Three of Four in Superliga Semis

So what did we learn from the group stage of the first Superliga? We learned that in-form MLS sides can handle top Mexican clubs doing their preseason thing. We learned that fans will turn out to see the tourney (especially in LA, where Chivas de Guad. remains a strong draw). We learned that Alan Gordon can finish, and that the Galaxy (without Goldenballs) are jelling as a team. We learned that MLS clubs did well to adapt to the playing styles of the FMF team.

However, with three MLS team in the Superliga's Final Four, will the momentum continue? A healthy Becks will go a long way toward drawing a crowd for the 8/15 Gals-DCU semifinal. Will the Hispanic crowd the SUM and MLS are so trying to reach tune in for an all-MLS semi? The other semifinal pits Houston and Pachuca, albeit at 10p ET on the 14th, a start time which may keep fans and television viewers away. I can't imagine that the powers that be are rooting for an MLS v MLS final, but one can't deny how well the Creamsicles are playing.

Red Bull Mess
First there were stories about Red Bull buying out AEG's half of the officially stalled Red Bull Park project. Then there was a rumor that club GM Marc de Grandpre was sacked, to be replaced by an Austrian overlord. Then apparently the practice facility plans were nixed. The ESC is preparing a protest due to rough treatment from Giants Stadium security.

Any and all momentum that the team had from it's strong start in May has plummeted. The dark cloud that has dogged this franchise for a dozen years has returned. Once again, it's no fun to be a Metro fan.

"That Metro Look"

The US Soccer Players' Association's Ian Plenderleith wonders what the problem is with New York, after the Red Bulls were dropped 0-2 by Chivas last night. The only saving grace is that New York controlled much of the play, and have 16 days to get healthy for TFC on August 12th.

Red Bulls Preview: Game 18 vs. Goats

New York (8-6-3) is playing the middle match of a five-game homestand where they've lost to the Revs and beaten DC United by 1-0 scores. This will be the first Red Bulls match in a month when all three strikers (JPA, Woly, Jozy) are with the team, fit, and free of suspension.

Chivas USA (7-5-3) has lost only once in their last four outings, and are currently tied with DC United in the final MLS Cup playoff position. Star striker Cuban Maykel Galindo has yet to find the net in the month of July (three matches).

Recent Form:
New York: LLWLW
Chivas USA: LWLDW

Here's a line-by-line look at what to expect:

The Chivas forwards vs. the Red Bulls' defense:
Ante Razov and Maykel Galindo vs. Hunter Freeman, Seth Stammler, Carlos Mendes, and Kevin Goldthwaite (and Ronald Wattereus). The Chivas strikers (the RaGa boys? Anyone?) have scored 12 of the Goats' 20 goals this season. Razov, the one-time Metro, has two goals in two matches with Chivas vs. New York. True, NY has posted two shutouts in its last three outings, but the Red Bulls will be missing Jeff Parke in the center-back position, and Wattereus hasn't exactly thrilled since his return from injury. Advantage: Chivas USA

New York's attackers vs. the Goats' defense:
Juan Pablo Angel and Jozy Altidore vs. Orlando Perez, Claudio Suarez, Shavar Thomas, and Lawson Vaughn (and Brad Guzan). Though Jozy is listed as the probable starter, don't be surprised if John Wolyniec starts alongside JPA tonight. Combined, the two have 12 goals for New York, and Woly has the last two game-winners. Chivas has only given up 16 goals in 15 outings, led by US keeper-of-the-future Guzan and ancient Mexican icon Suarez. Advantage: Push

The Midfields:
Dema Kovalenko, Claudio Reyna, Clint Mathis and Dane Richards vs. Jonathan Bornstein, Francisco Mendoza, Jesse Marsch, and Lawson Vaughn. Look for the fading Dave van den Burgh to go if Kovalenko isn't fully healed from injury. New York needs Dema's work rate and inspirational play to lift the team. Mathis hasn't scored since June 16th, five games ago. Chivas' young wingers are the future of the USMNT, and will run all day. The Chivas midfield only has scored twice all season. Advantage: New York

The Coaches:
Bruce Arena has hopefully begun to pull his team out of a horrible slump. The injury bug hasn't helped, but a win here, combined with Sunday's victory over DC, could help raise the club's confidence to where it was in May. Preki is doing a good job in his rookie coaching season, and the playoffs are well within Chivas' expectation. Advantage: New York

Intangibles:
New York has yet to close to Chivas USA (2-0-2), but without Parke and possibly Kovalenko, the Red Bulls will have to lean on Reyna to take control of the game. As always with Chivas, Mexican fans may provide a large turnout to support the visitors Advantage: Push

Prediction: The strong Chivas defensive may neutralize Angel, but perhaps this is the night that Clint Mathis finally becomes the all-time leader in New York MLS scoring history. New York nemesis Razov finds a way as well. New York wins, 2-1.

MLS Remains Super

It's now four matches without a loss for MLS clubs (2-0-2) in the inaugural Superliga. Last night at RFK, DC United got an early goal off a free kick from Christian Gomez, but conceded a late score from a 10-man Monarchas Morelia squad to settle for a 1-1 draw. In Houston, Nate Jaqua scored the only goal of the match in a 1-nil victory over Club America. After one round, here are the Superliga standings:

Group A
LA Galaxy 3, +1
Chivas Guadalajara 1, 0
FC Dallas 1, 0
Pachuca 0, -1

Group B
Houston 3, +1
DC United 1, 0
Morelia 1, 0
Club America 0, -1

Next Matches:
7/28: FC Dallas-Pachuca, LA Galaxy-Chivas
7/29: DC United-America, Houston-Morelia

Andrea Canales, writing at Soccer 365, has a message for Superliga haters to give this tournament time to grow. As the MLS regular season winds down, the fight for next season's Superliga spots will give league's the top teams more to strive for once playoff berths are clinched. Also consider a Copa Libertadores spot to the Superliga champ may be a few years away.

One interesting wrinkle to the strong MLS start of the tourney is the possibility that MLS clubs could be three or all four of the semifinalists. MLS would certainly win some respect down South, but the possibility could kill TV ratings for the semis and finals. As with the US National Team's rivalry with Mexico... this is only going to be a rivalry if the FMF sides start getting some results.

Look for Revs to Shoot Ahead in the East

Steve Nicol's New England Revolution squad should break the logjam in the tightly-packed MLS East over the next few weeks, benefiting from a positive schedule in comparison to their divisional rivals.

The incredibly tight Eastern Standings as of today:

1. NE, 27, +9
2. NY, 27, +5
3. KC, 26, +5
4. CMB, 25, 0
5. DCU, 24, +4
6. TFC 19, -8
7. CHI 16, -13

Between tomorrow (July 26th) and August 19th, the Revs fit the field six times (at RSL, vs. KC, vs. DCU, vs. LA, at COL, and at KC). Over the same span, The Red Bulls, Kansas City, Columbus, and DC United have only three league matches on each of their calendars. The Revs, in fact, are the busiest team in the league over the next three weeks.

Should New England win their home matches and take points on the road at RSL and at COL, the standings on 8/19 could look like:

1. NE, 38
2. NY, 31
3. KC, 30
4. CMB, 28
5. DCU, 25

Thanks to the schedule-maker, Revs fans should be excited about their team's prospects through the end of the summer.

A Night of Positive Results

Two matches into the first ever "Superliga" between MLS and FMF clubs yielded two very positive results last night. First, FC Cows took a second half lead over storied Chivas Guadalajara before giving up the equalizer on a questionable hand ball and settling for a 1-1 draw in front of 12,000 + at the Deep Dish.

The bigger story was in Carson, however, as the jelling Galaxy beat Pachuca 2-1 on goals by Alan Gordon and Landon Donovan. Joe Cannon was huge in the net for the Gals with six saves (Pachuca took 23 shots!). Even without Beckham, the new stars of the Galaxy, Xavier and Pavon, are making an impact on LA. Although the team has many more road games ahead of them, don't count out LA as a playoff team.

