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Red Bulls Seek Revenge Against Crystal Palace Baltimore

March 11, 2009 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Crystal Palace Baltimore News Release


Baltimore, MD - The MLS Championship finalist New York Red Bulls arrive in Annapolis today ahead of Thursday's exhibition "rematch" against Crystal Palace Baltimore. The game will kick off at 7:00pm at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland. In July 2008, the Baltimore team upset the Red Bulls 2-0 in the 3rd round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, despite having a one- player disadvantage for most of the game after an early red card for Palace defender Ibrahim Kante.

During last year's US Open Cup loss, the Red Bulls coaching staff were impressed by the performance of Palace midfield star Matthew Mbuta. So much so that the MLS club bought out Mbuta's contract after the 2008 season, eventually signing the speedy Cameroonian native to a senior roster spot.

"This is a game that we're really excited to play in," stated Crystal Palace Baltimore Co-Manager and Sporting Director, Jim Cherneski. "We aim to go out and do well, like we did last summer. We feel we can win again. They're preparing for their MLS season opener the following week, so we expect they'll be bringing many of their top players."

Fellow Co-Manager and Club President, Pete Medd, added: "We've been battling injuries this pre-season and it makes our selection process a little bit more difficult than we'd like. Stephen Basso is out with an ankle sprain, Larry Mark and Bryan Harkin are also injured, Dan Lader is questionable. We obviously don't have John Barry Nusum and Pat Healey available for this game due to their indoor commitments. So we've brought in some strong trialists, like Jordan Seabrook who's just back from Colorado in MLS, to get us through the injuries. Depending on how well these new guys perform against quality opposition like the Red Bulls, there's always the chance we could sign one or two of them."

Medd concluded: "We'll definitely learn a lot about our new players, though it's a shame we won't have our strongest team, but that's the nature of a pre-season friendly."

Tickets for this match are available on the club's website - www.crystalpalaceusa.com - or by telephone at 410.933.TEAM(8326) through Wednesday evening and on Thursday at the stadium from 6:00pm. Individual tickets are $16 (or $5 with military ID). Children 4 years old and under are admitted free. Season tickets, which include this match, are also available online or by phone for $125.

Palace continue their exhibition schedule in their regular home stadium at UMBC at 7:30pm on Friday, April 3 against the Rochester Rhinos of USL1. Local USL2 rivals Real Maryland visit on Friday, April 10 for the 2nd annual DeOrsey Maryland Cup, kicking off at 7:30pm. Baltimore's regular season commences at UMBC on Friday, April 17 versus the Pittsburgh Riverhounds, also at 7:30pm.



United Soccer League Championship Stories from March 11, 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.

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