But not tonight.

The retiring Albert Celades opened up seams that this team has been searching for since the first half of the Seattle opener. Mac Kandji finally found the finish to match his step overs and fancy footwork. And Juan Pablo Angel netted the type of brace everyone has been waiting to see this season. In other words, the team finally meshed. The result? A 5-0 thrashing of a playoff contender.

Though Petke suffered a sprain in his quad early on in the game, forcing the first appearance of Argentine centerback Walter Garcia, his words in our previous interview rang true to me; this is not a bad team. They are an underachieving team. Sure, there are some good pieces to build upon for this team, but it will take a proper coach to get the desired results. With tonight’s win, maybe Richie Williams makes that case for himself. Only time will tell.

So the chapter has finally closed on Giants Stadium, and mercifully, on 2009. And what a way to close it out.

Red Bull Arena, you are right around the corner . . .

Though anemic in the first half, the Bulls were able to rally from a 1-0 deficit to tie the game on an amazing header from El Angel Del Gol, The Cherubic Assasin, Juan Pablo Angel. That marked his 10th goal of the season and the 46th of his MLS career, securing the number one spot on the Metro Bulls all time scoring list. Check out the game highlights:

I think Sinisa deserves a bottle of the finest Bosnian wine for his efforts, don’t you?

Anyhow, congratulations to Juan Pablo Angel for achieving Tri-State infamy as the teams all time leading scorer. He now joins the RBNY “Mount Rushmore” of goal scoring, sharing the spotlight with Metro greats like Clint Mathis and Giovanni Savarese.

It is a nice ribbon to cap off an already stellar Red Bulls career, which has included 3 seasons as the teams leading scorer, MVP caliber performances, willing the team through a rough 2008 season into the MLS Cup Finals, and most recently, recording 10 goals in a season where his team has been as inept as the standings suggest.

That is a leader. That is Juan Pablo Angel.

#1 – 15% of the vote

JUAN PABLO ANGEL

The Red Bulls Captain has carried on this season with injuries that have hampered his performance and kept him off the pitch for long stretches. Even so, Red Bull fans haven’t forgotten the man who bought them to the big dance last season. Speculation has grown recently regarding Angels future, but there is no question in Metro fans minds – they want the Colombian striker back for one more season.

#2 – 10% of the vote

NICK ZIMMERMAN

Here is one of the few bright spots Bulls fans have had to hold on to all season. Nick Zimmerman, an after thought at the start of the season, has become a regular part of the Bulls lineup, and a dangerous one at that. His ball control and developing cross ability has produced valuable minutes, but it is his vision and ability to keep play at a fluid pace that has made him invaluable to the team. The best part? The kid is a rook, and would cost very little on a 2010 payroll. That is a bang for your buck!

#3 – 10% of the vote

BIG MAC KANDJI

Though Kandji has suffered a season of let downs, compounded by injuries, it seems Bulls fans still see the same hope in the prospect that they had late last season. And why not! The kid is still a huge target forward, with an excellent first touch, and a youthful enthusiasm for the game that is quite exciting. One disconcerting theme mentioned along with his name this season has been criticism of his practice habits, and dedication to improvement. I may chalk that up to a lost season. Hopefully, Kandji will have it all together for a magnificent 2010.

#4 – 9% of the vote

JEREMY HALL

After a strong start to the season, Hall has cooled his jets a tad as the team has done the same. Even so, Bulls fans view him as a building block for the backline, especially the wings. Great ball control and pace, Hall has the tools to excel, even when he is played in an unnatural right back position for an entire season! Along with Zimmerman, Hall is viewed as one of the better pick ups by the Osorio/Agoos tandem.

#5 – 8% of the vote

SETH STAMMLER

Mr. Versatility rounds out the top 5 for the Bulls. Need a Centerback fill in? Call Stammy! Central defense crawling to a slow halt? Stammler to the leg breaking rescue! Wingers letting you down? No worry! Seth has that covered too.

