Red Bulls Preview: Game 22 at Scum

The Red Bulls will finally be injury free when New York takes the field vs. DC United on Saturday night at RFK (7:30p, FSC). The Red Bulls have lifted themselves into the playoff mix by picking up nine points at home over the last three Sundays, but if New York is to solidify its hold on a playoff spot, RBNY must figure out how to get the maximum points on the road. The Red Bulls' 1-5-4 road record won't serve the club well come the postseason, and after tomorrow's DC match, New York still has to visit Eastern powers Chicago (twice), and Columbus, and has to open RSL's new stadium on October 9th.

First, however, comes what may be the most important regular season match the club has played in some time. A win at DC would lift the club past United into fourth place, and would serve notice to the rest of the league that New York is for real.

Position, Recent League Form, and playoff position:
DC, 31 pts from 21 matches, 4th East, WLWLW, would face New England in Conf. Semis
New York, 31 pts from 21 matches, 5th East, TTWWW, would face Houston in Conf. Semis

Here's a line-by-line look at tomorrow's match:

The DC forwards vs. the Red Bulls' defense:
Luciano Emilio and Jaime Moreno vs. Kevin Goldthwaite, Andrew Boyens, Jeff Parke, and Diego Jimenez (and Jon Conway). Moreno (9g, 8a) and Emilio (11g, 5a) though a bit grey, are still a dangerous strike force that makes United tick, with 55% of DC's goals this season. Moreno is a Metro killer, with 23 of his 121 all-time goals coming against New York. Without suspended Gabriel Chicero for a second week, the Red Bulls' backline is buoyed by the return of Jeff Parke from injury. New York's D has posted back-to-back shutouts, and has allowed only two goals in the last four games vs. Houston, Toronto, DC, and San Jose. Advantage: Push

New York's attackers vs. the United defense:
Juan Pablo Angel and Mike Magee vs. Brian Namoff, Devon McTavish, and Gonzalo Martinez (and Louis Crayton). Somebody bottle and sell what Mike Magee has been drinking. Magee has scored in New York's last three matches, including a Goal of the Week nominee vs. Houston last Sunday. New York is scoring three goals per match over the last three outings (including 4 in a victory over DC on August 10th), and Juan Pablo Angel is back in top form. United's defense has posted three clean sheets in the club's last five matches, but did allow the aforementioned four goals to the Red Bulls, and two to New England in a loss on August 20th. Slight Advantage: New York

The Midfields:
Dave van den Bergh, Jorge Rojas, Seth Stammler, and Dane Richards vs. Craig Thompson, Clyde Simms, Joe Vide, Santino Quaranta, and Ivan Guerrero. New York's Rojas returns to the starting lineup after clearing up visa problems, and will make the Red Bull attack more dangerous. Richards is flying down the right sideline with verve once again (just ask Pat Onstad). DC will be without the injured Fred (2g, 4a). Former Metro Vide is playing well for DC, and a cleaned up Quaranta, a great story this season, has three goals and three assists for United. Craig Thompson has all of five MLS appearances. Advantage: New York

The Coaches:
Tom Soehn has got to get his club playing well in consecutive games... Osorio knows this match is a test of whether his new squad can deliver on the road. Advantage: Push

Intangibles:
DC is 16-7-2 against New York at RFK all-time, and the Red Bulls haven't won at DC since October 2005. After tomorrow's match, DC plays three of its' next four away from Washington, and will be pressing for all the points. The winner of tomorrow's match gets the league-created "Atlantic Cup." Will RFK keep the lights on? Forecast is for thunderstorms, with a high of 84 degrees. Advantage: DC United

Prediction:
I've come to expect the unexpected from the Red Bulls over the last three weeks, and I have to believe DC may be a little concerned about facing the red-hot New York squad. Without Fred, the DC offense sputters. A hard fought 1-1 draw on goals by Moreno (who else?) and Angel.

Chicks, and the Red Bulls, Dig the Longball

Taking the field without three regular starters, the New York Red Bulls used the longball... and the head of leading scorer Juan Pablo Angel, to completely dominate the two-time defending MLS Cup champ Houston Dynamo, 3-0, at Giants Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

After Angel snapped home a Dave van den Bergh header in the 8th minute to open the scoring, Seth Stammler launched a ball down the right side to a speeding and finally healthy Dane Richards, who beat his defender and Houston keeper Pat Onstad to double the lead in the 26th.

