls News Release


RED BULLS, MLS AGREE TO TRANSFER FEE WITH BOLTON WANDERERS FC FOR TIM REAM

On Jan. 26, the Red Bulls announced that Major League Soccer and English Premiership side, Bolton Wanderers FC, agreed to a transfer fee for Red Bulls defender and United States National Team international Tim Ream. Ream has agreed to personal contract terms with Bolton, earned United Kingdom visa approval and passed a physical. The transfer terms were not disclosed.

"We are extremely happy for Tim. He has worked very hard since he joined Major League Soccer and became a Red Bull and we firmly believe that this opportunity will be beneficial to him and the Red Bulls. This was a difficult decision for us as a club, but at the end of the day, we could not turn down this opportunity to help Tim's development as a player. He has become a mature professional during his time here and we will fully support him as he moves to Bolton. He will always be welcome at Red Bull Arena," said Red Bulls General Manager and Sporting Director Erik Soler.

"While we will miss Tim and his contributions both on and off the field, this deal also presents us with a significant amount of financial flexibility heading into the 2012 MLS season. We are confident that we will be able to add quality players that will strengthen the squad to help us towards our goal of winning MLS Cup this year."

"I want to thank the Red Bulls and their fans for their tremendous support over the past two years. The club gave me an unbelievable opportunity to play in Major League Soccer and I would not have been in this position without the team and league's backing. I will always cherish my memories playing for New York," Ream said. "This was a hard decision for me considering the fact that I enjoyed playing for the Red Bulls and was looking forward to the upcoming MLS season. However, after consulting with those closest to me, I decided that this was a once in a lifetime chance that I could not pass up."

Ream recently completed his second season for the Red Bulls. The St. Louis, MO native started 28 games, only missing time because of international commitments with the U.S. National Team. His play in 2011 was recognized as he was named to the MLS All-Star Team for the first time in his career. His sophomore season in professional soccer followed a terrific first year for the 24-year-old in 2010, as Ream was a finalist for MLS Rookie of the Year. Ream played every minute of the team's 30 regular season games, helping the club to a single-season franchise record of 13 shutouts.

New York acquired Ream after drafting him in the second round (18th overall) in the 2010 MLS SuperDraft out of Saint Louis University. He played four seasons at Saint Louis and was named the 2009 Atlantic 10 Conference Defensive Player of the Year. On the international level, Ream has earned seven caps for the U.S., making his senior team debut when he started in a 1-0 win over South Africa on Nov. 17, 2010 in Cape Town.

DEFENDER WILMAN CONDE JOINS THE RED BULLS

The New York Red Bulls announced Jan. 30 that they obtained the right of first refusal for 2009 MLS Best XI defender Wilman Conde from the Chicago Fire in exchange for allocation money. New York has agreed to personal terms with the out-of-contract Conde and he will be added to the team's roster pending receipt of his International Transfer Certificate.

"One of our offseason priorities was to solidify our defense and adding Wilman certainly does that," said Red Bulls General Manager and Sporting Director Erik Soler. "During his stint in Major League Soccer, Wilman quickly established himself as one of the League's top defenders and he will play an immediate role in our back line. He is strong, physical and experienced and he will be a tremendous addition to our club."

Conde was most recently with Mexican First Division side, Atlas de Guadalajara of the First Division, where he made 13 appearances and scored two goals. Prior to joining Atlas, Conde was a major contributor to the Chicago Fire from 2007-10. Over his three-plus seasons, Conde played in 73 games, starting in 66 and tallied four goals and four assists. Conde backstopped the Fire to three-straight postseason appearances from 2007-09 and was named to the MLS All-Star Team twice and earned a spot in the 2009 MLS Best XI.

The 29-year-old came to MLS from Colombian club, Millonarios, where he appeared in 33 matches from 2006-07. Conde started his career in 2000 with Deportes Quindio and moved onto Colombia's Deportivo Cali a year later, where he stayed from 2001-05. He was also with Colombian side Cortulua (2004) and Ecuadorian club Aucas (2005) on loan stints.

