Don’t tell anyone, but New York have now won three of their last five matches.  I know, I know, try to keep it on the DL, don’t wanna let it get to their heads.  On a night where DPs such as Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane would not be a factor, it was the Red Bulls whose star power shined the brightest.

Once again, it was Luke Rodgers who got the festivities started with a goal off a rebound in the six.  Hey may not always score in the prettiest way, but who cares.  The fact is, New York is a different team with the Englishman on the pitch, and there’s no debating that.  Hey always seems to get the job done when his team needs him.  After his goal, New York controlled the match and there was no looking back.  As Backe said post game, it was perhaps the most complete performance of the season, and the Bulls sure did look impressive.

With Rafa Marquez back in the midfield for the second consecutive match, there were plenty of skeptics as to how he would bounce back after a subpar night at TFC.  Here’s your answer.  Say what you will about his off-the-field comments and apparent appearance to not give two shits, but the man can still get it done.  I don’t know too many players in MLS that would see that pass, let alone get it to Henry with a perfectly weighted ball (that chip wasn’t too bad either).  Rafa and Tainio paired well together, building attacks and spraying the ball around the pitch helping to unlock LA’s stingy defense.

Unsung hero of the match? Gotta be Dane Ricahrds.  We all knew he had pace, but he was absolutely tearing up the wing, burning by anyone who dared to stand in his way.  The difference this year is that the speedy Jamaican isn’t just sprinting to the end line and losing the ball (usually), but actually feeding his teammates and creating chances.  Runner up goes to Frank Rost, who continues to impress and justify his DP contract.  He’s shored up the defense and lead New York to yet another clean sheet. I’m trying not to get too excited about this result.  After all, this was a weakened LA side.  But you can’t tell me that this team can’t go out there and beat anyone in this league with a performance like that.  That was an team win, from top to bottom.  Could the Red Bulls be hitting their stride at just the right time?  Is this a turning point in their season?  Lemme know down below.

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P.S. I’m looking to sell three tickets to the Philly game in October.  Reach me by email, Twitter, or Facebook if you’re interested.

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What grade would you give the Red Bulls performance against Los Angeles?

Well, Red Bull definitely felt the way I felt about the lack of anything talent worthy over in LaLa Land, as they decided not to pick up any of their players and, instead, they will take a crap shoot in the draft with a conditional Los Angeles second round pick, so reports SBI.

Here is me being candid: Mike Magee was always one of my favorite players. Always. And seeing him re-find himself late last season was one of the happier moments for this Metro Bulls fan. Though I may have been critical at times, it was always in the vain of hope. I still believe Magee has a lot left in the tank.

And as many were indignant about Van Den Bergh’s departure, I can’t help to feel the same way about this. Magee was a major reason the Bulls even sniffed the playoffs two years ago, filling in very admirably for Amado Guevara. Since then, he has been a walking injury. It took him all of 2008 to regain form, and that is a testament to his drive and dedication. It isn’t easy to take over 2 years off, with injuries, and come back in pro form.

And the Bulls gave him up for a bag of chips. Yes, it is a high 2nd rounder (if they use the conditional for this year), but the draft is anything but secure. And I really do hope they draft the absolute best. If not, this one will be painful. Remember – versatility, in this league, is a rare thing to have. Magee is versatile, a hard worker, and a youngster at the age of 24, at the brink of success after a long comeback.

My argument for trading Van Den Bergh was that the Bulls are trading him away at his highest point. That isn’t the case with Magee. And I can only hope Osorio and his scouts know what they have just given up.

img credit: Mike Stobe/Getty Images

Mike Magee’s name has been ballied about as potential trade bait to an interested Los Angeles Galaxy. Magee’s roots with Bruce Arena run deep, so the speculation has alot more weight than the usual offseason madness.

With that said, TORB asks;

Free Blog Poll

So here I am, wide awake. And with that, here are some tidbits from the RB universe you may have missed:

+ Well, after licking my wounds, I must give props where it’s due; Matt Mbuta’s goal celebration was worth the price of admission. Awesome stuff. Check him out on the Goal of the Week!

+ And as long as we are keeping things light around here, Mike Magee is getting some love from his hometown paper! Check out the interview here. If anyone deserves some recognition, its Mike Magee. Finally at 100%, he is proving all the doubters wrong.

+ RBR reports Van Den Bergh participated in light training today – a huge lift me up for a team that seems lost without their veteran left mid. Anyone else tired of seeing Rojas wasted away on the wing? Yea, me too. They are forecasting a return for the opening of RSL’s new stadium, just in time to alleviate the hurt of international call ups.

+ Speaking of which, Dane Richards has been called up (if healthy) to the Jamaican National Squad. His play has matured so much the past year, and this is a deserved award for the speedy winger.

+ But before this gets too happy and cute, here is some salt on the wounds – Conor Casey is the MLS Player of the Week. Ugh.

+ Speaking of the game, Brian Lewis got some dooooozy quotes from the team and Coach post game – check this out.

+ And finally, for all interested, there is now a football dating service. I am not kidding. Enjoy. Good night.

Once word came that Magee would drop to the latter half of the top 5 in the draft, Bob Bradley, familiar with Magees play, took advantage. They were so confident in the kids skills, they let Brad Davis loose, another promising prospect, in order to get into position to acquire him. Witnessing the same raw energy, enthusiasm and skill that Coach Osorio initially fell in love with, the 19 year old Magee started in every Metro game, save one. In his first season, starting 29 games, the young Magee scored 7 goals – a feat the current team would love for him to match.

His success continued the next few seasons. From 03-05, Magee played in 80 games, scoring 15 goal. That is nearly a goal every four games for a 21 year old. Not bad at all.

2006 was a turning point in Magees career. Injuries took a major toll on his career, ultimately culminating in a near year long absence from the game. From 06-08, Magees production was noticabley down, playing in 39 games, and scoring only 4 goals (one being a PK earlier in the season which Osorio used to build the young mans confidence). His starting minutes took a drastic turn, his consistant pitch time was reduced to bench play, and injuries hampered his road to recovery for the better part of three years.

Today Mike Magee is a shell of the attacking player he was. Facing San Jose, the supposed “worst team in the league,” Magee had two excellent 1v1 opportunities against veteran keeper, Joe Cannon. Both times, Magee elected to pass off the attack to another forward, whether prudent or not, instead of using his skill and speed to create a goal scoring opportunity. That is not the Mike Magee I knew and loved.

The fact is that spending the better half of the past three years injured or recovering from injuries has hurt Magees footballing psyche. No longer is he playing with the free spirit of a 19 year old, or like the 21 year old that stepped into Amado Guevaras shoes in 2006 to competently fill in a complicated attacking midfield roll on march to the playoffs. The confidence is nearly gone, even with the early support he received from Coach Osorio, who had nothing but praise for Magee in the pre and early season. After yesterdays wasted opportunities, he may find himself in the Coachs doghouse instead.

Keeping things in perspective, he is only 23 years of age. There is still hope. I mean, if Edson Buddle can turn his career around, why not Magee? But I fear if he doesnt do something to prove his worth to the team soon, the Mike Magee era might be a closed book in New York. And like Metros of the past, he will recover just in time to help out another teams efforts.

image credit: mlsnet.com