Whither Nick Sakiewicz?
As reported on BigAppleSoccer.com, it appears as if the Red Bulls' Austrian overlords are buying out AEG for their half of Red Bull Park, and will be building the $100 million stadium on their own. This is terrific news for Red Bulls fans for a number of reasons:

A. AEG is first and foremost an entertainment company. Removing AEG from the picture takes the end-zone stage out of RBP plans (see Toyota Park, Pizza Hut Park) and will allow the Red Bulls to play in a dedicated sports facility.

B. The purchase further commits Red Bull to the team's well being. Must has been written about Red Bull's displeasure concerning attendance. By ponying up more big bucks, any fears that RB is souring on MLS should be allayed.

C. Perhaps the project can actually move forward. We've been fed lines about contaminated soil causing construction delays when in fact its been RB and AEG's bickering over stadium designs that has held everything up. Boys... LET'S GO ALREADY!

One has to feel for Nick Sakiewicz, though, whose company will no longer will be involved with the project. Nick has spend the entire decade trying to see the stadium come to life, and now his bosses won't be taking part now that the thing will finally (finally, finally) happen. Perhaps Herr Mateshitz is hiring?

Spreading the Faith
The always excellent Sideline Views, by West Coast soccer journalists Andrea Canales and Luis Bueno, posted this great clip of soccer evangelist and Bob Barker wanna-be Drew Carey pumping up soccer on Letterman the other night.



Well done, sir.

Optimism Concerning Red Bulls Attendance Prospects

After seven of fifteen home matches, the Red Bulls have drawn an average of 11,170 fans per game. A close examination of those matches, and of the remaining schedule, leaves lots of room for optimism that New York could see a major lift at the gate before the end of the year.

What's happened so far
Call it the national TV curse. New York has played three of its home matches this season on Telefutura or ESPN2 in time slots that haven't proven super fan-friendly:

-SUN APR 15 @ 3p vs. FCD (played in a monsoon): 8,865
-SUN MAY 13 @ 3p vs. COL: 7,805
-THU MAY 24 @ 7p vs. CHI: 9,357
Average: 8,675

The Red Bulls' four other home matches were held in the traditional Saturday night, 7:30 slot:
-SAT APR 21 vs HOU: 12,481
-SAT MAY 19 vs. CMB: 10,321
-SAT JUN 16 vs. KCW: 15,546
-SAT JUL 14 vs. NER: 13,819
Average: 13,042

So New York is drawing 50% higher on Saturday nights than on other nights. Nice.

What's to come
Luckily, The Red Bulls' last five home matches all fall on Saturday nights at 7:30p:

-SAT AUG 18 vs. LAG
-SAT SEP 1 vs. CHI
-SAT SEP 22 vs. NER
-SAT SEP 29 vs. RSL
-SAT OCT 13 vs. KCW

One of those matches (you guess which) may entice as many as 60,000 fans to Giants Stadium.

Here are the others:
-SUN JUL 22 @3p vs. DCU
-THU JUL 26 @ 7p vs. CHV
-SUN AUG 11 @ 5p vs. TFC

Given that Sunday is DC's only visit this season, the 26th may bring Chivas fans, and 8/11 will be New York's first look at Toronto, I'm going to assume that attendance for these matches may bring a higher non-Saturday crowd. Also to be considered is the multi-game packs that the FO built into Beckham packages.

Assuming Goldenballs' appearance attracts 50k (they're at 40K today), the Saturday nights pull the average number to date, and the three others bring in 10K each, the remaining eight matches would generate an average audience of 16,521. That'd make the full-year attendance 14,024, only a 3.7% attendance drop from 2006.

If 60K show up for Beckham, the full-year number jumps to 14,691, a 0.8% increase over last year. If 60K show for Becks and 15K come for the DC game on Sunday, the number jumps to 15,024.

My point is that the sky is not falling. Now should this team be pulling at least 20K per game in this huge and extremely savvy soccer market?

Yes.

However, consider the lack of Red Bull marketing spend. Consider the lack of local market sponsorships driving awareness. Consider 11 years of mostly crappy soccer. Consider that the NY print, television, and radio outlets all but deny the team's existence.

The Beckham wave will lift all boats, and may have a positive effect even after HRH heads back West. Make no mistake, attendance should be higher. There is, however, room for optimism.

Will New York Embrace These Red Bulls?

They have a former Captain of the US Team, a living franchise legend about to become the club's leading scorer, and the season scoring leader and All-Star Game MVP. Will a competitive Red Bulls side put butts in seats? Metro's Kristian Dyer asks that very question of Red Bull's Managing Director Marc deGrandpre in today's print edition. Poorer New York sides have drawn many more fans to Giants Stadium over the years (avg. '07 attendance: 11,170), but for some reason fans aren't flocking to the Swamp this season. The Beckham game (over 40,000 tix sold) will certainly help the final numbers, but with eight home games left, starting with Sunday's tilt vs. DC United (5p, FSNY), a little more marketing would help, wouldn't it?

What a Week We're Having!

Had your fill yet? The US Soccer world is exploding where ever you look!

Look North to Toronto where a gritty, gutty US U20 squad survived vs. a talented Uruguay squad after extra time last night to advance to the World Cup quarters. Former Metro Michael Bradley tallied the winning goal in the 107th minute. The boys won despite missing #1 keeper Chris Seitz for the whole match and Red Bull Jozy Altidore for the second half. Hopefully these two key cogs will be ready to go in Saturday's quarterfinal vs. Austria (2p ET, ESPN2 & Galavision).



Look West to LA, where Goldenballs will officially be introduced to the US public tomorrow at a press conference at the HDC (1p ET, mlsnet.com). Becks is on the cover of this week's Sports Illustrated, and the Mister and Missus are gracing the cover of fashion mag W as well. Like the new Gals logo? I don't.

Look East to Landisville, PA, (pop 4,785), where someone named Steve Fisher (not the former UM hoops coach) scored for the USL2's Harrisburg City Islanders to beat high and mighty DC United 1-0 in a US Open Cup third round match last night. No, the Red Bulls didn't qualify for the proper tourney this year, but... HAWH-HAWH!

A Royal Time In Montreal
Had a blast two weeks ago for the opening doublheader of the U20 World Cup (US 1-1 KOR, POL 1-0 BRA). Montreal is a fantastic city with a walkable downtown and a great metro system.
Highlights for me (at the game):

-clap clap, clap clap clap, clap clap clap clap, U! S! eh?
-The cheer "J t'aime Montreal!" did wonders to endear us to the local fans, but I don't think they anticipated us to stand and sing for 90 minutes. When Korea tied the game, the cheers were deafening, which prompted my second-favorite cheer: "Nobody likes us, we don't care!"
-Chris Seitz, clearly the US man of the match, caught my U20s scarf and wore it off the field
-Dancing in the Metro with Freddy Adu's Mom..."Sacre Bleu! Freddy Adu!"
-Brazil fans (see below):
Highlights for me (other than the game):
-Jazz Fest: tons of free music in a terrific outside venue
-Climbing Mount Royal and the amazing view at the top
-Crescent street, closed to auto traffic for a block-long Brahma beer party
-Old Town

The Red Bulls are in first place in the East, but it just doesn't feel so good, know what I mean?

Famous Jewish Soccer Legends

The word from Grant Wahl in this week's Sports Illustrated that US Gold Cup hero Benny Feilhaber is in fact a member of the tribe (Brazilian - Austrian, no less) got me thinking about other prolific US soccer players among the Chosen. I came up with a pretty strong list...

-Jeff Agoos of the 134 US caps and high profile own-goals against Jamaica (WC '98 Qualifying) and Portugal ('02 World Cup).

-Feilhaber's current US teammate and Chivas USA back Jonathan Bornstein

-Viva magazine pinup and former Cosmos keeper Shep Messing

-Survivor winner and founder of Grassroot Soccer Ethan Zohn

-US Women's team defender Sarah Whalen, who childed me at Nathan Hale's pub in NYC during the '02 World Cup for ordering a Diet Coke (instead of a beer, or a Manischewitz) at 3am, a few hours before reporting to work

-Becks, who is 1/4 Hebrew. We'll take him!