RED BULLS SIGN GOALKEEPER JEREMY VUOLO

The Red Bulls signed goalkeeper Jeremy Vuolo Jan. 25. The 25-year-old spent 2011 with Finnish side AC Oulu after a standout career at Syracuse University. Vuolo will be added to the team's roster pending receipt of his International Transfer Certificate. Per league rules, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The Downingtown, PA native began his professional career in 2011 with then Finnish First Division (Ykkönen) side, AC Oulu. Vuolo played in 24 matches for the club, earning 11 clean sheets while helping the team to a third place finish.

"After doing extensive scouting, we believe that Jeremy has a very bright future ahead of him and can compete at the MLS level," said Red Bulls General Manager and Sporting Director Erik Soler. "He had a very good year playing professionally in Finland and brings many great attributes to the table. We expect that he will compete for a starting spot this year."

At the collegiate level, Vuolu spent his senior season at Syracuse University after three successful years at Hartwick College. As a senior in 2010 for Syracuse, Vuolo started 15 games and was named as a finalist for the LOWE's Senior Class Award for the nation's most outstanding student-athlete. He was named the team's Most Valuable Player after ranking fourth in the Big East Conference in saves and saves per game.

Vuolo spent his first three college seasons at Hartwick College, starting 53 of a possible 55 matches. As a junior in 2009, he had a breakout season in which he compiled a 10-4-4 record and a 0.84 goals against average with seven shutouts. His excellent play in 2009 earned him the All-Mid American Goalkeeper of the Year award as well as First Team All-MAC honors, and he was named the team's Most Valuable Player.

Before college, Vuolo was a standout at Downingtown West High School while also appearing at the club level for FC Delco, Spirit United Club and the Reading Rage of the PDL.

NYRB TO PLAY PUMAS IN ARIZONA AT RED BULL RETO DEL SOL ON FEB. 23

New York will face Pumas UNAM in a friendly match on Thursday, Feb. 23 in a game called Red Bull Reto del Sol, or "Challenge of the Sun." This will be a follow up to last year's Red Bull Reto del Sol match, which pitted the Red Bulls vs. Club Atlas de Guadalajara. The 2012 game will be played at Chase Field, in downtown Phoenix, with doors opening at 6:00 p.m. local time and kick-off slated for 8:00 p.m. More information is available at www.redbullusa.com/retodelsol.

Red Bull Reto del Sol will once again bring professional soccer to the Valley of the Sun, with some of the top players in the United States and Mexico participating, including Rafa Márquez, Thierry Henry, Juan Agudelo, Martin Bravo, EfraÃ-n Velarde and DarÃ-o VerÃ"ne. The Red Bulls, who finished the 2011 season by advancing to the Western Conference Semifinals, will go up against Primera DivisiÃ"n Team Pumas UNAM. Pumas, widely regarded as one of the most popular clubs in Mexico, are champions of the 2011 Clausura tournament, having won their seventh championship against Monarcas Morelia.

"We are looking forward to returning to the Phoenix area to face Pumas, an elite Mexican side that will provide us with a big test," said Red Bulls General Manager and Sporting Director Erik Soler. "We had a good match against Atlas in 2011 playing in front of a great crowd and we look forward to competing in a similar atmosphere at this year's Red Bull Reto del Sol."

In 2011, Red Bull Reto del Sol took place in Glendale, AZ, pitting the Red Bulls vs. Atlas, and drew more than 23,000 spectators. After a scoreless first half, the Red Bulls went down 0-1 when Atlas player Edgar Pacheco put up a ball that was inadvertently deflected into the net by New York defender Tim Ream. However, former Atlas star and current Red Bull Márquez converted a penalty kick in the 89th minute, earning New York a 1-1 draw.

Tickets for Red Bull Reto del Sol are now on sale, starting at $20 and can be purchased through Ticketmaster by calling (800) 745-3000 and online at ticketmaster.com. Tickets are also available at usual tienda locations in the Phoenix area and at the Chase Field box office in person or via phone at 480-339-5000. For additional information please log on to www.azchasefield.com.

RED BULLS SIGN STEPHEN KEEL TO NEW CONTRACT

The New York Red Bulls announced Jan. 18 that they have signed defender Stephen Keel to a new contract. Per League and club regulations, specific terms of the deal were not disclosed.

"Stephen had an excellent season last year and was a contributor in our postseason run," said Red Bulls General Manager and Sporting Director Erik Soler. "He provides us a physical and experienced option in central defense and we are pleased that we were able to sign him to a new contract."

