MLS Red Bull New York

New York Red Bulls Weekly Update

Published on February 13, 2012 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Red Bull New York News Release


RED BULLS EARN 1-1 TIE WITH MERIDA FC

New York rookie Connor Lade scored his first preseason goal 10 minutes from full time, as the Red Bulls earned a come-from-behind 1-1 tie against Mexican Second Division side, Merida FC on Feb. 11. New York moved to 1-0-1 in the 2012 preseason with the draw.

Merida had a couple of good chances to score in the first half, but Red Bulls goalkeeper Jeremy Vuolo made a pair of fine saves to keep the game even. In the 20th minute, a short back pass was intercepted by Merida and Vuolo went down to stop Ever Alfaro's ensuing low shot. Three minutes later, midfielder Arturo Alvarado took a long range attempt that hit the crossbar after a fully extended Vuolo tipped it. With 10 minutes remaining in the interval, Merida's Axel Fernandez skipped towards the box and fired it off the right post.

On the other end, Red Bulls midfielder Dax McCarty used his left foot to shoot it wide right from outside of the box. With moments left in the half, McCarty found Jonathan Borrajo on the right wing and the defender swung in a cross that was volleyed by Kenny Cooper straight into arms of goalkeeper Alfredo Frausto.

The Red Bulls put out an entirely new team in the second half and went down a goal eight minutes in, as Rodrigo Noya rose above his defender to nod it in after Alvarado controlled a short corner kick and delivered it into the box.

New York searched for the equalizer and nearly got one in the 73rd minute. Red Bulls midfielder Dane Richards made a mazy run down the right wing and his cross was met by Jose Angulo, whose header went just over the bar.

The Red Bulls' hard work however, would pay off seven minutes later. Victor Palsson sent a forward pass to Giorgi Chirgadze in the middle of the park. Chirgadze had enough time to face goal and sent a through ball to a wide-open Lade, who flicked it over the on-rushing goalkeeper and into the back of the net.

NEW YORK UPENDS FC DALLAS, 2-0, IN FIRST PRESEASON TILT

The New York Red Bulls earned a 2-0 win over MLS rival FC Dallas in New York's opening preseason match of 2012 on Feb. 7. New York and former FC Dallas striker Kenny Cooper scored the opening tally while Corey Hertzog slotted in a penalty kick in the dying moments of the match to seal the result.

The next time the two teams will face off will be Sunday, March 11 at FC Dallas Stadium at 3:00 PM ET as part of MLS First Kick. The match will televised live by NBC Sports Network "" the first-ever MLS game broadcasted by the League's new national partner, NBC.

Dane Richards was the first attacker to test the opposition, striking a shot in the fourth minute that goalkeeper Kevin Hartman dove to collect. Five minutes later, the woodwork denied FC Dallas' Blas Perez, as his one-time blast from a Fabian Castillo feed dinged off the right upright.

Under hot and humid conditions, New York took the lead in the 33rd minute. Red Bulls defender Jan Gunnar Solli fed the ball on the right wing to Richards, who drove towards the penalty box. The Jamaican found Cooper and the big forward spun and re-directed the pass with his right foot inside the far post.

Perez again hit the right post in the 40th minute, nodding a cross against the goal frame after a quick FC Dallas restart.

Both teams changed their entire lineups to start the second half and Red Bulls guest player Jose Angulo could have made it 2-0 when he was through on goal off a Hertzog through ball. Angulo, however, was unable to keep his left-footed shot down. With 20 minutes to play, FC Dallas hit the woodwork for the third time, as Bruno Guarda's 15-yard rocket slammed off the left post.

Hertzog sealed the result for the Red Bulls when he sent goalkeeper Chris Seitz the wrong way in the 90th minute from the penalty spot. Red Bulls defender Jonathan Borrajo was adjudged to have been fouled in the box by Christian Ibeagha, leading to the kick.

RED BULL THIERRY HENRY JOINS ARSENAL FC ON LOAN; SCORES WINNER AGAINST SUNDERLAND

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 later this week.

The Frenchman made his final Premier League game of the season with Arsenal a memorable one, as he notched the game-winning goal in stoppage time to lift Arsenal to a 2-1 victory over Sunderland last Saturday. It was Henry's club-leading 229th all-time goal for Arsenal. Henry will be available for Arsenal this Wednesday, Feb. 15 when they face AC Milan in the first leg of the clubs' Round of 16 match in the UEFA Champions League at the San Siro in Milan, Italy. It will be Henry's final match with the Gunners before returning to the Red Bulls to prepare for the 2012 MLS Regular Season.