The fact is Stammler plays whenever, where ever, effectively, and with passion. And that is more than enough to ingratiate the base, who only wishes the same effort would be applied across the board on this squad. No real surprise here.

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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)

Similarly, the Red Bulls have been mired by losses all season. The team has been playing behind for the better part of the campaign, and the situation just keeps getting worse and worse. Much like the Galaxy, the team has tried everything and is running out of ideas to achieve success. As Donovan alluded to, it is during these hard times that leaders are needed most.

So leadership has now become a question amongst the struggling teams fan base. The Post Soccer Blog recently interviewed a fuming Mike Petke, who shed some light on the subject.

From the Post:

“Juan Pablo leads by example. You can say whatever you want about him not scoring goals this year, but he’s a guy that leads by example,” Petke said. “If guys like Mac (Kandji) and (Matt) Mbuta followed him around the whole year and did what he did, these guys’d be superstars, or have the opportunity to be. Juan is one of the best captains I ever had.

Strong words of support from the passionate Long Islander. But Petke isn’t beloved by the fan base without reason. His ability to speak his heart has always made him a person for the team to rally around as well.

“It’s not about soccer anymore the rest of the season. Its about heart, it’s about how you want to be remembered. It’s about where you want to go as a person. Do you want to be a loser? I don’t want to be a loser,” Petke said.

If you weren’t already endeared with Petke, you will be after you take in the rest of the interview. Take a minute and click the link above.

Not to be outdone, the bastion for all things New York soccer, BAS, has an interview with Kevin Goldthwaite (another must read!).

Goldthwaite is a bit of an unsung hero around these parts. For the better part of the past two years, “Goldie” has been one of the most positive contributors to the team, but a past which included some less than inspirational play on the Bulls defensive flanks cast a shadow on his accomplishments. Slowly but surely, through his fight and determination, he has managed to earn his respect with the fan base and media. Goldthwaite has found himself in an unexpectedly natural center back role, anchoring and directing the backline, which has been under attack all season. The maturity on the field seems to be translating in the locker room.

From BAS:

“Your pride has to take over when the playoffs are out of the picture. At that point, if anyone has given up, I’ll probably be the first one to call him out on it.”

Though the season may already be a lost cause, it is good to know there are players in the locker room that still care, and believe.

The frustration is finally reaching a boiling point all around. And the muzzle on the seasons misgivings, if only for a brief moment, have been lifted. What has been revealed is a team that is at a loss for answers, with a group of leaders that are desperately trying to coral the herd and get them back on course.

This bye week may be exactly what the team needed. The schedule for this season has been a challenge in itself, featuring large clusters of time at home, but equally large clusters away. A few days off to reflect on the season, the failures experienced on their recent road trip, and the passionate words of their team leaders may do them a lot of good.

But only time will tell.

Image Credit: (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

Its Endoscopy Day! For me anyway. I haven’t eaten since 12am last night and my appointment is at 12 in the afternoon. I can’t eat for a period of time after that either. Worst of all? I am allergic to the knockout juice so I am sure to puke up a lung shortly after the procedure.

Lovely.

Since I won’t be around, here are some videos to brighten up your day.

#1 – Enjoy the lovely sites and sounds of every Juan Pablo Angel goal this season

#2 – A travelling contingent of Red Bull fans take on L.A. with some of their own chanting.

I hope you all have a better day than I will!

Later!

Angels Goal Compilation – 2008

WE ARE THE METRO! Straight from LALA LAND.

Tune into Fox Football Fone-In tonight at 8pm. Our capitano supremo is gracing the studios to fill us in on the greatest upset of the playoffs this season.

FOX SOCCER CHANNEL
8PM
BE THERE.

But the name we care most about is Juan Pablo Angel, who has also been put back into the national team discussion. Though Pinto did reach out to Angel earlier in the season, nothing ever came out of their conversations. Lara, doing his best impression of a reform politician, is uniting Colombia once more for a final run at the World Cup Qualifiers by reaching out to the veterans that brought Colombia so far throughout the years. Angel could be a key cog in this machine which has struggled mightly to find the back of the net in the early stages of qualifiers.