Keel enjoyed a breakout year in 2011, setting career highs in games played (16), starts (13) and assists (2). The 28-year-old also started in all three of the Red Bulls' postseason matches. Keel earned a spot on the squad after coming in as a trialist in preseason. He officially signed with New York on March 9, 2011.

Prior to joining New York, Keel was with then-USL First Division side, the Portland Timbers, where from 2009-2010, he appeared in 53 games. The Littleton, CO native started his career with the Colorado Rapids, appearing in 10 regular season matches. Keel attended Wake Forest University.

RED BULLS ANNOUNCE PRESEASON TRAVEL SCHEDULE

The club released their preseason travel plans leading up to the start of the 2012 MLS Regular Season. The team's preseason tour includes stops in Mexico and Arizona before it returns to the New York area in early March ahead of its opening match of the 2012 season against FC Dallas on Sunday, March 11 at 3:00 PM ET at FC Dallas Stadium (TV: NBC Sports Network).

The Red Bulls reported to preseason camp on Monday, Jan. 16 at Red Bull Arena. On Monday, Jan. 30, the team departs for Riviera Maya, Mexico before returning to the New York area on Wednesday, Feb. 15. A full match schedule in Mexico will be released at a later date. The team embarks on its final trip of the preseason on Monday, Feb. 20, when it departs for Arizona to take part in the 2012 FC Tucson Desert Diamond Cup.

New York will kick off the competition on Wednesday, Feb. 22 as it faces Real Salt Lake, and continues on Saturday, Feb. 25 against Eastern Conference rival, the New England Revolution. The Red Bulls' third match of the tournament is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 29 versus the defending MLS Cup Champion Los Angeles Galaxy. The competition concludes with the championship and third place matches on Saturday, March 3. The following day, the Red Bulls return to the New York area, concluding the preseason travel schedule.

This is the second straight year that the Red Bulls will spend preseason in both Mexico and Arizona.

2012 New York Red Bulls Preseason Schedule

Monday, Jan. 16: Team reported to preseason camp at Red Bull Arena

Monday, Jan. 30: Team departs for Riviera Maya, Mexico

Wednesday, Feb 15: Team returns to New York area

Monday, Feb. 20: Team departs for Arizona

Wednesday, Feb. 22: Red Bulls vs. Real Salt Lake "" Desert Cup

Thursday, Feb. 23: Red Bulls vs. Pumas - Red Bull Reto del Sol

Saturday, Feb. 25: Red Bulls vs. New England Revolution "" Desert Cup

Wednesday, Feb. 29: Red Bulls vs. Los Angeles Galaxy "" Desert Cup

Saturday, March 3: Desert Cup Finals and Third Place match

Sunday, March 4: Team returns to New York area

Sunday, March 11: Red Bulls vs. FC Dallas at FC Dallas Stadium at 3:00 PM ET (TV: NBC Sports Network)

RED BULL THIERRY HENRY JOINS ARSENAL FC ON LOAN; SCORES GAME-WINNER IN RETURN

The New York Red Bulls reached an agreement Jan. 6 to send forward Thierry Henry to English Premiership Club, Arsenal FC, on a loan that will see New York's captain return to the Red Bulls by the middle of February.

Henry returned to his former club on Monday, Jan. 9 in a FA Cup Third Round match against Leeds United, coming on as a 68th minute substitute. The Frenchman made his impact felt just 10 minutes after coming onto the pitch, controlling an Alex Song through ball and curling it past goalkeeper Andy Lonergan, recording the game's only goal in a 1-0 victory. Henry came on as a late substitute in Arsenal's most recent match, a 3-2 victory over Aston Villa in the FA Cup.

The match against Leeds marked Henry's official return to Arsenal, the team where he became the club's most prolific striker and all-time leading scorer (227 goals for Arsenal in all competitions after the Leeds tally Monday).

"It is unreal to be honest. But when it comes to Arsenal my heart will always do the talking," the World Cup, European Championship and UEFA Champions League winner said at the time of the loan announcement.

"Once I knew the plan behind it I was OK with it. I am not coming here to be a hero or prove anything. I am just coming here to help. People have to understand that. Marouane (Chamakh) and Gervinho are going to the Africa Cup of Nations so I was asked to fill in the gap. It is a loan deal and I'll be on the bench most of the time. If I can make the bench that is! The boss has a team here already who are doing something good. I am just going to be part of the squad.