Henry scored his second goal since re-joining Arsenal, netting the final goal in the Gunners' 7-1 rout of Blackburn Rovers on Feb. 4. Henry entered the match for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in the 68th minute, and finished off his chance in the 90th minute.

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.

"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.

"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.

RED BULLS INK ICELAND MIDFIELDER VICTOR PALSSON

The New York Red Bulls announced Feb. 10 that the club has signed Icelandic midfielder Victor Palsson. He will be added to the team's roster pending receipt of his P-1 visa and International Transfer Certificate.

"Victor is a promising young player who has gained some experience playing in Europe," said New York General Manager and Sporting Director Erik Soler. "He will certainly challenge for a spot in our squad and can provide us an option in midfield."

The 20-year-old defensive midfielder joins New York after spending the past year at Scottish Premier League side Hibernian. Palsson joined the club in Jan. 2011 and appeared in 34 overall games, scoring one goal. Before moving to Scotland, the Reykjavik, Iceland native was at renowned English club Liverpool in 2009, featuring for the club's Reserve Team. In Nov. 2010, Liverpool loaned him out to League One side Dagenham and Redbridge, for whom he made three appearances.

Palsson has featured internationally for Iceland on its various youth teams, including the Under-19 and Under-21 levels. He started his career at Icelandic clubs Fjolnir and Fylkir before moving to Danish club, AGF Aarhus in 2007.

RED BULLS PEN ROOKIE RYAN MEARA

The New York Red Bulls announced Feb. 6 that they have signed newly acquired rookie goalkeeper Ryan Meara.

"Ryan is a talented, young goalkeeper who we think can develop into a solid contributor," said New York General Manager and Sporting Director Erik Soler. "We are happy to sign him to his first professional contract and also are content to bring in another local player to the first team."

The Red Bulls drafted Meara out of Fordham University with the 31st overall pick in the 2012 MLS SuperDraft. The Crestwood, NY native enjoyed an impressive career at Fordham, registering 31 shutouts in 74 total appearances for the school. In 2011, Meara posted a .862 save percentage which ranked sixth overall in the NCAA Division I and surrendered just 0.65 goals per game on the way to being named the Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year and All-Atlantic 10 Conference First Team. In 2010, Meara played for the Newark-based Jersey Express S.C. of the Premier Development League and was voted the league's goalkeeper of the year. Meara was born in Yonkers, NY.

CLUB SIGNS 2010 TEAM MVP JOEL LINDPERE TO NEW CONTRACT

The New York Red Bulls announced Jan. 31 that it has signed midfielder Joel Lindpere to a new, multi-year contract. Lindpere, the team's 2010 Most Valuable Player, is coming off a 2011 campaign which saw him start all 34 regular season games, a franchise record.

"I am very happy to continue my career as a Red Bull," Lindpere said. "I have enjoyed my time in MLS over the past two seasons. The support from the fans has been sensational and I hope to help bring a MLS Cup to New York this season."

The Red Bulls signed Lindpere from Norwegian Tippeligaen side, Tromso, in March 2010. In his first season in MLS, Lindpere led the team with six assists and was named the team's Most Valuable Player. He was also a finalist for MLS Newcomer of the Year. Last season, Lindpere set club records in games played (34) and minutes played (3,048), recording seven goals and seven assists. He also has two postseason goals to his name.

At Tromso, Lindpere made 75 appearances from 2007-09 and scored five goals. The 30-year-old joined Tromso from Estonian club, FC Flora Tallinn. Lindpere had three different stints with FC Flora, from 2000-01, 2002-04 and 2005-06. In between, Lindpere also featured for Estonia's FC Valga from 2001-02 and Bulgaria's CSKA Sofia from 2004-05. He started his career in Estonia as a 15-year-old at JK Nomme Kalju in 1997 before moving onto Lelle SK for two years.

After making his international debut in 1999, Lindpere has been a stalwart for the Estonian National Team, earning 76 caps and scoring six goals.

RED BULLS-REAL SALT LAKE KICKOFF TIME MOVED

The New York Red Bulls and Real Salt Lake announced that the kickoff time for the MLS Regular Season match between the two teams on March 17 at Rio Tinto Stadium has been moved to 10:00 PM ET. It was originally scheduled for 9:00 PM ET. Local broadcast information will be announced at a later date.

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.

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.

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 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.

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Major League Soccer Stories from February 13, 2012


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