In the second half, first-time New York starter Diego Jimenez blasted another home run ball to a streaking Mike Magee, who drew Onstad out of his net and blasted in his fourth goal in his last three matches to close out the scoring, and any hope that Houston could pull out any points in the match..

The Red Bulls finished their August homestand perfectly with three wins in three matches, and now head to DC on the 30th tied on points with United for fourth place in the Eastern Confernce.

Red Bulls Preview: Game #21 vs. Orangina

Jeff Parke is injured. Gabriel Chicero is suspended. Just how will the New York Red Bulls continue their five-match unbeaten streak against Western Division leaders Houston on Sunday (3p, TF)? Adding benched Norway-bound D Hunter Freeman may be the answer. On August 13th, Freeman signed with IK Start of Norway, though he won't join the club until January. Since then, a peeved Juan Carlos Osorio has kept the one-time US Youth International on the bench to punish Freeman for his disloyalty.

The hiccup in New York's backline couldn't have come in a worse time, with 2-time defending MLS Cup champ Houston in town, sporting a four-match winning and seven-match unbeaten streak of their own.

In the clubs' match at Roberston stadium on May 31, an Angel-less New York squad was punished for its one mistake in the game, a defensive lapse on a free kick, allowing Houston a 1-0 victory. The Dynamo played that night without Pat Onstad, Dwayne deRosario, and Brad Davis, who all will take the plastic pitch at Giants Stadium on Sunday. On paper, Houston should roll in this one, but New York has been playing well. Let's take a deeper look.

Position, Recent League Form, and playoff position:
New York, 28 pts from 20 matches, 5th East, TTTWW, would face Houston in Conf. Semis
Houston, 32 pts from 20 matches, 1st West, TWWWW, would face New York in Conf. Semis

Here's a line-by-line look at Sunday's match:

The Houston forwards vs. the Red Bulls' defense:
Brian Ching and Nate Jaqua vs. Kevin Goldthwaite, and Andrew Boyens, and Hunter Freeman (and Jon Conway). Ching may be sapped from playing a physical 90 minutes on Wednesday at Guatemala, but the Flyin' Hawaiian needs only to get a head on the ball to make a difference. did you know that Jaqua has 30 MLS goals? The one-time US MNT prospect has only two this season. Houston, though, is on a scoring tear, having hit the net 12 times in their last four matches. The third man on the NY backline will be busy, whether its Freeman, Carlos Mendes, or newly signed Diego Jimenez. Perhaps given Houston's attacking strength, JCO puts four in the back. Advantage: Push

New York's attackers vs. the Dynamo defense:
Juan Pablo Angel and Mike Magee vs. Wade Barrett, Eddie Robinson, Bobby Boswell, and Richard Mulrooney (and Pat Onstad). Scoring goals for Metro... Mike Magee... Magee has scored in his last two MLS starts, and is proving to be a passable option up front for New York as Osorio continues to close in on a full-time replacement for Jozy Altidore. Angel is playing with verve, but still doesn't have the spark that he did last season. Although the Dynamo allowed three to RSL last weekend, Houston has posted five shutouts in its last seven outings. Wow! Advantage: Houston

The Midfields:
Dave van den Bergh, Juan Pietravallo, Jorge Rojas, Seth Stammler, and Dane Richards, vs. Brad Davis, Dwayne DeRosario, Brian Mullan, and Rico Clark. Houston's midfield has nine of the club's 32 goals to date this season, and when clicking, is deadly. Perhaps Mullan on the right side is a little vulnerable, but the Dynamo has a veteran group that knows how to play as a unit. New York's middle five are skilled, though the jury is still out on Pietravallo. Rojas is a fine holder and distributor of the ball, but can he take advantage of the scoring opportunities he finds? Advantage: Houston

UPDATE at 4p ET: with Jorge Rojas stuck in Venezuela due to visa problems, metro chances for points just went hopeful to slim.