Heading to Montreal tomorrow for the U20s match vs. Korea. Will post photos/stories after the holiday. Enjoy the Copa and the U20 World Cup!

Gold Cup > Stanley Cup

Since the lockout of 2004-05, sports pundits have been deriding the NHL and its lack of relevancy in the American sports landscape. Today's news (HT: Jason E.) illustrates that point: 41 percent more television households tuned in to Sunday's Gold Cup Final than the June 6th Anaheim-Ottawa Stanley Cup clincher. The rating reflects the Spanish-language telecast on Univision (goalazo...azo....azo!) and not the English telecast on Fox Soccer Channel, but the message is clear: Soccer= Caliente! Hockey=Mucho Frio!

Drinking in the Gold Cup

They just can't beat us. Mexico fell to the US 2-1 yesterday on Benny Feilhaber's bomb of a goal...



...and a reflex save from former Metro Tim Howard. If the Mexies could for once lose with pride, though, it'd be a start. Soon-to-be ex-Mexico coach (perhaps) Hugo Sanchez once again took to the referees for the reasons for the loss, but hey, at least they found the net.

Said Sanchez: "I was surprised the penalty was whistled so quick in a final game. We were hoping the US would score on a brilliant play, plus there was one [penalty] on Omar Bravo. I would prefer that whoever wins is the better team and not the team that wins on a referee's call. Sometimes the best team doesn't win. But the US was maybe more practical and they deserved it."

Give me a break.

Congrats to the Gold Cup Champions, who saved its best outing of the tournament for the final. Did you see Frankie Hejduk hug FIFA boss Sepp Blatter on the podium? Awesome. Congrats for LD for tying Eric "Red Card" Wynalda for the all-time US goal mark. Soon Rob Stone will be introducing his partner as "US Hall Of Famer... Eric Wynalda" Priceless. The Yanks also have their tickets punched for the Confed Cup South Africa 2009, and Bob Bradley is now 10-0-1 as US coach. Great news all around.

Now it's on to Venezuela with a young, young side for Copa America. At this point, getting out of the group (Argentina, Paraguay, Colombia) should be considered a remarkable achievement, but even with three losses, the Copa will be a valuable experience for the whole squad.

USA-MEX: I Love the 00's

After last night's Gold Cup semis, two tense affairs featuring questionable calls that put CONCACAF big boys US and Mexico into the final (Sunday, 2pm et, FSC) , I thought it'd be worthwhile to take a look at the decade where the US absolutely owned the Tricolores. You know the story...since 2000, the Yanks have a 7-2-1 record vs. the Sombreros. In the US, the Yanks have a dominant 6-0-1 record. South of the border, Mexico is 2-0-0 (both in WC quallies), and on that neutral field in Jeonju, the score was dos a cero to the EEUU.

Here's a look at the matches:

Date, Classification, Location, Result, US Goals
6/11/00, US Cup, East Rutherford, 3-0, Hejduk, McBride, Razov
10/25/00, Friendly, Los Angeles, 2-0, Donovan, Wolff
2/21/01, WCQ, Columbus, 2-0, Wolff, Stewart
7/1/01, WCQ, Mexico City, 0-1
6/16/02, World Cup 2002, Jeonju, KOR, 2-0, McBride, Donovan
5/8/03, Friendly, Houston, 0-0
4/28/04, Friendly, Dallas, 1-0, Pope
3/27/05, WCQ, Mexico City, 1-2, Lewis
9/3/05, WCQ, Columbus, 2-0, Ralston, Beasley
2/7/07, Friendly, Glendale, AZ, 2-0, Conrad, Donovan

The US leads the goal parade 15-3 since the turn of the century, with Gringo Horrible Landon Donovan netting three in the series. Wolff and McBride have two, and Hejduk, Razov, Pope, Lewis, Ralston, Beasley, and Conrad have a single tally each.

Mexico has looked awful during the three-week tournament, with a 2-1 win over Cuba, a 2-1 loss to Honduras, a 1-0 win vs. Panama, a 1-0 OT win vs. an 8-man Costa Rica, and last night's 1-0 victory over regional powerhouse Guadeloupe.

While the US has gotten the results, the Yanks have been playing far from attractive football and have suffered from horrendous finishing. The Gold Cup for the Yanks: a 1-0 win vs. Guatemala, a 2-0 victory over Trinidad & Tobago, the 4-0 thrashing of El Salvador, and 2-1 wins over Panama and Canada.

Sunday will won't have the cozy, US-friendly feel of Crew Stadium, but rather the Solider Field will be pulling 80/20 for the Mexicans. Can the domination by the US continue? In order for a real rivalry to exist, Mexico's going to have to win a match (hey, just score) on US soil sometime soon. Would I be shocked if that happened on Sunday? No. Will the either team deliver some attractive, proficient finishing? Perhaps. Let's just hope that the two great sides play a match worthy of a continental final. Enjoy.

ESPN Loves Soccer

Good to know Clint is doing well at the "Golf Cup."

The Kids Are Alright

This morning, Thomas Rongen named the US squad for the upcoming U20 World Cup in Canada. The Gnats kick off the tournament in Montreal on June 30th vs. South Korea. The roster includes some big names, and a few with NY-area roots:

-Freddy Adu

-Jozy Altidore (Newark's finest)

-Michael Bradley, who'll have quite a "how I spent my Summer vacation" story when he gets back to Heerenveen

-Gabriel Ferrari (NYC)

-Dax McCarty (FCD, who didn't take part in U20 qualifying)

-Johann Smith (Bloomfield, CT)

-Danny Szetela (Clifton, NJ)

-Tim Ward (former Metro)

Best of luck to the boys, who play Chile's U20 side next Saturday at Giants Stadium before the US Women face Brazil.

Red Bulls Preview: Match #12 vs. Wizzzz

New York (6-3-2) stumbled through a 1-2 road trip last week in KC, Toronto, and DC, gave up 8 goals in three games, and removed the air of invincibility, even adequacy around the club. The Red Bulls' leaky defense was tattooed by Eddie Johnson and Ben Olsen, allowing both to win Player of the Week honors after each scored hat tricks vs. New York. Coach (pardon, Sporting Director) Bruce Arena admitted after Sunday's 4-2 loss in DC that he had rushed first-team keeper Ronald Waterreus back into the lineup too soon.

Kansas City (6-2-1) hasn't played in two weeks, since the Wizards beat the Red Bulls 3-2 in Arrowhead on Eddie Johnson's three scores. EJ is with the National team, though, which will provides a challenge for KC. The two sides meet Saturday at 7:30 pm ET at Giants Stadium (FSNY, DK).

Recent Form:
New York: WWLWL
Kansas City: WLDWW

Here's a line-by-line look at what to expect:

The Kansas City forwards vs. the Red Bulls' defense:
Scott Sealy and Carlos Marinelli vs. Seth Stammler, Taylor Graham, Carlos Mendes, and Markus Schopp (and Ronald Wattereus). Last Sunday in DC, United consistently beat the Red Bulls' patchwork defense with diagonal runs off the ball. Speedy Scott Sealy (20 MLS goals in 60 appearances) and the technical Marinelli (2 assists in 6 apps.) will make things tough on Graham and Schopp, who aren't known for their speed. The key question: which Walrus will show up in goal for New York? The one that gave up a single goal in his first five starts, or the one that allowed four tallies his last time out? Advantage: Kansas City

New York's attackers vs. the Wizards' defense:
Juan Pablo Angel vs. Jose Burciaga, Nick Garcia, Jimmy Conrad, and Jack Jewsbury (and Kevin Hartman). KC's healthy first-line defense is experienced (avg: 146 MLS caps) and solid (0.75 GAA). Hartman is still in good form. What more can be said about New York's Juan Pablo Angel? Seven goals in his first six MLS matches. Scores off of free kicks, from individual efforts, even cleaning up the garbage in front of the net. Until defenses learn how to slow him down, he'll be the most lethal (sorry, EJ fans) striker in MLS. Advantage: Push

