Red Bulls 2 – Cows 0

By: Dave Martinez | April 5th, 2008

What a great night to be a Red Bulls fan!

An early surge that included a beautifully placed Dave Van Den Bergh strike to the bottom right corner, and the mess that resulted in a Goldthwaite tap in was all we needed to take this one away from the Cows.

And btw – it seems that the idea of filling out the stadium on one side is working – the atmosphere was excellent. And major props to the EMPIRE SUPPORTERS CLUB for doing what they do best – singing songs and making noise.

But lets get back to the topic:

MAN (men) OF THE MATCH:

This one is a tie. Kevin Goldthwaite and Chris Leitch had tremendous games. Watching Leitch shut down Schelotto to the point of ineffectiveness, and the bite Goldie had on the pitch (punctuated by his goal) reassured this Bulls fan that not all is lost.

And it also answered one of my Preseason Preview questions – Osorio, in this first game, is making alot of the talent currently on the squad, against a team with a win under its belt already.

TURNING POINT OF THE MATCH

The Goldthwaite Goal. And how not? Sure, DVB set the tone for the night with his laser guided (though not laser fast) shot, but that Goldthwaite goal was deflating. It made every corner, every set piece, that much more dangerous looking to the opposition, causing them to fall back. Psychological victory indeed.

WHAT THE?! MOMENT OF THE MATCH

This weeks WHAT THE?! moment came in the second half. Juan Pablo Angel lines up for a well deserved PK shot . . . and Hesmer turned him aside. And it was a good cracker if I do say so myself. Oh well. Much like Haleys Comet, I dont plan on seeing that again for another 75 years . . .

SPECIAL ED PLAYER OF THE MATCH

Sinisa Ubiparapovic. Honestly, he looked lost. Lack of playing time? Maybe. But his passes were really mind benders. I was with a complete soccer novice tonite, and she actually leaned over and asked me “Why did he just pass it to the other team?” I said, “It was a mistake.” To which she replied “Another mistake? He did the same thing 2 seconds ago . . . ”

EDIT: In fairness, Sinisa did catch Schelotto by surprise with a tricky turnover that led to the first DVB goal.

It hurts the mind. Hence, Special Ed Player of the Match.

OVERALL:

Fun time, great atmosphere, and an excellent exclamation point of a win. Look out Dallas . . . you are next.