MLS New York Red Bulls

Weekly Update: Red Bulls Kick off Three-Game Homestand on Sunday

Published on July 9, 2012 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
New York Red Bulls News Release


RED BULLS RETURN FOR THREE-MATCH HOMESTAND STARTING SUNDAY VS. SOUNDERS

The New York Red Bulls will look to make the most out of their upcoming three-match homestand, which begins on Sunday, July 15 when the club hosts Seattle Sounders FC at Red Bull Arena at 4:00 PM ET (TV: ESPN/ESPN Deportes; Radio: WLIB 1190 AM).

New York hopes to snap a two-match winless streak on Sunday, entering the week in third place in the Eastern Conference on 31 points with a 9-5-4 record, just two points behind co-leaders D.C. United and Sporting Kansas City. In their last match, the Red Bulls were kept at bay and suffered a 2-0 loss to conference rival, the New England Revolution, this past Sunday at Gillette Stadium. Despite the loss, New York is still enjoying its best start through 18 matches in the franchise's 17-season history.

New York Most Points through 18 Matches

2012: 31 points (9-5-4 record)

2003: 29 points (8-5-5)

2010: 28 points (8-6-4)

2001, 2007: 27 points

The visiting Sounders come into the match in high spirits, having finally snapped a nine-match winless streak in its last match. This past Saturday, Seattle was propelled by goals from Alvaro Fernandez and Eddie Johnson and held on for a 2-1 victory over the Colorado Rapids at home. Seattle has been able to hang around near the top of the Western Conference standings despite their tough stretch, as they currently are in third place with a record of 8-5-6 and 30 points. Prior to making the trip to New York, the Sounders host Chivas USA at Starfire Sports Complex Wednesday in the semifinals of the U.S. Open Cup, as the club looks to win the competition for an unprecedented fourth straight time.

Sunday's match will be the only regular season meeting between the sides in 2012. Last year, New York won its home opener over the Sounders, 1-0, on March 19 on a goal by current Chivas USA forward Juan Agudelo. The return fixture on June 23 in Seattle saw the hosts win a high-scoring 4-2 affair. All-time vs. Seattle, New York owns a record of 2-3-1.

LAST WEEK

Red Bulls 0, New England Revolution 2 on Sunday, July 8 at Gillette Stadium

THIS WEEK

Red Bulls vs. Seattle Sounders FC on Sunday, July 15 at Red Bull Arena at 4:00 PM (TV: ESPN, ESPN Deportes; Radio: WLIB 1190 AM)

NEXT WEEK

Red Bulls vs. Chicago Fire on Wednesday, July 18 at Red Bull Arena at 1:00 PM (TV: MSG+; Radio: WLIB 1190 AM)

Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia Union on Saturday, July 21 at Red Bull Arena at 2:30 PM (TV: ESPN/ESPN Deportes; Radio: WLIB 1190 AM)

RED BULLS BLANKED BY REVOLUTION

A shorthanded New York Red Bulls side fell, 2-0, to the New England Revolution Sunday night at Gillette Stadium.

The Red Bulls were missing the services of several players Sunday including forward Thierry Henry, midfielder Rafa Marquez and defenders Jan Gunnar Solli, Heath Pearce and Markus Holgersson.

The Revolution looked to put its name on the scoreboard in the 12th minute, when Saer Sene slipped a pass through to Blake Brettschneider into New York's penalty box. Goalkeeper Ryan Meara ran off of his line to bravely knock away Brettschneider's toe poke.

But 12 minutes later, New England broke through. Chris Tierney had the ball on the left wing and cut it to the top of the box to Lee Nguyen. Nguyen controlled it and fired it with his right foot past Meara and into the bottom left corner of the net. The Revolution nearly doubled its advantage with five minutes to play in the first half, as A.J. Soares flicked a Benny Feilhaber free kick off the woodwork. The ball fell loose and Brettschneider almost slid it in to make it 2-0 if it wasn't for a block off the line by New York defender Wilman Conde.

New York came out of halftime with a scoring chance a minute into the interval. Joel Lindpere's out-swinging corner kick fell to Brandon Barklage, who headed it over the crossbar. In the 56th minute, the Red Bulls were inches away from tying the game. Lindpere found an on-rushing Kenny Cooper and the Red Bulls forward had space to cut to his right foot and shoot it past a beaten Bobby Shuttleworth and off the inside of the right post.

In the 68th minute, Mehdi Ballouchy passed it to Dane Richards and the Jamaican forced Shuttleworth to his left to catch his shot. Twelve minutes after, Cooper's 30-yard free kick was gobbled up by Shuttleworth with several Red Bulls lurking for a rebound.

New England wrapped up the three points with six minutes to go. Sene was able to break through on goal and his shot was deflected by Meara. Revolution forward Jerry Bengston was first to the loose ball, rounding Meara and tapping it home.