The Midfields:
Dema Kovalenko, Claudio Reyna, Dave van den Bergh, Clint Mathis and Dane Richards vs. Michael Harrington, Sasha Victorine, Kerry Zavagnin, and Davy Arnaud. To date this season, the Wizards' midfield has accounted for five of KC's 20 goals. Harrington (2g, 3a) is a Rookie of the year candidate, and Arnaud's scoring touch (2g, 3a) seems to have returned. New York hasn't figured out how best to use Clint and Claudio together. New York is 1-3-1, including the USOC loss at LA, when the two start a match together. Of course, New York could be helped if Mathis avoids a red card this time out. The Wizards, of course, won't have EJ to feed tomorrow night. Slight Advantage: New York

The Coaches:
Bruce Arena has some problems. His back line is a hospital ward, and he's about to lose promising Jozy Altidore (3g, 3a) to the US U-20 team for a month. With an other three-match road trip looming after tomorrow night, Bruce needs all the points tomorrow, badly. Curt Onalfo will have to replace the man who's scored nearly half of his team's goals, but on the road, the pressure to win is on the other guys. Advantage: Kansas City

Intangibles:
As long as Angel continues his goal-a-game pace, New York should be considered the favorite at home. Hopefully the word of the Red Bulls' strong start will attract a decent crowd (10,000+) for New York's only home appearance in a an eight-week stretch. Weather should be good, though thunderstorms may be possible. Advantage: Push

Prediction: The Wizards' Sealy should fly on the turf at Giants Stadium. If Mathis & Reyna click tomorrow, things could fall New York's way. A deep KC squad, powered by Marinelli, accomplishes the mission on the road. A 1-1 draw.

PA-NA-MA!

The US escaped a Gold Cup Quarterfinal date with Mexico when the whiny crybabies toppled Panama 1-0 last night in Houston. Instead, the Yanks will tangle with the isthmus' finest in Foxboro (Sat, 4pm ET, FSC), who have looked dangerous during the tournament. The canaleros beat group winner Honduras 3-2 in the Group C opener and drew against an improved Cuban squad before last night's narrow defeat. Panama will be without M Ronaldo Escobar and D Roman Torres (1 assist), who were red-carded vs. Mexico.

The US has had a relatively easy time with Panama of late, despite the last-gasp away draw during the last World Cup qualifying cycle. Here are the most recent results between the clubs:

9/8/04, WCQ @ Panama City: PAN 1-1 US, goal by C. Jones
10/13/04, WCQ @ RFK: US 6-0 PAN, goals by Johnson (3), Donovan (2), OG
6/8/05, WCQ @ Panama City: PAN 0-3 US, goals by Bocanegra, Donovan, McBride
7/24/05, Gold Cup Final @ Giants Stadium: US 0 (3) -0 (1) PAN
10/12/05, WCQ @ Foxboro, US 2-0 PAN, goals by Martino (!), Twellman

US Record over last five matches vs, Panama: 3-0-2
Goals over last five matches: US 12-1 PAN

Panama gave the US a hell of a game in the last Gold Cup Final, but the Yanks fielded a B+ team that day. The lineup was; Keller - Hejduk, Conrad, Onyewu, Vanney - Armas, O’Brien, Donovan, Dempsey (Davis) - Wolff (Quaranta), Beasley (Olsen).

With the right squad from Bob Bradley; (Howard - Simek, Bocanegra, Demerit, Hejduk - Mastro, Donovan, Dempsey, Ralston - Ching, Twellman,) the US should walk, not breeze past Panama into the Semis. The Yanks will benefit from the former Quakes (LD, Ching) and Revs (Ralston, TT, Deuce) on the field together.

Enjoy. Here's a musical interlude as you wait for the game. This was rock and roll in 1984. Yikes.

Big Ups All Over the Place

This morning's "big ups" list includes:

-DaMarcus Beasley, whose two tallies last night vs. El Salvador ties him with Cobi Jones for seventh on the US all-time goal scoring list with 15.

-FIFA, which now ranks the US as 16th in the world, up 13 spots from May's global rankings. In case you're wondering, Mexico is 26th.

-Steve Sperl of Milwaukee's amateur Bavarian SC, whose fifth-minute goal carried his club to a 1-0 upset of the USL-2's Cincinnati Kings in Open Cup play.

-Bryon Carmichael of the PDL's Ocean City Barons, whose tally near halftime allowed his team to beat the USL-2's Crystal Palace Baltimore, 1-0, also in the US Open Cup.

-The Guadeloupe side, who advanced to the Gold Cup quarterfinals for the first time when El Salvador lost to the US and Guatemala tied Trinidad last night.

-Bob Bradley, who hasn't lost a match in eight outings as US coach (7-0-1). His club finally looked hungry and dangerous last night, in a match that could have ended 7- or 8-0. The US will play the third place team from Group C (Mexico, Panama, Honduras, or Cuba) in the quarterfinals on Saturday, in Bradley's biggest match to date.

-Landon Donovan, who told the Boston Globe that he'd take part in the Copa America later this month. Earlier this year, LD was wavering on the trip to Venezuela, stating he wanted to help his LA Galaxy team to a decent place in the standings ahead of David Bechkam's arrival. Not music to Frank Yallop's ears, but great news for US fans.

-Taylor Twellman, who scored in front of him hometown fans, and Brian Ching, for the stellar feed that allowed TT to hit the net.

-Adam Spangler for his fantastic interview with the Bergen Record and Soccer By Ives' Ives Galarcep. Just a couple of guys talking about American soccer. A must must read.

Opening Up a Busy, Busy Night

Yes, the US closes out Gold Cup group play in friendly Foxboro tonight vs. El Salvador (FSC, 7pm ET). For pure drama, though, fans should also tune to the opening round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, kicking off in fifteen cities from Danbury, Connecticut to Tukwila, Washington. 30 amateur and lower-level pro clubs will do battle in the nation's knockout tournament that will eventually include eight top MLS sides. Key matchups to follow tonight include:

-PDL stalwarts Michigan Bucks taking on the USL-2's Richmond Kickers in Virginia

-Jersey's own Ocean City Barons (PDL) hosting first-year club Crystal Palace Baltimore (USL-2) a mere steps from the boardwalk

-DuNord favorite Minnesota Thunder (USL-1) welcoming amateur side El Paso Indios USA

-An upstate/downstate New York fight between the Long Island Rough Riders (PDL) and the Rochester Rhinos (USL-1)

Looking Back and Forward

Pressed for time today, but wanted to comment on last night's Gold Cup match. There were a few moments of brilliance from the US in their 1-0 win over the Guats, some beautiful passing combos between Bornstein, Bradley, Feilhaber, Donovan, Twellman, and Dempsey. However, the Nats had a lot of trouble with smart decisions around the goal. The team will have an easy time with T&T, but truly have to improve their finishing if they want to defend their title.

TFC did a good job frustrating New York in the Red Bulls' 2-1 win on Wednesday, and New York will have to pick up its game if it wants to win at DC on Sunday. United is resurgent, and only a composed Clint Mathis and a valiant effort from the hurting back line will deliver a positive result.

Red Bulls Preview: Game 10 @ Hosers

New York (5-2-2) makes its first trip North of the border tonight (7pm ET, MSG) to take on the new and newly resurgent Toronto FC (3-5-1). BMO Field has proven to provide the Canadian Club with a huge boost, as TFC has won three of its last four matches there. The Red Bulls are smarting from their lashing from the Grown-Ass Man on Saturday in KC, and are thin at the back line. New York should take solace, however, that the Wizards, who now are without Eddie Johnson for the next four-six weeks, needed Saturday's match a lot more than the Red Bulls. Throw in Cleetus' second straight red of the season, and New York was lucky to keep the match to a one-goal loss.