The Coaches:
Houston's Dom Kinnear continues to have his team peaking at the right time, and will surely have his team focused on the first three-peat in MLS history. Osorio is seeing the dividends of his summer acquisition spree, as New York is in playoff position for the first time since late June. Kinnear has the hardware, however. Advantage: Houston

Intangibles:
Houston is seventh points clear of missing the postseason, so the Dynamo, who played on Wednesday, may take the foot off the gas a bit in the Jersey heat (forecast is for 85 degrees, partly cloudy, 10% chance of precip.). There's a lot more urgency for the Red Bulls in the match, as three key away Eastern Conf contests (DC, CHI, CMB) loom in the next four weeks. With a point, New York moves ahead of DC in the tightly-packed Eastern standings. The Sunday crowd should be just average. Advantage: New York

Prediction: A win would so help New York get closer to their sixth-straight playoff appearance, but with the options few in the back, and Houston once again in championship form, three points seem to be unlikely. Let's say the teams bat it around in a late-summer hazy 1-1 draw.

Data Point which might intrigue only me: New York and Houston are two of three MLS squads who are unbeaten in August. The other? San Jose!

Winning Ugly Becomes an Art Form

It's a cliche that there are no style points in World Cup qualifying. Just results. The US embodied that cliche last night in a 1-0 victory in Guatemala City in a match that announcer Glenn Davis correctly called a "street fight."

The US did a few things right, plenty wrong, and a few not so well in taking three away points to start the semifinal round of WC 2010 CONCACAF qualifying.

What the US did right:
-Scoring the lone goal, of course, on a clinical header by captain Carlos Bocanegra off a corner kick from DeMarcus Beasley in the 69th minute.

-Shutting down Guatemalan chances in injury time to kill off the match.

-Bringing in Frankie Hejduk and Maurice Edu late to provide needed tenacity and energy on D.

-Starting Tim Howard, who was an absolute rock in goal. My man of the match.

What the US did wrong:
-Retaliate, especially Steve Cherundolo's second yellow for grabbing an opposing player by the ankle after getting mugged for 10 seconds by said player without a call. Losing an experienced defender to a red card on the road in WC qualifying is a massive gaffe, and Cherundolo should have known better.

-Allowing Guatemala's Mario Rodriguez free range on the right side of the attack to create chances.

What the US didn't do so well
-Play with any attacking flow whatsoever.

-Make smart passes out of the back to start attacks.

-Stop Carlos Ruiz from getting chances in the box.

Last night was the first WCQ win at Guatemala in US history, so the accomplishment shouldn't go unnoticed. There's no denying the ugly nature of the win, though. If the Yanks can get another three points at Cuba on September 6th, they'll all but coast to next year's Hexagonal. Let's hope the US can hold the ball more and play with a little more confidence in Havana.

More than Semi-Excited

The long march begins again for the US MNT, which kicks off the semifinal round of World Cup Qualifying with a match at Estadio Mateo Flores in Guatemala City tonight at 10p ET (ESPN2) against the host country's chapines.

The Yanks are 10-4-5 all-time vs. Guatemala in a series that began in 1977 with four straight losses to the Central American nation. The US hasn't lost to the chapines since a 1-0 decision in January of 1988 (15 matches). In fact, Guatemala hasn't scored since a 1-1 draw in July of 2000 (6 matches ago) in qualifying for the Japan/Korea World Cup.

Will the US be overconfident? Unlikely. Despite the overwhelming historical advantage, the Yanks have only managed draws in each of its last three appearances in Guatemala. Fact is, winning on the road in World Cup qualifying is an immense challenge, where the crowds, temperatures, and field conditions usually provide the home side with a fighting chance. It was only during the 2006 World Cup cycle that the US proved its ability to win on the road, taking three points at Trinidad and Panama early in the hexagonal en route to an qualification.

On the field, Bob Bradley will field an experienced lineup that should prove more impactful that the experimental one that played for the US in a scoreless draw on 9/7/05, the last WCQ in Guatemala (thought the Yanks had already qualified for WC 06):

That lineup: Hahnemann, Albright, Marshall, Conrad, Vanney, Quaranta (Donovan), Mastroeni, Dempsey (Ralston), Convey, Twellman, Cunningham (Johnson)

Tonight's lineup (proposed): Howard, Cherundolo, Bocanegra, Oneywu, Pearce, Lewis, Bradley, Mastroeni, Beasley, Donovan, Dempsey

Tonight's experienced lineup averages 51 caps/player, and shouldn't be rattled by Estadio Mateo Flores, or the Guatemalans, who have never qualified for the World Cup.

