“Apologize to the all of you. I showed up late. Made a big mistake I’m very very sorry”

Putting out a tweet like that amidst the English media is like throwing chum into shark infested waters. Soon, reporters picked up on it, and by the end of the game, manager Phil Brown was chewing out his young striker for having the audacity to post in house news to the world. The punishment? Jozy is being fined two weeks pay.

Ouch.

Not the biggest grievance ever for the striker to deal with, but it couldn’t have come at a worse time. All in all, his tenure in Hull City had started with a blast, and has fizzled like a sparkler. Adding this type of no-no to his reputation will not help the young American star find time on the pitch. Knowing Jozy, the kid is respectful to a fault, and most likely meant nothing in the gesture but the best. But was he wrong for doing what he did? Share your thoughts.

img credit: Sky Sports

Osorio compiled a 12-27-13 record in two years with the team, but paradoxically lead the team to the MLS Cup Finals last year for the first time in club history. Expectations were high entering the season, further supported by the many signings that were supposed to reinforce the winning core of the team. Obviously, that never came to pass. And so was the story of Osorio’s 2009; nothing worked out as expected.

In a team statement, Managing Director Erik Stover focused on Osorio’s accomplishments rather than his failures:

“It has been a difficult season for Juan Carlos and he felt that it was in the best interest of the team to step aside. I want to personally thank Juan Carlos for his efforts with the Red Bulls organization. It was under his leadership last season that the team won the Western Conference Championship and reached the MLS Cup Final for the first time in franchise history. We wish him well in his future endeavors.”

And as for Osorio? His final words contained a long awaited mea culpa to the fan base;

“I want to apologize to the fans for the results this season. I want to thank the players for their hard work. I would also like to thank the club for the opportunity to coach the team for the past two seasons.”

In the end, what will be Juan Carlos Osorio’s Metro Bull legacy? Will he be remembered as the team leader and motivator, who found the right formula late in a mediocre season to carry the team into the MLS Cup Final for the first time in franchise history? Or will he be remembered as the deer in headlights coach who could not find his way out of a season long losing streak? One thing is for sure; in the end, Juan Carlos Osorio finally showed accountability for this disaster of a season by resigning, whether it was forced or otherwise. And that accountability was something Red Bull fans have been waiting to hear for a long time now.

And so the Bulls move forward with Richie Williams,and the future is certainly filled with question marks. Does this coaching change bring back your interest in the team? And what are your thoughts on Osorio’s firing (gee, I wonder)? How long till Agoos is cooked? Share your thoughts.

From BAS:

“I have been tremendously happy in this country,” he said. “I am still very grateful to this franchise for the opportunity that they gave me to play for them. But at the end of the day it hasn’t been an easy year. I have never experienced anything like this. . . . We’ll see at the end of the year. I guess we’ll sit down and we’ll come to a conclusion.”

You can sense the frustration in Angel’s statement, and ultimately, you have to understand it. This season has been so utterly futile that even I get frustrated BLOGGING about the friggin’ team. Imagine being in the center of that sewage storm?! You can not blame him for thinking past the Bulls, but at the same time, it would be an absolute travesty knowing how he sacrificed his body, week in and week out, on the concrete jungle pitch of Giant Stadium, just shy of a brand new, beautiful, Kentucky Blue Grass laden field for one last solid hurrah. It just doesn’t seem right.

So I leave the question in your hands; do you want to see Angel return for the 2010 season?

Should Juan Pablo Angel return for 2010?(trends)

Obster has been linked to a move here sporadically since last year. The 25 year old has wanted to make the move sooner, but the mother/sister club just wasn’t letting him go, despite relegating him to bench duties for most of the Austrian season. Even so, he was with the team twice as they won Austrian league titles in 2007 and 2009.

It is expected that the young player will sit either behind Angel and (*forward name here) or claim that gaping hole left on the wing by Dave Van Den Bergh.

What are your thoughts on this signing? Will we see Obster debut against the Galaxy? Habla away!

image credit: ny post blog

That was Juan Carlos Osorio after the FC Dallas game, and by all accounts, it looks like he had more on his mind than yet another loss.