Recent Form:
Toronto: WWLDW
New York: DLWWL

Here's a line-by-line look at what to expect:

The Toronto forwards vs. the Red Bulls' defense:
Danny Dichio and Jeff Cunningham vs. Seth Stammler, Jeff Parke, Carlos Mendes, and Tim Regan (and Jon Conway). Dan D. Dick has been an unparalleled success story for TFC. The Englishman not only scored the club's first-ever goal, but has tallies in each of his last two outings. How he'll mesh with MLS clubhouse pariah and prolific scorer Jeff Cunningham (93 goals in 248 MLS matches) remains to be seen. New York's "tough against everyone but RSL and Eddie Johnson" defense will be without starters Todd Dunivant, Hunter Freeman, and Ron Wattereus. A very beatable Tim Regan and super sub Seth Stammler will take the wings. Advantage: Toronto

New York's attackers vs. the TFC defense:
Juan Pablo Angel and John Wolyniec vs. Marvell Wynne, Andrew Boyens, Jim Brennan, and Chris Pozniak (and Srdjan Djekanovic). Since TFC learned how to win, the team's defense has given up 1.2 goals/match, which is not too shabby. TFC hasn't allowed more than two goals its last five outings, pitching one shutout in that span. The club will be without starting keeper Greg Sutton, though, who's with the Canadian National Team at the Gold Cup. New York's JPA continues to amaze, notching an incredible goal in KC off of terrific service from Wolyniec. Angel has noted that artificial turf bugs him, so he may be a bit unhappy at BMO. Jozy's a great option off the bench. Slight Advantage: New York

The Midfields:
Ronnie O'Brien, Maurice Edu, Carl Robinson, and Andy Welsh vs. Dema Kovalenko, Claudio Reyna, Dave van den Bergh and Dane Richards. In nine matches, TFC has only two goals from its midfield. O'Brien, when healthy, is a game-changer, and #1 draft pick Edu is having a strong rookie season. Without Mathis, who's sitting out his red card suspension, Kovalenko should fill in admirably has the offensive engine. Dane Richards should expect a battle with Marvell Wynne. Hopefully the turf won't push Reyna back to the trainers' table. Advantage: Push

The Coaches:
You know that "trader" Mo Johnston has been waiting for this one since he was named TFC coach. The Scotsman has been pushing all the right buttons since the club started its dreadful, goalless four-game introduction to MLS. Bruce Arena is so desperate for defensive help that he's spoken with gimpy, old Tony Sanneh about joining the squad. Eesh! Advantage: Toronto

Intangibles:
The ascendancy of TFC has been the non-Beckham story of the MLS season. Great, large, passionate crowds greet TFC each time they take the field. After tonight Toronto has a single home game before July 29th, so the club knows it needs to take advantage of home cooking (flapjacks with lots of maple syrup). New York is a bit of a MASH unit right now, will be missing Mathis, and has a big rivalry match at DC on Sunday. Not a pretty picture. Weather will be perfect. Advantage: Toronto

Prediction: I'd like to think that Arena will pull the right levers to get his squad up for tonight, but I'm just not sure. Cunningham, who loves to play New York, hits the net, as does Angel, who keeps up his goal-a-game pace. A 1-1 draw.

Gold Cup Kicks Off
Tonight in Miami, our great bi-annual (depending on the year) continental championship gets underway, with the Yanks and El Tri the prohibitive favorites to meet in the final in Chicago on June 24th. The defending champion US takes the field tomorrow in LA against Guatemala (9pm ET, FSC) , and also plays Trinidad and El Salvador in the opening round. Here are my fearless predictions for how it'll play out:

Quarterfinals:
Costa Rica over Guatemala
USA over Honduras
Mexico over El Salvador
Panama over Canada

Semifinals:
USA over Costa Rica
Mexico over Panama

Final: Dos a Cero, baby, to the USA!

Enjoy the football feast this week!

Red Bulls Preview: Week 9 vs. Wizzz

Due to a very unfortunate Blogger software hiccup, my opus of a game preview was erased before it hit the web. Without the energy or time to re-write it, I'll say Angel, Mathis, Arnaud, and EJ hit the net in a very entertaining 2-2 draw tomorrow night (8pm ET, MSG, DK). Enjoy.

June Will be Jumping

The Gold Cup, Copa America, the U-20 World Cup, MLS, and the US Open Cup will make June a month to remember. Here's a quick & dirty look at what's to come next month:

Sat 2nd: US-China @ San Jose (ESPN2) and Kansas City-RBNY (both 8pm ET)
Sun 3rd: US U-20s vs. Canada in Ottawa
Wed 6th: Gold Cup stars with CRC-CAN and GPE-HAI, Toronto-RBNY (7pm), U20s vs. Canada in Kingston, ONT
Thu 7th: US-Guatemala in the Gold Cup opener at the HDC (9pm ET, FSC)
Sat 9th: US-Trinidad in the Gold Cup (HDC, 5pm ET, FSC)
Sun 10th: DC United-RBNY (TF, 1pm)
Tue 12th: US-El Salvador (Gold Cup in Foxboro, 7pm, FSC) and 1st round of USOC
Sat 16th: Gold Cup Quarters and RBNY-Kansas City (7:30pm, FSNY)
Thu 21st: Gold Cup Semis, Chicago
Sat 23rd: US U20s vs. Chile (2pm), USWNT vs. Brazil (5pm) at Giants Stadium
Sun 24th: Gold Cup Final, Chicago
Tue 26th: Copa America kicks off with VEN-BOL and URU-PER
Thu 28th: US-Argentina in their Copa America openers (8:45pm, GOL)
Sat 30th: US-Korea in U-20 World Cup opener in Montreal, and Columbus-RBNY (7:30, MSG)

It'll be an absolute soccer feast! Enjoy!

We've Been Waiting a Dozen Years for This

A makeshift lineup that was missing four starters. Midfielders playing defense. Forwards playing midfield. No matter for the Red Bulls. Two goals in the first three minutes of the match and a superlative defensive effort carried New York to a 3-0 stomping of Chicago last night in a picture-perfect setting at the Meadowlands.

With six (!) clean sheets in eight outings this season, and seven goals scored in its last two matches, New York is getting phenomenal results despite not playing its best soccer. It's easy to argue, though, that this year's squad is the most talented, deepest, and mojo-rich in Metro/RB history.

As the clock ticked down on the victory, and the raucous ESC crowd cranked up another ten-minute rendition of "Wipeout," it occurred to me that for the first time since 1996, New York may be the team to beat. MLS is a league of parity, but with a gaudy 5-1-2 record and a +11 goal differential, the on-field Red Bull resurrection has been a definitive success. Yes, New York has yet to face New England, DC, or an improved Kansas City squad, but it's hard to argue that it may finally, FINALLY, be New York's time.

ESC RBNY VS CHI PART 1

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As the ESC says, "New York's chillin', Jersey's chillin', what more can we say... TOP BILLING! Have a great holiday weekend, everyone.

Red Bulls Preview: Game 8 vs. Flamers

New York gets its last taste of home cooking for a while in an MLS Primetime matchup vs. the Chicago Fire tonight on ESPN2 (7pm ET). Practice reports point to another Reyna-less outing for the Red Bulls, who hit the road after tonight for three straight, and six of the next seven away from the Swamp. New York is not the only team with impactful injuries, though, as Chicago, losers of three straight, will be missing offensive engine Chris Rolfe with an ankle sprain.