HENRY, PEARCE NAMED TO MLS ALL-STAR FIRST XI

Major League Soccer announced July 8 that New York Red Bulls forward Thierry Henry and defender Heath Pearce were voted into the 2012 MLS All-Star First XI. On Wednesday, July 25 at PPL Park in Chester, PA, the MLS All-Stars will face European Champions Chelsea FC in the 2012 AT&T MLS All-Star Game (live on ESPN2, TeleFutura, and in Canada on TSN and RDS starting at 8:30 PM ET).

The First XI received the most votes at their respective positions from combined fan voting on three platforms "" online at MLSsoccer.com, via text message, and via Twitter. The ballot consisted of six players from each club, as chosen by a panel of media members.

Last year, Henry shined in his first full season with the Red Bulls, scoring 14 goals and adding four assists in 26 games. This season, the former World Cup, European Championship and UEFA Champions League winner has nine goals and five assists in 11 games. Henry's pro career began in 1990 with AS Monaco (France), and included successful stints at Juventus (Italy), Arsenal (England) and FC Barcelona (Spain) before he joined the Red Bulls midway through 2010. Henry has 123 caps for France, and is the all-time leading scorer with 51 goals. This is his second MLS All-Star Team selection.

Pearce, one of the elite defenders in MLS, is having a strong debut season with New York, starting in 16 matches in 2012 and notching one goal. Pearce first came to MLS in late 2009, signing with FC Dallas. He then spent the 2011 and the first part of 2012 with Chivas USA before being sent to New York May 17 in exchange for Juan Agudelo. His pro career began when he joined FC Nordsjælland of Denmark, and then moved to German side Hansa Rostock. Pearce has represented the United States on 35 occasions. This is his third MLS All-Star team selection.

The First XI are not necessarily included on the game day roster. MLS All-Star coach Ben Olsen will select the roster based on player availability and tactical considerations, but all First XI players are All-Stars.

Two selections by MLS Commissioner Don Garber, and Olsen's complete 18-man game day roster, will be announced on Sunday, July 15 during ESPN's broadcast of the Red Bulls vs. Seattle Sounders FC game at Red Bull Arena that begins at 4:00 PM ET (Tickets available for the match by calling 1.877.RBSOCCER or logging onto www.newyorkredbulls.com).

Under the CBA, a total of 32 players will be named All-Stars. After the game day roster, the remaining players receiving the All-Star honor will come from voting among MLS players and will be announced July 25. A 4-4-2 formation was selected for this year's First XI.

2012 MLS All-Star First XI "" As voted by fans

Goalkeeper: Jimmy Nielsen (Sporting Kansas City)

Defenders: Steven Beitashour (San Jose Earthquakes), Aurélien Collin (Sporting Kansas City), Jay DeMerit (Vancouver Whitecaps FC), Heath Pearce (New York Red Bulls)

Midfielders: David Beckham (LA Galaxy), Dwayne De Rosario (D.C. United), Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City)

Forwards: Thierry Henry (New York Red Bulls), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes)

DANE CLIMBING

Red Bulls midfielder Dane Richards moved into sole possession of second place on New York's all-time games played list with his appearance on Sunday at New England. It was his 147th regular season appearance for the club, which put him over defender Carlos Mendes for second place all-time. Former defender and current Red Bulls Assistant Coach Mike Petke is first all-time with 169. Richards is also second in games started for the club (132) and minutes played (11,699), trailing only Petke (158, 14,060), and is also third in assists (26).

HOME SWEET HOME

With their victory over D.C. United on Sunday, June 24, the Red Bulls improved their record at home this season to 5-0-2. The Houston Dynamo (4-0-3) is the only other unbeaten team at home in MLS.

RECORD CROWD

The Red Bulls' 3-2 win over D.C. United on June 24 was attended by a record crowd at Red Bull Arena for a Red Bulls match (25,187). It broke the previous Red Bull Arena record set on Oct. 4, 2011 - a day when the Red Bulls won 2-0 over the LA Galaxy.

COMEBACK KIDS

The Red Bulls are 3-5-2 after conceding the first goal of the match, coming back against D.C. United on June 24 and on March 31 and May 19 against the Montreal Impact (5-2 and 2-1 decisions, respectively). Between the 2009-11 seasons, out of 53 games overall, the Red Bulls only came back after letting in the opening strike once - a 2-1 win over FC Dallas on April 17, 2010 at Red Bull Arena. Ironically, the lone goalscorer of that match was midfielder Dax McCarty, who headed it into the back of the net. McCarty's header came off a cross from defender Heath Pearce. McCarty and Pearce now both play for the Red Bulls.

RED BULL ARENA TO HOST FRIENDLY BETWEEN AS ROMA AND EL SALVADOR NATIONAL TEAM

Red Bull Arena announced that it will be host to an international friendly match between the three-time Italian Serie A champions AS Roma and El Salvador National Team on Friday, July 27 at 8pm ET.

"We are delighted to welcome AS Roma and El Salvador National Team to Red Bull Arena for this international exhibition match," said Chris Heck, New York Red Bulls President of Business Operations.

