But before we move forward, let’s look back on the Top 5 plays thus far as voted by the fans.  Do you agree with the order?  Did the fans miss a top play?  What gets your vote for #1?  Lemme know down below.

P.S. My snubs include Henry’s amazing run and finish against Portland (with great passing from Lindpere and da Luz), Rodgers’s sidewinder rip against TFC, and Tainio’s goal line bicycle clearance against Portland. (Henry’s goal vs. Fire gets honorable mention for looking like he was using a finesse shot in Fifa 11).

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Talk about a homecoming for Henry.  Amidst the Red Bulls struggles domestically, the Frenchman lead the first MLS team ever to compete in the annual tournament to a tie against his former club Arsenal in a gritty 1-1 draw.  After Joel Lindpere netted the lone goal in a win against PSG, New York was in position to take home the Emirates Cup trophy with just a tie needed against the English powerhouse.  And despite playing like pure dogshit against MLS competition, the Bulls rose to the occasion against superior opponents, taking it to PSG and Arsenal overseas.

While this tournament win will be seen Theirry’s time, let’s give credit where credit is due.  Not only did this team fly out to London just hours after the conclusion of the All Star game, but many then had to play two straight games without any reprieve.  Jan Gunnar Solli comes to mind as one of those grinders who went out and did his job despite the obvious fatigue that was setting in.  Much respect to those who put in 180 minutes over the two-day tourney.

Now the attention shifts back on the MLS schedule, with RSL on the tap.  When I was listening to the PSG-RBNY match, I heard the announcer say something about the Bulls winning just 12 of their last 88 road matches (correct me if I’m wrong).  Sounds about right, considering we didn’t win a match in all of ’09 away from the friendly confines of Giants Stadium.  New York are desperate for points, and there’s not much time left to do it.  Even with games at hand, New York are looking up in the Eastern standings.

Side note: I’ll be live blogging the match tonight, so stop by tonight about 8:45 and put your two cents in.

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Who is your MVP of the Emirates Cup?

Well, it looks like Backe’s decision to make Thierry Henry the next Red Bulls captain is official.  After seeing Henry wear the armband in Wednesday’s friendly against Atlante, there was some speculation as to whether the decision would be carry over into the regular season.  This one definitely took my by surprise.  We all know that Henry is the most recognizable name on the roster and one of the greatest players of all time, but does that make him fit to lead this club?  I’m not so sure.

Now, this isn’t to say that I don’t think the Frenchman won’t be a good leader, because only the coaches and players out there on the pitch can make that call.  However, I do know that there were also some other deserving candidates that Backe passed up on.  For instance, Carlos Mendes, the most tenured Red Bull on the squad seemed like he would be a good fit.  However, he may not even be in the starting 11 this year, so it’s understandable that he wasn’t chosen to wear the armband.  The one person that I thought would be the best fit for team captain was Joel Lindpere, and apparently you all did too.  About two months ago, I put up a poll asking the very question of who would make the best captain, and Lindpere won in convincing fashion, taking in a little more than 46% of the vote.  Henry, on the other hand, received just 13 votes, good for 16.25%.

Although he is relatively new to the club, Henry has plenty of experience with captaincy, wearing the armband for both club and country (Arsenal and France).  In fairness, those are two names that are hardly anything to sneeze at.  Although this move comes as a surprise to me, I don’t think that this will be as much of a problem as it was when David Beckham took over captaincy for the Galaxy in 2007.  In that case, Beckham supplanted Landon Donovan as captain, causing some controversy within the team.  In New York, there was no clear successor to Juan Pablo Angel’s captaincy, so I don’t foresee too much uproar about this move.  What do you think about Henry being New York’s next captain?  Leave a comment below.

Was Making Henry the Next NYRB Captain the Right Call?Market Research

Well, it seems as though Don Garber’s “big announcement” was a big PR letdown and irked many MLS fans, but it works just fine for me.  Red Bull Arena will play host to the MLS All-Star game for the first time since 1997 back at Giants Stadium, although the opponent has yet to be released.  Season ticket holders get first dibs on these tickets, then partial plan holders.  People have been complaining because RBA holds a mere 25,000 fans, while just last year Reliant Stadium in Houston housed a record setting crowd of over 70,000.  Although RBA holds significantly less, the fans will create a great atmosphere as usual and will give it that marquee matchup feel.