Recent Form:
New York: WWDLW
Chicago: WWLLL

Here's a line-by-line look at what to expect:

The Chicago forwards vs. the Red Bulls' defense:
Chad Barrett and Calen Carr vs. Dema Kovalenko, Jeff Parke, Carlos Mendes, Todd Dunivant (and Jon Conway). Injured Chris Rolfe represents half of Chicago's eight goals, and three of the Fire's eight assists this season. Barrett and Carr have gone the full 90 once each this season, and are pretty green: the pair have played in an average of 38 MLS matches. The experienced New York back line (avg.: 92 appearances) pitched its fifth shutout in seven outings last week, and is clicking on all cylinders, despite missing wing Hunter Freeman. Advantage: New York

New York's attackers vs. the Fire's defense:
Juan Pablo Angel and John Wolyniec vs. Gonzalo Segares, Jim Curtin, and C.J. Brown (and Matt Pickens). Watching JPA's field awareness, pinpoint passing, and clinical finishing last week puts hope in all New York fans that he can just stay healthy. An in-form Wolyniec is good for a goal a game. I can't believe that C.J. Brown is only 32 years old. It seems like the former San Francisco Bay Seal should be pushing 40, or 50 by now. Chicago is giving up 1.42 gpg. New York is scoring 1.71. Advantage: New York

The Midfields:
Ivan Guerrero, Diego Gutierrez, Justin Mapp, Chris Armas, and Logan Pause vs. Seth Stammler, Clint Mathis, Dave van den Bergh and Dane Richards. Chicago has a good, experienced midfield that could cause trouble for New York. Pause has a game-winning goal, and Mapp can be a dangerous finisher. Still, if the Red Bulls can carry any mojo from its 4-0 pasting of Columbus last week, it could be a tough outing for the Fire. Slight Advantage: New York

The Coaches:
Bully for Arena for continuing to push the right buttons with a roster that is battling through injuries. Starting Woly made him look like a genius, and players are clearly fighting hard in practice for playing time. Dave Sarachan is doing a fair-to-middling job, awaiting Cuauhtemoc Blanco's arrival on July 1st. Advantage: New York

Intangibles:
The first goal will be crucial. To date this season, New York is 4-0-1 when scoring first, and 0-1-0 when allowing. Chicago is 3-0-0 when scoring first, 0-3-1 when allowing. A grass field has been brought in for a series of international friendlies this week, and the MLS sides will play on the real stuff. Red Bull, in an effort to increase attendance for the national television audience, has offered every season ticket holder four free tickets to tonight's game. Hopefully the NY-area soccer crowd will respond. Weather will be picture perfect. Injury absences will hurt Chicago much more than New York. Advantage: New York

Prediction: Previously in situations like this (national audience, should-win game), the MetroStars would choke. Arena won't let that happen tonight. New York wins, 2-0.

Red Bulls: At the Quarter-Pole

After seven games, the New York Red Bulls have built the foundation for a hugely successful 2007 season. The club has won points in six of its seven matches, averaging two points in the standings each time it takes the field. New signings Juan Pablo Angel, Claudio Reyna, Ronald Wattereus, Clint Mathis, Dave van den Burgh, Hunter Freeman and Dane Richards have jelled well with holdovers Jozy Altidore, Carlos Mendes, Jeff Parke, Todd Dunivant, Dema Kovalenko, Jon Conway, and Seth Stammler to form a club that is air-tight in the back (only four goals allowed) and scores goals in bunches (a 3-0 win vs. Dallas, the 3-3 draw at RSL, a 4-0 win last Saturday vs. Columbus).

To date this season, the team has performed dreadfully on only two occasions; the last ten minutes of the draw at RSL (when two precision-guided scores by Salt Lake deprived NY of two points), and the Reyna-less 0-1 home loss to Colorado.

There's no denying that New York in vulnerable without Reyna in the lineup, but a re-energized Clint Mathis has helped pick up the slack, and the veteran leadership of Kovalenko, JPA, and the Walrus has ensured that the club doesn't stay unfocused for long. Kudos must go out to Bruce Arena, not only for creating a winning atmosphere around the team, but also for working in reserve-team players late in games to provide them with a little seasoning. Already this season, Sinisa Ubiparipovic, Joe Vide, Ellie Ikangu, Sal Caccavale, and Jerrod Laventure have seen first-team minutes, with Sinisa and Sal combining on a goal the last time out.

New York will be challenged by five road matches (and six matches against the East) in its next eight, though the Red Bulls are currently unbeaten (1-0-2) on the road. After tomorrow's home match vs. Chicago (7pm et, ESPN2) New York hits the road for three straight, at Kansas City, Toronto, and DC United. After a home match against the Wizards, New York is away for three once again, at Columbus, Houston, and Colorado.

Though rosters have yet to be announced, the Red Bulls shouldn't be missing too many players for the summer's Gold Cup, Copa America, and U-20 World Cup tournaments. Altidore surely will be on the U-20 squad, and JPA may be called in by Colombia for Copa America, so New York's stingy defense may be even become crucial to the team's success. Without the US Open Cup crowding the schedule, the Red Bulls will be able to focus its energy on winning the club's first Supporters' Shield.

Much has been written about the club's inability to attract fans this year. RB GM Marc de Grandpre recently noted on BigAppleSoccer that the club's focus has been on-field improvement this season rather than marketing. Red Bull should be commended for a fantastic job of making the club better. Hopefully NY-area fans will take notice, and show up to support the team. Starting tomorrow at 7pm, fans can start showing support for what may be the best New York team in league history.

Red Bulls Preview: Game 7 vs. Village People

After a listless "brain-dead" 0-1 home loss to Colorado, the New York Red Bulls must pick up their game tomorrow night vs. Columbus (7:30pm, MSG, DK) in the middle game of a three-game home stand. New York suffered mightily from the absence of field general Claudio Reyna in Sunday's loss vs. the Rapids, and Captain America is listed as questionable with a groin pull versus Columbus.

The New York injury list also includes D Hunter Freeman (out), M Demo Kovalenko and Markus Schopp, and G Ronald Wattereus (questionable), putting pressure on the healthy Red Bulls to deliver a better performance in front of what hopefully will be a larger home crowd than Sunday's sorry sub-8,000 turnout.

Now I wasn't at Sunday's Mother's Day match, and the other husbands and fathers out there can attest to the need to play your "go see a match on a Hallmark holiday" cards handily (though Mrs. Fish has amazingly stepped up to allow me to head to US-Korea in Montreal on 6/30, so I'm doing just fine, thank you). As noted in this space previously, the Red Bull Front Office has decided to focus its marketing on "grassroots," a code word for "on the cheap," so the poor NY attendance should not be a surprise. This team simply is invisible in the media, and with the Mets-Yankees series taking the NY sports world's attention this weekend, don't look for anyone to notice the Red Bulls tomorrow.

MLS is playing up the rivalry betweeen NY's (ex-River Plate) Juan Pablo Angel and Columbus' (ex-Boca Juniors) Guillermo Barros Schelotto, which may get a bit of play in the area's Hispanic press. Will that angle translate into butts in seats? The weather report is for 49 degrees and a 50 percent chance of rain. I'm not optimistic.

Recent Form:
New York: WWWDL
Columbus: DDWLD

Here's a line-by-line look at what to expect:

The Columbus forwards vs. the Red Bulls' defense:
Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Alejandro Moreno, and Eddie Gaven vs. Seth Stammler, Jeff Parke, Carlos Mendes, Todd Dunivant (and Jon Conway). What an upgrade for Columbus! The signing of Schelotto and the trade for Moreno in the last few weeks will provide a major boost for the Crew's attack, which has managed just four goals in six games (tied for last in MLS). While Tim Regan has been a Metro fan favorite, his inability to mark Nico Hernandez last week led to the game's only goal. The Red Bulls will miss Freeman, but still are tied for the league lead in goals-against. Slight Advantage: New York

New York's attackers vs. the Crew's defense:
Juan Pablo Angel vs. Frankie Hejduk, Marcos Gonzalez, Ezra Hendrickson and Rusty Pierce (and Andy Gruenebaum). The strength of the 1-1-4 Crew is its defense, which like New York has only allowed four goals this season. The Hebrew Hammer in goal is an early season surprise, Heydude continues to be an ageless wonder, and Hendrickson has scored a goal for the Crew. As long as Bruce sticks to his 4-5-1, we won't see JPA and Jozy Altidore on the field at the same time, which could test any defense. Without strong service last week, JPA foundered. Slight Advantage: Columbus

The Midfields:
Ned Grabavoy, Danny O'Rourke, and Stefani Miglioranzi vs. Dema Kovalenko, Claudio Reyna, Clint Mathis, Dave van den Bergh and Dane Richards. The Crew's midfield is a work in progress, though Grabavoy has accounted for half of Columbus' goal output this season. Not sure if Sigi Schmid wants to play a 3-man midfield against New York's experienced group. The Red Bull game notes has Reyna as a probable starter. How long he plays tomorrow night may be the determining factor. Advantage: New York

The Coaches:
Sigi Schmid is as-tenured a coach can be in MLS. He's made some significant upgrades this season, and has only lost once in six outings this year. Arena ripped his team last week after an unacceptable performance. He's playing at home, and needs to motivate his team to show up. Advantage: Push

Intangibles:
Colombians and Argentinians fans may create an atmosphere in the cavernous Swamp... but the poor weather report may convince fans to watch at home on the tube. New York is vulnerable with all the injuries. Advantage: Push

Prediction: What do you say about a team that can't score, but doesn't concede and goals, either? If Reyna goes 90, New York wins. I don't think he will. Yet another scoreless draw.