Maybe this weeks summit in Austria is what weighed so heavily on him.

SBI reports Jeff Agoos and Erik Stover have been summoned to Austria to meet with Red Bull brass to explain the mess that has been the 2009 season. And it looks like heads will roll for these failures.

This, along with the Beckham game, will surely make for a circus atmosphere the next two weeks. A change can come as early as this week.

You all know how I have felt about this. But sound off. Should Osorio get the ax? Or do more heads need to roll? Will Osorio even have a job after this meet and greet? Share your thoughts people!

Dave Van den Bergh was never going to be a Red Bull, due to some family issues he was having. Dallas, Texas is the home of his wifes family and friends, and so, the issue seemed logical; no matter what Red Bull could do, DvB was as good as gone at the conclusion of the 2008 campaign.

But hold the phone. After DvB assisted on the FC Dallas game winner over his former team, the Walking Dutchman shared his thoughts with the boys and girls over at BAS, including some candid words about his final months as a Bull:

“I’m sorry for the coach and the players that stayed behind. I wish for them to be doing just as good if not better than last year. But on the other hand, I think I had talked to them four months previously before I got traded. There were opportunities for them to re-sign me. They didn’t jump on it. After a while you kind of get what you aim for.”

As if his role in the game winning goal wasn’t enough of a kick to the stomach, this tidbit of information hit the Bulls fan base like a ton of bricks. As I have said all season, the left wing has been a black hole this year. Where there was once consistency, there is now confusion. Khano Smith, Danleigh Borman, Jorge Rojas, Mac Kandji, and Alfredo Pacheco are all players that have at one point or another seen time on the wing. And that is just off the top of my head. Sure, Van den Berghs game was not pretty, or fast, but it was effective. He represented a rare breed in this league; a left footed winger with an excellent touch and cross, with the ability to be dangerous from set pieces. And judging by his comments, no one knew it better than Dave.

So what do you think of this little bit of wisdom? Were you always skeptical of the story? Did you bite hook, line and sinker? Share your take with us.

Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images

Thanks to the folks at RBR for the hook up.

How long was the loan deal? Try one day.

TheOffside has learned Matt Mbuta’s game with the Richmond Kickers, a full 90 minute affair, was a one time deal. “Since I wasn’t on the A team last week, the coach decided to get me some time on the pitch,” explained Mbuta. “It was just for the weekend.”

Matt hopes that his efforts on the practice pitch and with the Kickers can translate to a larger role with the Bulls. “I am just waiting for the Coach to give me a chance, but I will come in here and continue to do what I have to do.”

So I guess Mbuta is still a right sided option for the Red Bulls. Share your thoughts on this below.

With both clubs primarily focused on righting the ship late into the season, the big guns should be getting a rest, and some bench players will have the opportunity to see the pitch and possibly compete for starting minutes in the process.

Since I can’t seem to find even an amateur feed of the event, I’d be happy to direct your attentions to live running commentary of the event from two very reliable sources:

- Red Bull Reader has their representative at Buck Shaw, ready to report the action, which you can follow along here!.

- TheOffside.com Alumni (San Jose blogger) and now big shot SBI Correspondent (good job buddy!), Sean Rubio, will be tracking the action live as well at SBI Mafia Central. Click here for the action!

Both RBR and Sean at SBI give a great and detailed account of the game, so follow along, cross your fingers, and hope for the best possible result.

We’ll be back tomorrow to recap all the action. But feel free to leave your comments below.

Reporters yesterday were able to “ask the question of the week,” getting a few words in with Don Garber about the rumors of a potential sale of the team by Red Bull.

From Big Apple Soccer:

“This isn’t even a story,” Garber said. “It’s not for sale. It’s one of those things that comes out; some guy in his pajamas sitting in his kitchen and says ‘What kind of story can I write before they have a big announcement?’ It’s crazy, absoltutely untrue. The team is not for sale.”

This just goes along with Brian Lewis previous report of the rumors fallacy. So that’s that, right? Right?

The problem with a rumor like this is the following; no one will admit to a thing if it was true, and no one will be there to blame if it wasn’t. So this particular rumor will most likely be filed under “Cold Case.”