Notes:
Tonight's other CONCACAF Group A match finds Cuba hosting Trinidad and Tobago. In Group B, Canada hosts Jamaica at BMO Field, and Mexico takes to the Azteca field vs. Honduras. Group C matches include a Central American battle between El Salvador at Costa Rica, and Caribbean one: Surinam at Haiti.

Edu, Guzan, Kljestan and Bradley have traveled from the Beijing Olympics to Guatemala in time for the match, but may be too jet-lagged to be effective. Edu traveled from China to Scotland, where he's about to join Glasgow Rangers, to Guatemala. Talk about frequent flier miles!

Hooray For Steel! The newly renamed Red Bull Arena started going vertical yesterday in Harrison NJ. Plans are for a September 2009 opening, should the Winter allow.

A Soccer Specific Stadium Spoiled?

Yesterday the Toronto Globe reported that the CFL Toronto Argonauts are asking their season ticket base if the team should move to BMO Field, home of Toronto FC of MLS.

Understandably, the soccer fans of Toronto, who have sold out every single home match at the two year-old downtown stadium , are mighty upset that the Argos, who have been around since 1930 and have a smaller season-ticket file than TFC, are considering painting "football" lines on the soccer field.

The Argos have drawn around 30,000 fans per game over the last three seasons at the Rogers Center, the stadium formerly known as SkyDome. In order to make BMO Field, built for TFC and the 2007 U20 World Cup, fit for the CFL, a signifcant alteration would be required which would certainly ruin the intimate feel that has made the field and TFC a huge success.

Will MLS and TFC fans prove to be victims of their own success? Stay tuned.

Some Sunday of Soccer

From yesterday morning's painful US Olympic 2-2 draw with Netherlands, to the Red Bulls' 4-1 demolition of DC United in the late afternoon, the day was a veritable football feast from China to the swamps of Jersey.

The US was seconds away from qualifying for the Olympic quarterfinals before the Oranje's Gerald Sibon (SC Heerenveen) blasted the tying goal under the US wall on a free kick from just outside the penalty area. The gallant US outplayed the heavily favored Dutch for most of the match, making the most of their opporunities through goals by Sacha Klejstan and the pride of Jersey, Jozy Altidore. In the final ten minutes, however, the Netherlands brought on two extra forwards, including world-class overage player Roy Makaay, and converted their best opporuntity to tie the match in the waning seconds.

The draw left the US atop Group B with four points (based on goals scored) and take on Nigeria on Wednesday morning. The Yanks, who'll have to play without midfielders Freddy Adu and Michael Bradley (yellow card accumulation) need at least a draw, or at least a Japan draw vs. Netherlands, to advance. If the US advance, the Yanks could face any of the Group A nations; Argentina, Cote d'Ivoire, Australia, or Serbia in the quarterfinals.

Group B standings:
US, 4 pts, +1 GD
Nigeria, 4pts, +1
Netherlands, 2pts, 0
x-Japan, 0pts, -2

In the afternoon, the New York Red Bulls went down a goal early at Giants Stadium, then lit up the DC United net with four goals in the club's best offensive effort since the monumental 5-4 victory over LA last August 19th. Juan Pablo Angel put two in, including a picture-perfect free kick to open the Red Bulls scoring in the 27th minute. Much maligned Mike Magee scored off a rebound just before halftime to give NY the lead, and after JPA's second, Sinisa Ubiparipovic tallied with minutes to play for the 4-1 win, the most lopsided New York victory in the 13-year series between the clubs.

New York needed the victory to keep pace in the improving MLS East, where the bottom four clubs are all sitting on 25 points. The Red Bulls' 3-goal victory helped its poor goal differential (now a -5), though New York sits 6th place. Next up: another of those 25-point clubs in Toronto FC, who snapped a 6-match winless streak at Colorado. Here's a hopeful sign for New York for Sunday's match. Since June 1, TFC is 2-0-0 vs. the Rapids and 0-5-2 vs. the rest of MLS.

Game Notes:
Yesterday's match drew 15,038 to Giants Stadium, the largest non-Saturday crowd of the season...Seven yellow cards were distributed in the physical match, three to the Red Bulls, four to DC... Both DC and New England, who will play each other in a US Open Cup semifinal Tuesday night, lost their MLS matches this weekend...before yesterday, the Red Bulls hadn't scored more than two goals in a match all season.