On a side note, NYRB has unveiled their new away kit for 2011. Damn, I’m really feeling these.  Not what I was expecting but a pleasant surprise to say the least.  I still say the Red Bulls should rock a red and black striped third jersey, but this should suffice for now. Add this to the list of things to look forward to in 2011, leaving only one thing on my mind…

...is it March 19th yet???

Which Jersey Do You Like More?online survey

No, not them. As the offseason winds down, the Red Bulls have undergone quite a facelift. New York has added plenty of new faces and parted with some old ones as well. With all these changes, the question on many fan’s minds is, “How will Hans Backe make it all work?”

First things first, the Red Bulls have officially signed long sought after striker, Luke Rodgers from Notts County in England.  The move brings New York’s tally up to seven forwards.  While this does give Backe great depth, there still remains the question of who will get the bulk of playing time.  Without question, Thierry Henry is guaranteed a starting position, pending his health that is.  However, his strike partner has yet to be determined.  The addition of Rodgers makes things interesting, adding yet another quality name into the mix of potential partners for Henry.  Many fans were calling for the insertion of 18-year-old Juan Agudelo into the starting 11, fresh off another great performance for the U.S. National Team.  However, Backe and Soler seem to be taking a more cautious approach with their young star.  Although there’s no doubt about his potential, Backe wants to be careful not to throw him into the fire just yet.  The other options at forward would be Salou Ibrahim, Corey Hertzog, Conor Chinn, and Giorgi Chirgadze.  Ibrahim looks like he is likely on his way out, and the remaining three are young and unproven players.  If Backe were looking to go that route, he’d certainly place Agudelo at the top of that list.  So it seems Rodgers will have a pretty good chance of staring the season up top with Henry.  Backe himself stated of Rodgers, “He’s definitely a higher striker, he’s not a target [forward].  I really hope that he will be a regular starting player.”  Seems as though he’s already made up his mind.  Question is, what strike tandem will have the best chance of replacing the goal-scoring prowess of Juan Pablo Angel?

Moving on to the midfield, the pitch seems just as cluttered.  New York added four new players in the offseason: John Rooney, Matt Kassel, Marcos Paullo, and Jan Gunnar Solli.  Departures from the midfield position included Sinisa Ubiparipovic, Seth Stammler, and Luke Sassano. I’m interested to see how all the midfielders get incorporated into the mix.  If I had to guess, I’d say that Solli has the only real chance of winning a spot in the starting 11.  There was already enough of a problem last year when Mehdi Ballouchy joined the club, sending Tony Tchani to the bench.  Of course, all this is contingent upon whether Soler can manage to pick up a top-of-the-line center back or not.  Soler and Backe have expressed their interest in bolstering up the backline.  If the Red Bulls were to pick up another center back, this would leave Rafa Marquez free to play the holding midfielder position as he did last year.  If not, it seems that Backe will place Marquez alongside U.S. National Team defender Tim Ream.  With all these possible combinations across the pitch, Backe will have to make a decision as to what formation will work best based on his players strengths and weaknesses.

Well, we still have quite a few questions yet to be answered.  Hopefully, all of them will be answered over the course of training camp and before the season’s first game (just secured my tickets for opening day, booya).  Let me know what you think about this roster situation in the comments.

Where Would You Rather Have Rafa Marquez Play?online surveys

Man oh man, what a few weeks it’s been.  Apologies for the brief hiatus but the finals crunch has proved pretty time consuming.  So I figured now would be as good a time as any to introduce a new segment called “In case you’ve been living under a rock…” where I’ll run through all the top events that I’ve missed since my last post.  Now let’s get to it:

• The Colorado Rapids took home the MLS Cup beating FC Dallas 2-1, and who else but former Red Bull Macoumba Kandji proved to be the difference.  His late entrance to the game sparked the offense and his shot was deflected in for the own goal winner… open hand, apply to face, shake head, repeat.
• Tim Ream and Juan Agudelo made their USMNT debuts in Cape Town as they took on South Africa.  Ream got the nod in the starting 11 and played very solidly in his first cap.  17-year-old Agudelo was entered the game on a late substitution, and scored the game’s only goal.  Great day for the Red Bulls and US Soccer…
• …followed by a miserable day for US Soccer, as Qatar was chosen to host the 2022 World Cup, a head scratcher to say the least.  Many have cried foul citing that FIFA is a corrupt organization.  While I’m not sure how much truth there is to that claim, it’s pretty certain that this was a deflating day for our nation.
• The expansion draft came and went, and NYRB were completely unscathed as both Portland and Vancouver passed up on all New York players.
• But that’s not to say New York hasn’t lost any players since the last day of the 2010 season.  The Red Bulls are no longer associated with Luke Sassano, Carey Talley, and yes, in case you haven’t heard, this guy named Juan Pablo Angel as they all entered the MLS Re-Entry Draft.  The reality of his departure has just recently set in for me.  The Red Bulls will be without their most prolific goal scorer and their skipper, leaving the question of “who will wear the armband next season?” (You can read more about my thoughts on JPA here)
• Another player no longer in New York is defender/midfielder Jeremy Hall.  The Portland Timbers received hall in exchange for a 3^rd round Superdraft pick.  As a personal fan of Hall (and fellow Terp) I think this was a pretty poor move by management.  Although Hall and an injured plagued 2010 campaign, he showed real promise playing on the flanks as a midfielder.  At the very least, New York could have done better than a mere 3^rd round pick for Hall’s talents, a Generation Adidas player.
• In other international news, midfielder Dane Richards continued his exceptional form for his national side of Jamaica scoring three goals over a five game span in the 2010 Caribbean Championship.  Hopefully, this is an indicator that his form over the latter half of the 2010 MLS season was not just a hot streak, but rather a turn for the better in Richards’ career.

Phew, I think that just about covers everything.  Hopefully we won’t be seeing this segment too often in the future, but you never know.  If I missed anything that you want me to talk about, let me know in the comments, I love hearing your thoughts.  Cheers and Happy Holidays.

P.S. Check out my info page by clicking my name at the beginning of my posts (or right here).  Personal and contact info enclosed for anyone interested.

Who Should Be the Red Bulls Captain in 2011?Market Research

soy-de-metro

First, let’s take a look at the categories that a Red Bull was nominated as a finalist.  Chris Albright was up for Comeback Player of the Year, Seth Stammler for Humanitarian of the Year, Tim Ream for top rookie honors, Hans Backe received a nomination for Coach of the Year, and finally both Thierry Henry and Joel Lindpere were up for Newcomer of the Year.

We’ll start with Comeback Player of the Year.  The two other finalists besides Albright were San Jose’s Bobby Convey and FC Dallas’s Brek Shea.  Many believed this to be a two horse race between Convey and Albright, with the former proving triumphant over the latter.  This is the one award where I can side with the voters.  Don’t get me wrong, Albright’s recovery from what was seemingly a career ending injury was remarkable and deserves credit, but I don’t have as much of a gripe with Convey winning the award.  He came back from a down year to say the least and proved to be instrumental in San Jose’s playoff push.  He was the distributor for the Quakes and set up many of Golden Boot Winner Chris Wondolowski’s tallies.  New York got to see just what Convey could do in the return leg of our playoff series this year, unfortunately.  This one could have gone either way, but I’m willing to give the voters a break on this one.

Now, with Humanitarian of the Year award being an off-the-pitch award, it can’t truly be held in the same regard as the others.   As much as we all love Stammler and we’ll be sad to see him go, this wasn’t exactly a huge triumph for the Red Bulls as much as it was a testament to Stammler’s commitment to off the field efforts.  Not to take away from all his hard work, but most fans will certainly overlook this award.

I’ve already talked about Ream’s snub for Rookie of the Year in a previous post.  You can take a look at that here, so as Jay-Z would say, “on to the next one”.  When you looked at the Coach of the Year Award, it seemed like Backe was the clear-cut front-runner.  He took a team that managed a mere 21 points in 2009 and turned them around in a complete 180.  With the Red Bulls finishing the season with 30 more points than the previous campaign, and a Eastern Conference regular season title to show for it, it seemed that Backe had this award in the bag.  Then came decision day, where either Backe, FC Dallas’s Schellas Hyndman or Real Salt Lake’s Jason Kreis would be crowned top manager for 2010.  Delivering another swift blow to the collective gut of the Red Bulls fans and franchise, Hyndman beat out Backe.  This one literally made my jaw drop.  How in your right mind can you not choose the manager that directed the largest point increase in MLS history? (Only the Metrostars from a decade ago boasted a 30-point upswing from the previous year as the Red Bulls did this year).  How much did Dallas improve you may ask?  11 points.  That’s right, 11.  Hans Backe almost single handedly turned this franchise around, along with great signings by GM Erik Soler and the guidance of MLS vet and assistant coach Richie Williams.  Backe is not the type of coach to hold a grudge over an individual award, but we all know that he deserved more, namely top manager honors.