"I want to send a message to the fans of New York Red Bulls as well. I always said I would not play in Europe again. But it is hard for me when it comes to Arsenal. I am not coming here for the whole season, I will be back and I want to win the MLS Cup with the Red Bulls. I hope it is win-win situation where I can help Arsenal and come back fit for the MLS season."

"We believe that this is a beneficial move for all parties involved," said Red Bulls General Manager and Sporting Director Erik Soler. "From our perspective, we believe that Thierry will have the prime opportunity to develop his match fitness playing with Arsenal in preparation for our MLS regular season campaign. We are personally thrilled that Thierry has earned this chance to rejoin and help his former club and look forward to seeing him in preseason camp in February."

Henry was the Red Bulls' 2011 Most Valuable Player, taking home the club's Golden Boot after scoring a team-high 14 goals in the regular season. The Frenchman, who made the MLS All-Star Team and was part of MLS' season-ending Best XI, played in and started 26 games, logging 2,266 minutes and registering four assists in his first full season in the League. He also notched his first career MLS Cup Playoffs goal in New York's 2-0 victory over FC Dallas on Oct. 26 in the Wild Card round. His 14 regular season goals ranked third-best in MLS this season.

Henry was with Arsenal from 1999-07, becoming one of the side's all-time great players. The French marksman was the top scorer in the English Premiership (2002, 2004-06) a record four times and helped Arsenal win the Premiership championship in 2002 and 2004. The 32-year-old also helped lead his team to three English FA Cups and claimed the European Golden Boot in 2004 and 2005.

Henry will return to the New York Red Bulls in the middle of February and rejoin his teammates for their final weeks of preseason ahead of the team's season opener on Sunday, March 11 against FC Dallas at 3:00 PM ET at FC Dallas Stadium. The match will be televised live by NBC Sports Network "" the first MLS game broadcasted by the League's new national partner, NBC.

NEW YORK RELEASES 2012 REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE

The New York Red Bulls released their 34-game Major League Soccer regular season schedule. Full season ticket plans for the Red Bulls' 2012 home campaign at Red Bull Arena are available now by calling 1.877.RBSOCCER or logging onto www.newyorkredbulls.com/tickets.

New York's home opener at Red Bull Arena will take place Sunday, March 25 against the Colorado Rapids at 4:00 PM ET and will be televised nationally on ESPN. The Red Bulls open the regular season with a two-game road trip starting on Sunday, March 11 against FC Dallas at Pizza Hut Park at 3:00 PM in a match to be televised live by NBC Sports Network "" the first MLS game broadcasted by the League's new national partner, NBC. On March 17, the Red Bulls will face Western Conference foe, Real Salt Lake, at 9:00 PM.

Each of the League's 19 clubs will play 34 matches, 17 at home and 17 away, during 34 weeks. Within each conference, each club will play the same number of in-conference and out-of-conference games, following the competition format announced on Nov. 20, 2011.

Less than a week after hosting the Rapids, the Red Bulls will take on expansion side, the Montreal Impact, at Red Bull Arena on March 31 at 4:00 PM in the first-ever MLS regular season match between the two sides. On May 5, New York travels to Los Angeles to take on the defending champion Galaxy in a 2011 MLS Cup Playoffs rematch in a match televised live on ESPN at 8:00 PM ET. The Red Bulls-Galaxy match is one of seven New York games that will be broadcast on the ESPN Networks.

New York welcomes Atlantic Cup rival, D.C. United, on June 24 at 7:00 PM (TV: NBCSN) for the first time in 2012 and begins a three-game homestand in July, facing Seattle Sounders FC on July 15 at 4:00 PM (TV: ESPN), Chicago Fire on July 18 with a 1:00 PM matinee kickoff start and I-95 foe, the Philadelphia Union, on July 21 at 2:30 PM (TV: ESPN).

Starting Aug. 26 at Kansas City, the Red Bulls will close the season against nine Eastern Conference opponents in the run-up to the MLS Cup Playoffs. In addition, the Red Bulls are a part of two of three nationally-televised MLS games that will be broadcast live on NBC, with New York hosting Chicago on Oct. 6 at 3:30 PM and the Red Bulls traveling to PPL Park to battle the Union on Oct. 27 at 1:30 PM in the regular season finale for both clubs.