Red Bulls Preview: Game #19 vs. Scum

Let's hear it for parity. Despite a five-match league winless streak (seven straight overall), the Red Bulls are only a single point out of a playoff spot with twelve matches to play. Over the last few weeks, the club has brought in help, including Venezuelan international defender Gabriel Chicero, who played 45 minutes with New York in Wednesday's schooling by Barcelona. Along with defender Diego Jimenez, and midfielders Jorge Rojas and Juan Pietrovallo, the new-look Red Bulls hope to get the stretch-run started with a win against rival DC United in the first of three straight home games at Giants Stadium.

Though United crashed out of the SuperLiga with three straight losses, the club has won four of its last five MLS outings, including a 2-0 victory at home vs. Kansas City last week, when MLS all-time goal scoring leader Jaime Moreno, and the rejuvenated Luciano Emilio both scored for DC.

Position, Recent League Form, and playoff position:
New York, 22 pts from 18 matches, 7th East, TLLTT, out of playoffs
DC United 25 pts from 17 matches, 4th East, WWWLW, would face New England in Conf. Semis

Here's a line-by-line look at Sunday's match:

The DC forwards vs. the Red Bulls' defense:
Luciano Emilio and Jaime Moreno vs. Kevin Goldthwaite, Jeff Parke, and Andrew Boyens (and Jon Conway). Emilio (11g) and Moreno (7g) have scored as many goals as the entire Red Bull team this season. Wednesday's thrashing by Barca not included, New York has allowed 10 goals in the Red Bulls' last five league matches. Will New York coach Osorio stick with his three-man back line at home? Perhaps Jimenez and/or Chicero get the starting nod here. Advantage: DC

New York's attackers vs. the United defense:
Juan Pablo Angel and Danliegh Borman vs. Bryan Namoff, Devon McTavish, Pat Carroll, and Marc Burch (and Zack Wells). Without the departed Jozy Altidore, New York has struggled to a) find a strike partner for Angel and b) put goals in the net. The Red Bulls have scored 19 goals in 18 matches, bad enough for 11th in the 14-team MLS. The DC defense has been taking it on the chin in lately (10g allowed in last five overall outings), but United did pitch a shutout vs. KC last week. Until NY can prove it can generate some offense... Advantage: DC

The Midfields:
Dave van den Bergh, Carlos Mendes, Jorge Rojas, and Seth Stammler, vs. Fred, Clyde Simms, Joe Vide, and Ivan Guerrero. Mendes is not the answer at d-mid, especially if Pietrovallo can go, but the midfield is where New York may have an advantage. Rojas certainly looks like the playmaker that New York hoped retired Claudio Reyna would be, and van den Bergh is playing well. Former Metro Joe Vide, as all former Metros do when playing New York, will surely have a great outing. Advantage: Push

The Coaches:
DC's Tommy Soehn survived his second straight slow start, but United is poised climb up the league table. Juan Carlos Osorio is ambling along during the summer doldrums, but his new arrivals need to make their prescence felt. After depressing draws vs. LA and at San Jose, there's not a lot of confidence in JCO or Sporting Director Jeff Agoos' abilities. Advantage: DC

Intangibles:
DC hasn't lost to New York since October 8th, 2005, a span of five matches (4-0-1), but may get caught looking ahead to Tuesday's US Open Cup semfinal vs. New England. A match with DC usually draws the fans to Giants Stadium, so the Red Bulls should enjoy a home-field advantage. Forecast is for a high of 81, with pm T-storms likely (60%). Advantage: DC

Prediction: Unless the new New York arrivals make an impact, it's hard to imagine the Red Bulls winning this match. Let's say Moreno, Emilio, and why not, Joe Vide score for United, and Angel for New York in a 3-1 DC victory.

Tack it to the Locker Room Wall
Think Dutch Olympic coach Foppe de Haan coach is concerned about facing the US on Sunday? Said de Haan, "They don't have anybody extremely good," when discussing the Yanks. Them's fighting words. While no one who watched the US' 1-0 win over Japan on Thursday morning is penciling in the US for the final, let's hope Petr Novak's boys make de Haan eat some crow. A win clinches a quarterfinal spot for the US. A draw won't hurt. Even a loss to the Netherlands will keep the Yanks in the running on the 13th vs. Nigeria.