Then there’s Newcomer of the Year.  In all honesty, Henry had no right to be placed in this category.  Logging a mere two goals and three assists in league play, this nomination was something of a farce.  The real contender, as we all know, was Joel Lindpere.  Lindpere was the guy that did it all; a true box-to-box midfielder that put in the hard work and was willing to do the dirty work to help his team succeed.  Red Bulls fans will be very biased towards Lindpere, because he has just about reached Metro/Red Bulls immortality in just his first year with the organization.  He scored the first goal in RBA….twice, he turned down his native Estonia pledging his duties solely to the Red Bulls and choosing club over country, and did just about everything right.  He is loved and adored by Red Bulls fans everywhere and was undoubtedly New York’s MVP in 2010.  But was that enough to make him Newcomer of the Year?  Apparently not, according to the fine folks at MLS.  The third nominee, Alvaro Saborio, beat out Henry and Lindpere and took home the award.  In fairness, Sabo did find the back of the net 12 times for RSL, and was remarkable for them in CONCACAF Champions League play.  A forward scoring goals is always going to get more recognition than the engine of the midfield, that’s just the way it works here in MLS.

Finally, we’ll take a look at the MLS Best XI, in which voters choose the best players at each position from around the league, in a 3-5-2 for some reason.  Here’s what we got for 2010.

Ricketts _(LA)

Olave _(RSL), Gonzalez _(LA), Borchers _(RSL)

Donovan _(LA), DeRosario _(TOR), Morales _(RSL), Ferreira _(FCD), LeToux _(PHI)

Buddle _(LA), Wondolowski _(SJ)

Once again, not a Red Bull to be found.  You’d think that the Eastern Conference leaders could crack the best 11, but no, there wasn’t enough room after you put in 7 players from RSL and LA.  These 11 players do make up some of the best in league, but you have to figure that someone like Ream or Lindpere could have found their way onto that “squad”.

Alas, Red Bulls fans are left with more frustration.  All in a days work for New York fans, as the Red Bulls were served up a big steaming plate of “disappointment”, followed up with some salt in the wounds just for some added seasoning, courtesy of our friends at MLS.

Which Red Bull Got Snubbed the Worst?online survey

The Red Bulls came into the game full of confidence and fresh off a road win in San Jose to put them up 1-0 aggregate, meaning a tie would send them through to the next round.  Hans Backe said pregame that sitting on their lead would be a mistake and that they would undoubtedly go for the win.  For the players that remained from the 2008 team, they knew it wouldn’t be easy.  New York was in San Jose’s shoes as the lowest seed in the playoffs two years ago and went on the MLS Cup Finals, so no one would be taking the Quakes lightly.

Backe chose to go with the same starting XI as he did in San Jose, but it didn’t result in the same outcome as it did on Saturday, with Bobby Convey leveling the aggregate in the 6^th minute, hardly the start New York was looking for.  Off a poor clearance form Roy Miller, San Jose whipped in a cross that eventually fell to Convey who buried it leaving Bouna Coundoul no chance.  Rafa Marquez was seen inexplicably petitioning for an offside call with his arm raised instead of marking his man, Convey, which led to the goal.  After a fairly sloppy start, the Red Bulls settled down a bit and started to maintain more possession on a wet and slick evening at Red Bull Arena.  Going into the second half, New York must have felt confident that they’d be able to find the match equalizer to send them to the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Bulls came out flying, putting pressure on the Quakes backline but continually failed at the crucial moment, having crosses blocked or shots saved by Jon Busch.  Rookie Juan Agudelo did well to beat the defense but rang a hot shot off the woodwork representing New York’s best chance of the night to that point.  NY hearts would be crushed in the 76^th minute as Convey struck again, beating Tim Ream and Coundoul to push the Red Bulls to the brink of elimination.  But as he has done so many times in his career in New York, captain Juan Pablo Angel netted a header of a feed from Agudelo to level the aggregate score once again just two minutes later.  Red Bull Arena erupted and the Bulls playoff hopes lived on.  It turned out it just wasn’t New York’s night, as the hectic 5 minutes between the 76^th and 81^st ended with Golden Boot winner Chris Wondolowski finishing a header off a feed from, who else, Bobby Convey.