Media Relations Campaign: Week 2
Won't you take a minute out of your day and drop a quick email to 1010 WINS Newsradio? Let him know that news and scores of Red Bull matches should be part of every sports report on days when the team plays. Every email counts!

MLS' Big 'To
I experienced a tinge of admiration and one of regret when watching Toronto FC's historic first win last Saturday. To see a crowd holding its breath on every pass and every shot, and erupting on each of its team's goals was just amazing. Congrats to everyone in the TFC organization for allowing the passion of soccer to flow freely around the club. I so badly want the same atmosphere around the Red Bulls. I just fear that the insistence of MLS management to market to primarily to the youth soccer crowd will prevent such an atmosphere from happening in New York. I hope the league office is asking themselves how to bring the TFC experience to every MLS stadium.

TV Party
Here's what to watch this weekend. Enjoy! (all times ET):

Saturday, May 19:
9:25am: GER: Stuttgart-Energie Cottbus, GOL
11:30am: GER: Schalke-Arminia Bielefeld, GOL
2:00pm: ESP: Mallorca-Valencia, GOL
3:30pm: MLS: Toronto-DC United, DK, CSN Mid-Atlantic
4:00pm: ITA: AC Milan-Udinese, GOL
7:30pm: COL: Ind. Santa Fe-Atletico Nacional, GOL
7:30pm: MLS: New York-Columbus, DK, MSG
8:30pm: MLS: Houston-New England, FSC
9:00pm: MLS: Colorado-Kansas City, HDNet

Sunday, May 20:
9:00am: ITA: Cagliari-Roma, FSC
9:00am: ITA: Atalanta-Inter Milan, GOL
11:00am: ESP: Dep. La Coruna-Sevilla, GOL
11:00am: ITA: Lazio-Parma, FSC
1:00pm: ESP:Recreativo-Real Madrid, GOL
3:00pm: ARG: River Plate-Estudiantes, FSC
3:00pm: ESP: Atletico Madrid-Barcelona, GOL
5:00pm: MLS: Chivas USA-LA Galaxy, TF
5:00pm: ELS: Luis Angel-Aguila, GOL
7:00pm: COL: Ind. Medellin-Millonarios, GOL
7:00pm: MEX: Chivas-Club America, UNI
9:00pm: GUA: Municipal-Xelaji, GOL

Red Bulls Preview: Game 6 vs. Rocky Mountain Oysters

After a sterling first month of the season, New York (3-0-2) must play through the club's first bout of adversity as the Red Bulls play its fifth straight Western Conference opponent, the Colorado Rapids (2-2-2), on Mom's Day in the Meadowlands. (3pm ET, TF/MSG)

After not conceding a single goal in its first four league matches, New York allowed three twice last week; first in a 3-3 injury-time collapse at RSL, and then in a 3-1 OT loss at Los Angeles in a US Open Cup quallie. In addition to the sudden downturn in defense, the club must make due on Sunday without D Hunter Freeman and coo-coo-ca-choo GK Ronald Wattereus, who are both nursing left ankle sprains.

The arrival of Juan Pablo Angel to the active list does provide some positive news. He had NY's only goal in LA on Tuesday on a great free kick, and will look for more on Sunday.

Here's a line-by-line look at what to expect:

The Colorado forwards vs. the Red Bulls' defense:
Roberto Brown and Nicolas Hernandez vs. Seth Stammler, Jeff Parke, Carlos Mendes, Todd Dunivant (and Jon Conway). The off-season acquisition of Brown has paid dividens for the Rapids as the canalero has found the net three times in six league matches. The same success has eluded Nico, who's yet to register a shot on goal this year. The Red Bulls will need Stammler to adjust to d-wing from d-mid, though the former Maryland Terp has played his share of pure D in his time in NY. Advantage: Push

New York's attackers vs. the Rapids' defense:
Jozy Altidore vs. Dan Gargan, Pablo Mastroeni, Mike Petke, Greg Vanney. You won't find a more experienced d-line in MLS than Colorado's, but the Rapids are only ranked ninth in the league in goals-against (1.5/game). Jozy didn't register a point at RSL last week, breaking a three-week scoring streak, but with the right service, and perhaps help from Juan Pablo Angel, who isn't on the "probable starters" list, the Red Bulls may fest. Advantage: New York

The Midfields:
Terry Cooke, Kyle Beckerman, Jovan Kirovski, and Herculez Gomez vs. Dema Kovalenko, Claudio Reyna, Clint Mathis, Dave van den Bergh and Dane Richards. Colorado's midfield boasts lots of scoring talent, especially Gomez (2g) and Beckerman (1g, 1a). Still, the Rapids could only manage an own-goal last night at home against a poor RSL squad. New York's midfield helped generate 21 shots on goal in matches at RSL and LA last week. Slight Advantage: New York

The Coaches:
I cheered on Fernando Clavijo as a player in the '94 World Cup. Success on the coaching level has eluded him, though. Arena has a real test ahead of him, helping his squad navigate their first run of bad results and bad luck. He's really good at this sort of thing. Advantage: New York

Intangibles:
Colorado is pulling the last of a Thursday-Sunday weekend, so they'll certainly be gassed in the lategoing. The weather will be glorious, and hopefully a large Colombian contingent will be in attendance to support JPA. Advantage: New York

Prediction: While Colorado is leading the weak West at present, home cooking will be good to the Red Bulls. The Angel era starts with a convincing victory. New York wins, 2-0.

Media Relations Campaign
If you're in the New York area, you are probably aware of the poor track record that the area news and sports media has when reporting Red Bulls news. In an email exchange with the Red Bull front office last week, I noted that key outlets:

-WFAN and ESPN Sports Radio
-WCBS and WINS News Radio
-SNY and YES Sports Cable Nets

Completely ignored the team, failing to mention scores on game days, or any news on the club in general. While getting noticed is surely a challenge for any small club, the news of the club's great start and acquisitions should be noted in the logical places. Fan support is crucial, and the recent addition of a Saturday soccer-themed segment on WOR 710 am is proof that the fans can sway programmers.

I'm starting a write-in campaign to the outlets noted above. Our first target is WCBS 880 am News Radio. Please take a minute to write Jared Max, Sports Director at jmax880@aol.com. Let him know that news of Red Bulls matches should be part of every sports report on days when the team plays, and that scores should be mentioned as well. Drop me a comment if you decide to take part. Please do!