Instant Classic

Those that said that last night's SuperLiga final would be a glorified friendly had no idea what they were talking about. At Gillette Stadium, New England and Houston put on a thrilling, intense, physical, advertisement for American soccer that ended in the eighth round of penalty kicks when the Dynamo's Corey Ashe hit the crossbar with his attempt, giving the Revs the SuperLiga title.

But New England didn't back into it's first win over Houston in three finals meetings. The Revolution, playing with out regulars Jay Heaps (red card) and Michael Parkhurst (Olympics) twice came back from a goal down, once in the first half and once in extra time, to force penalty kicks. Revs coach Steve Nicol survived a questionable decision by letting New England keeper Matt Reis kick attempt the team's second pk, which Reis missed badly.

Man-of-the-match Reis then redeemed himself by stopping tries by Houston's Dwyane DeRosario and Brian Ching before New England's Chris Albright lashed the Revs' eighth attempt pash Dynamo keeper Pat Onstad. When Ashe's try hit the crossbar, the vocal New England crowd of 9,200+ erupted in joy in seeing their team finally vanquish Houston, who had defeated their Revs both the 2006 and 2007 MLS Cup Finals.

With the SuperLiga victory, New England has the chance to become the first MLS side to collect four major trophies in a single year. The Revs take on DC United in the US Open Cup semifinals at RFK on the 12th. New England, currently on top of the MLS Standings, is in position to win its first Supporters' Shield, and of course MLS Cup looms in November. The Revolution also opens play in the inaugural Concacaf Champions League against Trinidad's Joe Public on the 26th, but that title won't be determined until next April.

Game Notes
Great to see Revs and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft on the Gillette Stadium field after the match, receiving the SuperLiga trophy from team captain Steve Ralston and celebrating with the team and fans... Perhaps as a show of solidarity over the small percentage of the tournament's million-dollar prize going to players, the Revs did not join MLS Commissioner Garber on the winner's podium, but rather Ralston quickly took the tournament trophy without much fanfare, leaving the confetti cannons and fireworks to erupt on their own... Nice to see Dynamo coach Dom Kinnear's and Chris Albright's take part in interviews with the TeleFutura sideline reporter in Spanish... Referee Howard Web, on loan from the English Premier League, was laudatory in a post-match interview of the quality of play, and compared it favorably to an EPL match.

Red Bull Speaks on the Stadium Status

In an email to season ticket holders yesterday, Red Bull New York Managing Director Erik Stover cleared the air over reports that Red Bull Park construction was being held up over a pending eminent domain case, further delaying the opening of the new home of the Red Bulls in Harrison, NJ. Wrote Stover,

Dear RBNY Supporters,

There have been a number of inaccurate articles published recently regarding construction off Red Bull Park and I wanted to reach out to you directly to clarify some of the facts.

We have completed the piles and pile caps as well as the underground work of Red Bull Park and we are still committed to opening in 2009.

The pieces for the next phase of construction are ready and waiting, which includes the erection of structural steel. Cranes are on-site and ready to go once we receive the next set of permits that are to be issued by the Town of Harrison. We expect to receive these permits by the middle of August, possibly sooner.

As you can imagine, a project of this magnitude can be difficult and will have its ups and downs along the way. However we remain committed to the project and continue to move construction forward. We are still within the timetable for a 2009 opening as we've anticipated delays and have built contingencies for these possible delays into the plan. Should we get to the point where 2009 is not feasible due to delays that are out of our control, we will communicate to you directly so that you hear it from us first.

Thank you for your patience as we work to bring you a world-class stadium that we can all call our home.

Sincerely

Erik Stover
Managing Director
New York Red Bulls

There's a lot more that Red Bull could be doing to manage fans' expectations over the much-delayed stadium project (Red Bull held a groundbreaking for the stadium on September 16th, 2006, nearly two years ago). Most other MLS clubs have produced rich-media web sites generating excitement and communicating progress about their soccer-specifc stadia. Take RSL's, for example. Red Bull has chosen minute-long videos that air during halftime of the team's televised matches to show "updates" on stadium construction. However, there's a lot more that Red Bull can do to show the club's small but passionate fan base what's happening on the Harrison stadium site. The current Red Bull Park web site is woefully spare. Of course, if there's really not much going on... there's not a lot to talk about, but RB could really make a better effort in informing their fans.