Throughout all this mayhem, head coach Backe neglected to make even a single sub, leaving DP Thierry Henry on the bench.  The crowd began to chant for the Frenchman’s entrance, and eventually Backe obliged.  In the 84^th minute, all three subs entered the game including Jeremy Hall, Salou Ibrahim, and the aforementioned Henry.  But it turned out it wouldn’t be enough.  Henry saw a floating ball find him at the back post, but his diving misdirection flew over the bar, proving to be New York’s last true threat.

San Jose celebrated in Harrison as the Red Bulls were left to ponder what could have been as their 2010 campaign came to a close on Thursday.  Had they capitalized on their plentiful opportunities they had in San Jose, this would be a non-issue.  This may be one of the most disappointing endings to a season in Metro history, all things considered.   3 DP’s, a brand new stadium, top spot in the East, but still nothing to show for it.  As great as RBA is, it is clearly not the fortress that Rio Tinto is in Salt Lake.

All in all, New York should still keep their heads up as they are arguably the most talented team in the league and will certainly be among the favorites to take home the cup next year.  Henry and Marquez will have a full preseason with New York and will only get better.  Perhaps the saddest part of all of this is that Mike Petke, Seth Stammler, and Angel have played their last game in a Red Bulls jersey.  Clearly not the way they would have hoped to end their careers in New York.  The result is depressing and now we have only next year to look forward to.  What did think of the game last night?  How far did you expect NYRB to go in the playoffs?  Tell me in the comments below.

Who’s To Blame for the Red Bulls’ Early Playoff Exit?customer surveys

Let’s took a closer look, shall we?  Najar made just 26 appearances (starting in 22 matches), good for a season total of 1,983 minutes while Ream featured in every minute of every game.  Yes, EVERY minute of EVERY game, aka 2,700 minutes!  He is one of only two field players who can make that claim (the other being Colorado’s Drew Moor).  Ream has a great deal to do with the fact that New York posted the best goals against average in the Eastern Conference with 0.97 goals allowed per game.  Najar scored 5 goals in the 2010 campaign for a team that scored the fewest goals in the league with a mere 21.

Now, that stat may be misconstrued and interpreted that Najar meant more to his team than Ream did.  D.C. was a team that was going nowhere fast, while the Red Bulls rode their fast start to an Eastern Conference championship, and the consistency and quality of Tim Ream has plenty to do with that.  Perhaps MLS is showing pity on the D.C. scum and decided to throw them a bone after an abysmal season.  Am I crazy?  Do you think Ream got ripped off or did MLS voters make the right call?  I’d love to hear what you all think, leave a comment below and put your 2 cents in.

Ooooh the drama!

Then, in one of the oddest situations in some time, Mehdi Ballouchy’s goal found it’s way to the back of the net, and an over-joyous Thierry Henry goes to kick the ball back into the net in a fit of celebration. Keeper Kevin Hartman went to kick the damn thing away for good. Result? Toes collide, and before you know it, Hartman is nursing a black and blue knee and Thierry Henry is issued a $2,000 fine from the league for his excitement. That’s not to say I am on Henry’s side here. On the one hand, it is fantastic to see him display his passion on the pitch, especially considering the places he has played, and the things he has done. But that is no excuse for his actions, which were reactionary and impulsive, costing Kevin Hartman some serious time, and his team their DP player the following week against Dallas.

And to add to DP’s Gone Wild week, Rafa Marquez was reportedly “punished” by the Mexican Federation for partying it up after the teams 1-0 win against Colombia. Why a party to celebrate a win after a game is bad thing is beyond me. But what really makes my brain itch is why it cost Carlos Vela and Efrain Juarez a six month ban from international play. Nevertheless, consider Rafa your cherry on top of the Red Bulls drama cake.

The Bulls look towards the LA Galaxy in what is being billed the “Game of the Year.” Sure, Henry won’t be there, but Becks will, and that is probably all the ad execs needed to dub the game “extra special.” Regardless, the spotlight is theirs Friday night, and for the first time in a long time, the Red Bulls may actually be matching the hype machine of Hollywood’s finest.

Excited for the game? Think its a hype machine? Share your thoughts on this weeks game below.