The match at Red Bull Arena will be AS Roma's final tune up on American soil, closing out the Giallorossi's first-ever US Tour before returning home for their 80th season in Serie A play, Italian soccer's top division. Additional tour stops include international friendlies against top Polish club Zaglebie Lubin at Wrigley Field in Chicago and English Premier League standout, Liverpool FC at Fenway Park in Boston.

"We can't wait to bring AS Roma to America's finest soccer-specific venue and provide our passionate fan base in the Tri-State area with the opportunity to watch international soccer at its best," said AS Roma Chief Executive Officer Mark Pannes. "Roma has had an outstanding summer thus far showcasing its star studded roster, featuring four players competing in the UEFA European Championships 2012, highlighted by Italian National Team members Fabio Borini and Daniele De Rossi."

El Salvador's national team, led by Uruguayan coach Ruben Israel, is currently in the midst of its 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign competing in CONCACAF's Group B with Mexico, Costa Rica and Guyana.

"This game presents a good opportunity to give our team continuity as we prepare for the upcoming matches in the 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers," said El Salvador FA President Carlos Mendez. "All fixtures in La Primera will be suspended for the weekend to ensure we can bring a full strength team and we are looking forward to a competitive game that will surely summon the large Salvadoran community in the North East region of the United States."

"As an ownership group we have made growing the Roma brand in the U.S. one of our top priorities and an international friendly in the footprint of the greatest city in America is a big step in the right direction," said James Pallotta, Chief Executive, AS Roma holding company NEEP Roma Holding. "The previous two stops on Roma's US Tour are at iconic American baseball parks and it will be great to finish the tour against an elite national team from the Americas at Red Bull Arena, a state of the art facility offering fans an unmatched soccer experience."

Tickets for the AS Roma vs. El Salvador on Friday, July 27 at 8:00PM at Red Bull Arena are available by calling 1.877.RBSOCCER or logging onto www.newyorkredbulls.com.

RED BULLS LOAN HERTZOG TO WILMINGTON FOR REST OF YEAR

The New York Red Bulls announced June 27 that the loan of forward Corey Hertzog to USL-PRO side Wilmington Hammerheads was extended for the remainder of the USL-PRO season. The teams had initially agreed to a one month loan for the former Penn State University forward on May 29.

"Corey and the club discussed the possibility of extending his loan to the end of the year and we both agreed that it was in his best interest to stay with Wilmington to play more competitive matches," said Red Bulls General Manager and Sporting Director Erik Soler. "We wish him luck in Wilmington and we look forward to having him back once their season is over."

While on loan with the Hammerheads, Hertzog has played in seven matches and registered four goals and two assists. Wilmington is currently in fourth place in USL-PRO with a 5-4-4 record.

Originally drafted by New York in the first round (13th overall) of the 2011 MLS SuperDraft out of Penn State University, Hertzog had not made a first team appearance for the Red Bulls in 2012. Last season, Hertzog featured in five regular season games. Hertzog scored one goal in three MLS Reserve League appearances this year.

RED BULLS TO HOST TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR ON JULY 31 AT RED BULL ARENA

The New York Red Bulls will face English Premiership club, Tottenham Hotspur, on Tuesday, July 31 at 7:00 PM as part of the inaugural New York Invitational Cup. Red Bulls Full Season Ticket Holders will have this match included in their plans as "Event 18" (out of 20). Season Ticket Holders will have access to an exclusive team meet-and-greet, as well as an open practice and autograph session. Fans can purchase tickets for the Tottenham match by logging onto www.newyorkredbulls.com or calling 1.877.RBSOCCER.

"Tottenham has been one of the top EPL teams over the past several years and we are thrilled to play host to them at Red Bull Arena," said Chris Heck, New York Red Bulls President, Business Operations. "We are also excited to bring an elite international club as a reward for our season ticket holders and the supporters for both clubs. There will be several exciting events prior to, during and after the match that will have the direct involvement of fans and we are looking forward to revealing more details later this spring."

"We are delighted to have the opportunity to take part. We enjoyed an excellent match against the Red Bulls during our last tour to the US and we expect this game to be equally competitive," said Tottenham Hotspur Chairman Daniel Levy. "In recent years, we have seen a significant rise in the number of Spurs fans across the USA and especially in and around New York and New Jersey. This match presents us with a great opportunity to give something back to those fans and also introduce new supporters to the Spurs way of playing soccer."

Tottenham, also known as Spurs, finished fourth in the 2011-12 Barclays Premier League. The London-based club boasts a number of top international players including Welsh midfielder Gareth Bale and Dutch midfielder Rafael Van der Vaart. In addition, former U.S. Men's National Team standout goalkeeper Brad Friedel plays for Spurs.

Tottenham came to Red Bull Arena on July 22, 2010 as part of the New York Football Challenge and won, 2-1, behind goals from Robbie Keane and Bale. New York forward and former Arsenal FC star Thierry Henry made his Red Bulls debut in that match and scored in the first half. The Red Bulls have a 1-1-1 record all-time against English Premier League sides and are 42-26-15 in international play.

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