My question isn’t whether or not this will improve Colombias chances because, frankly, any team that is in direct competition with Argentina can fall off the face of the earth, and would be lucky if I even showed a reaction. My question is – When will Lara call on Angel? And when he does, and sees what Colombia has been missing, how would a call up effect the Bulls long term?

FIXTURES

INTERNATIONAL:

COLOMBIA (home) v. Paraguay – October 11th

BRAZIL (home) v. Colombia – October 15th

RED BULLS:

October 9th @ Real Salt Lake

October 18th v. Columbus

Looks like the answer to that one is – not much. I could see Angel missing the game @ RSL to get some training in with the Colo squad. But he would be back for the important Columbus showdown at home.

And boy, what I would do to see Angel take on Brazil and net himself a couple of goals! It would be the ONLY time I would ever cheer for Colombia.

So share your thoughts! What impact, if any, would Angel have on Colombias WC dreams? Do you see this move happening?

img credit: soccerbyives.net

But the All Star Game isn’t the only thing on Juanpies mind!

Angel recently had “productive” discussions with Colombian National Team Coach Jorge Luis Pinto. His desire to return to the national squad has been no secret – but a conversation with the coach, where both parties seem satisfied speaks positively for him.

But that isnt the only international Angel news folks.

People in Argentina – River Plate fans in particular – are already clammoring after Juanpie let out these words - “I would like to return to River Plate.”

Wow.

“I always said that, for me, River was the most beautiful experience I’ve had in sports, becaue it was a childhood dream and if the conditions were right, I would like to come back. It makes me feel good that my name is mentioned (with River) because it showsI left good memories in my stay at Argentina.”

Angel went on: “I dont think this league carries importance in the short term, but I feel it has every piece that it would need to be one in the long term.”

Angel wears his heart on his sleeve – share your thoughts on Angels future.

#1 – A park in the middle of New Yorks infamous Chinatown district was packed on all ends by thousands of footie fanatics dying for a glimpse of some of their favorite stars.

#2 - I got to see TiTi Henry, Robbie Fowler, Kalou, Reyna, Altidore, Angel, Jason Kidd, Barbosa, Baron Davis and and the infamous Steve McManaman play some footie from about a half foot distance. Excitement? You know it.

#3 – Claudio Reyna scores in New York! And I was there!

#4 – Jozy and his official send off before becoming an international star in Spain.

#5 – Dave Disco Berger screwed up my pictures with Jozy and Reyna – all in one day ( oh you know Im messing with ya! ).

Overall, the “Showdown in Chinatown,” which barely received any media what so ever, was an enormous success. Before even finding the park, the number of Le Bleuz jerseys I saw walking in one direction let me know the way. People were climbing gates, standing on vans, making human pyramids – anything to catch a glimpse of their favorite stars.

Who says New York City doesn’t love it some footie?

Though everyone seemed to be there for Henry (obviously), alot of other players definitely left their mark as well.

Kalou wowed the crowd with his handling of the ball, pulling off some cheeky moves, and playing around defenders like they weren’t even there.

Baron Davis was a lovable clown. All smiles, kicking the ball all over the place, and even scoring a goal to the delight of the crowd. Its worth noting as well how many people were begging him to join the Knicks . . .

Jason Kidd, suprisingly, has some skill on the ball. But Steve Nash took the cake, rocketing a shot top corner for his blue squad and ending the game with that cracker. What can I tell ya? Point guards make great CAM’s!

And what a thrill it was for me personally to see Savarese, Jozy, Angel and Reyna playing on the same field, at the same time, on the same team. A Metro dream come true.

Here are some videos from the event. Pics will be up later on tonight. Share your experience with us as well!

Reyna Scores on a PK

Henry Being Henry.

Reyna speaks to CNN about the event.