NEW YORK RED BULLS 2012 REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE # DATE OPPONENT VENUE HOME/AWAY TIME (ET)

1 Sunday, Mar 11 (NBCSN) Dallas Dallas Away 3:00

2 Saturday, Mar 17 Real Salt Lake Real Salt Lake Away 9:00

3 Sunday, Mar 25 (ESPN) Colorado New York Home 4:00

4 Saturday, Mar 31 Montreal New York Home 4:00

5 Saturday, Apr 7 (Galavision) Columbus Columbus Away 3:00

6 Saturday, Apr 14 San Jose New York Home 7:00

7 Sunday, Apr 22 (ESPN2) DC DC Away 6:00

8 Saturday, Apr 28 (NBCSN) New England New York Home 3:30

9 Saturday, May 5 (ESPN) LA Galaxy Los Angeles Away 8:00

10 Wednesday, May 9 Houston New York Home 7:00

11 Sunday, May 13 (ESPN2) Philadelphia Philadelphia Away 1:30

12 Saturday, May 19 Montreal Montreal Away 7:30

13 Wednesday, May 23 (Galavision) Chivas New York Home 7:00

14 Sunday, Jun 17 (NBCSN) Chicago Chicago Away 5:00

15 Wednesday, Jun 20 Vancouver Vancouver Away 11:00

16 Sunday, Jun 24 (NBC, NBCSN) DC New York Home 7:00

17 Saturday, Jun 30 (Galavision) Toronto Toronto Away 7:00

18 Sunday, Jul 8 (Galavision) New England New England Away 7:00

19 Sunday, Jul 15 (ESPN) Seattle New York Home 4:00

20 Wednesday, Jul 18 Chicago New York Home 1:00

21 Saturday, Jul 21 (ESPN) Philadelphia New York Home 2:30

22 Saturday, Jul 28 Montreal Montreal Away 7:00

23 Friday, Aug 3 (NBCSN) Houston Houston Away 8:00

24 Friday, Aug 10 (NBCSN) Houston New York Home 8:00

25 Sunday, Aug 19 (Galavision) Portland New York Home 7:00

26 Sunday, Aug 26 (ESPN2) Kansas City Kansas City Away 9:00

27 Wednesday, Aug 29 (Galavision) DC DC Away 8:00

28 Saturday, Sep 15 Columbus New York Home 7:00

29 Wednesday, Sep 19 Kansas City New York Home 7:00

30 Saturday, Sep 22 New England New England Away 7:30

31 Saturday, Sep 29 Toronto New York Home 7:00

32 Saturday, Oct 6 (NBC) Chicago New York Home 3:30

33 Saturday, Oct 20 Kansas City New York Home 7:00

34 Saturday, Oct 27 (NBC) Philadelphia Philadelphia Away 1:30

Other highlights of the regular season schedule:

- The Red Bulls will play 25 matches against Eastern Conference teams and nine against Western Conference sides (New York will face each Western Conference team once). New York will battle Toronto FC and the Columbus Crew twice while facing each of the other Eastern Conference sides three times. Because of the unbalanced schedule format, the home and away fixtures will be reversed for the 2013 regular season (ie: If New York faces a Western Conference club on the road in the teams' only match against each other in 2012, New York will host that same side in the following season's fixture).

- New York is on the ESPN Networks seven times (four on ESPN, three on ESPN2), eight times on the NBC Sports Group (six on NBCSN, two on NBC) and six times on Galavision. The team's local broadcast schedule for the remaining matches will be announced at a later date.

- Taking into consideration fan feedback, the Red Bulls have scheduled additional afternoon matches, with seven of 17 home games having kickoff times taking place between 1:00 PM ET and 4:30 PM ET.

- More than 83% of all MLS games will take place on weekends or holidays, with every day of the week having at least one scheduled match during the year.

- The nine MLS games scheduled for Saturday, April 28 are set to break the League record for the most games in one day (previously eight, on March 26, 2011).

- MLS initially did not schedule any games on FIFA fixture dates, but the League afforded the option, only by mutual club consent, of moving a game to one of those dates when other scheduling conflicts could not be resolved. Thus a small number of games do occur on select FIFA fixture dates.

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