TV Party
Here's what to watch this weekend. Enjoy! (all times ET):

Saturday, May 12:
9:25am: GER: Borussia Dortmund-Schalke, GOL
11:30am: GER: Bochum-Stuttgart, GOL
2:00pm: ESP: Real Madrid-Espanyol, GOL
3:30pm: MLS: Toronto-Chicago, FSC
4:00pm: ESP: Sevilla-Recreativo, GOL
6:00pm: GUA: Marquense-Suchitepequez, GOL
7:00pm: WNT: United States-Canada, FSC
7:30pm: MLS: Columbus-Chivas USA, DK/FSNPT/WCSN
8:00pm: MLS: Kansas City-Dallas, DK/FSNSW/Metro Sports
8:00pm: COL: Millonarios-Huila, GOL
9:00pm: MEX: Chivas-Tigres, TF
10:30pm: MLS: Los Angeles-New England, HDNet/FSN West/WSBK

Sunday, May 13 (Happy Mother's Day!):
9:00am: ITA: Inter Milan-Lazio, GOL
10:00am: EPL: Man. United-West Ham, FSC
11:00am: ESP: Getafe-Atletico Madrid, GOL
12:30pm: EPL: Blackburn-Reading, FSC
2:30pm: EPL: Chelsea-Everton, FSC
3:00pm: ESP: Valencia-Real Zaragoza, GOL
3:00pm: MLS: New York-Colorado, TF/MSG/Altitude
4:30pm: ITA: Catania-AC Milan, FSC
5:00pm: URU: Danubio-Penarol, GOL
6:00pm: MEX: America-Atlas, UNI
7:00pm: HON: Marathon-Real Espana, GOL

Red Bulls Preview: Game 5 @ Kreis' Kowboys

The Red Bulls will have had 9 days to rest up after their win at Dallas before hitting the spray-painted turf at Rice-Eccles on Saturday night to take on Real Salt Lake (0-2-2). Between a team management shuffle, a stadium funding fiasco, and underperformance on the field, you'd think I was talking about the 90's-era MetroStars, rather than the Utahns. RSL, however, is "starting fresh" this week, with a newbie coach whose spotless record can provide only optimism along the Wasatch Front. Only because it can't get any worse.

New York (3-0-1) spent another week at the top of everyone's "Power Rankings" list, and as we all know, there's only one way to travel from there. NY has had trouble with RSL over the Utah club's existence, with draws in three straight matches before an emphatic six-nil win at the Swamp last August 26th.

Here's a line-by-line look at what to expect on Saturday (9pm ET, HDNet):

The RSL forwards vs. the Red Bulls' defense:
Jeff Cunningham vs. Hunter Freeman, Jeff Parke, Carlos Mendes, Todd Dunivant (and Ronald Waterreus). Every minute that New York's Dutch Master keeps RSL off the board extends the Red Bulls' MLS clean-sheet record, and considering that Salt Lake hasn't scored a league goal since the 51st minute on April 7th, I'd look for that trend to continue. Advantage: New York

New York's attackers vs. the Salt Lake defense:
Jozy Altidore vs. Jack Stewart, Eddie Pope, Daniel Torres, Willis Forko (and Chris Seitz). Jozy has a three-match point streak going, and RSL's defense is giving up two goals per game. This could get ugly. Seitz, taking over from an awful Nick Rimando is net, has tons of upside potential. Advantage: New York

The Midfields:
Chris Klein, Mehdi Ballouchy, Kenny Cutler, Carey Talley, and Freddy Adu vs. Dema Kovalenko, Claudio Reyna, Clint Mathis, Dave van den Bergh and Dane Richards. Here's where things get interesting. RSL's midfield is clearly its strongest line, though they'll lack the on-field leadership that Jason Kreis provided. The speedy Richards and towering VDB should be able to control the wings, and Captain America should be able to manage Sir Freddy with aplomb. Slight Advantage: New York

The Coaches:
Bruce Arena has been nothing but modest about New York's start, which has been nothing short of sensational. Kreis will get a pass from the hometown crowd in his first-ever head coaching opportunity. Advantage: New York

Intangibles:
The RSL crowd is knowledgeable and supportive, and see a new start with Kreis at the helm. The weather report calls for a High of 56 and 30% chance of showers. Advantage: RSL

Prediction: Beginner's luck may help Kreis, but New York has the talent and team cohesion to take the game to RSL from the opening whistle. The only drama will be whether the Red Bulls can serve up another shutout. I say they can. New York wins, 2-0.

Television Man
Here's what on your tube this weekend. Enjoy! (all times ET):

Saturday, May 5 (Happy Cinco de Mayo!):
9:25am: GER: Schalke-Nuremberg, GOL
10:00am: EPL: West Ham-Bolton, FSC
11:30am: GER: Stuttgart-Mainz, GOL
12 noon: EPL: Aston Villa-Sheffield United, FSC
1:00pm: MLS: Kansas City-Columbus, ONN, Metro Sports, DK
2:00pm: ESP: Real Sociedad-Barcelona, GOL
2:15pm: EPL: Everton-Portsmouth, FSC
4:00pm: ESP: Deportivo La Coruna-Valencia, GOL
7:25pm: MEX: San Luis-Santos, GALA
7:30pm: COL: Bucaramanga-Atl. Nacional, GOL
9:00pm: MLS: Salt Lake-New York, HDNet
9:30pm: MLS: Colorado-Houston, FSC
9:30pm: HON: Marathon-Olimpia, GOL
9:30pm: MEX: Atlas-Monarcas, GALA

Sunday, May 6:
9:00am: ITA: Lazio-Livorno, FSC
9:00am: ITA: AC Milan-Fiorentina, GOL
11:00am: EPL: Arsenal-Chelsea, FSC
11:00am: GER: Hertha Berlin-Werder Bremen, GOL
1:00pm: ESP: Espanyol-Atl. Madrid, GOL
1:00pm: ITA: Cagliari-Chievo, FSC
3:00pm: MLS: DC United-Chivas USA, TF
3:00pm: ESP: Real Madrid-Sevilla, GOL
5:00pm: ARG: River Plate-Independiente, FSC
5:00pm: MLS: New England-Chicago, TV38, DK, CSN Chicago @ 8pm SDD
5:00pm: URU: Penarol-Tacuarembo, GOL
7:00pm: COL: Ind. Sante Fe-Millonarios, GOL

Thought Starters

There's so much good soccer news and commentary on the web these days that it's difficult to separate the truly thought provoking from the run-of-the-mill stuff. Here are a few prized pieces of editorial that will leave you have some deep thoughts:

The terrific Kevin McGeehan (formerly of the superb Round Not Oval) at the US Players site has been spoiled by the "authentic" soccer atmosphere of RFK as he describes his experience at a recent match at Crew Stadium. Methinks that most MLS matches smell closer to CMB than DC, a result of MLS' decision to target the low-hanging youth soccer crowd first and foremost.

Yanks Abroad's Kenya Brown surmises that the way that American soccer can improve from here is with a permanent training center on the European continent. After all, the US currently dominates CONCACAF. and only by playing the top Euro nations on a regular basis, will the US reach the next level. The big question is, will they play us?

Sports Illustrated adds to its soccer-writing stable with a weekly column by Ryan Hunt. Definitely worth a bookmark. While not newsy, Hunt's piece does a good job summarizing the weeks that were in MLS.

Viva original content! MLS has started its own web video show "Extra Time" found on the site's Video/Audio page. Shep and JP chime in this week. Don't expect too much criticism of the league, but "ET" should make fans eventually forget MLS Wrap. It's no MSG Soccer Report, though. We miss you, Ethan Zohn!

Lastly, (somewhat) breaking news... Jason Kries retires to take the reins as RSL coach! Wow! Not that the Wasatch club can do any worse... but goodness! Not even a testimonial for the league's all-time leading scorer? Maybe this summer.

Red Bulls-Fake Salt Lake preview to come tomorrow, along with your weekend TV listings.

Looking Down from the Pinnacle of MLS

New York fans couldn't have asked for a better April 2007. Not only are the Red Bulls sitting on top of the MLS table... not only has New York yet to suffer a single goal against, setting a league record... not only will the team improve when DP Juan Pablo Angel get his visa... not only has 17-year old Jozy Altidore out Adu'd Freddy Adu by actually realizing his promise... but the hated scum of RFK have laid a big goose egg this month, going zero for three against the vaunted competition of Colorado, Kansas (We beat TFC twice) City, and Columbus. The future for the Red Bulls is so bright, one must put on those shades. Even the reserve squad has started the season undefeated.

Is it early to be this excited? Surely, but give those long-suffering Metro/RB fans a break. They've had so little to crow about for so so long, that if the wheels start to come off, a few weeks of pride will have been well worth it.

The Taurine Machine heads West this week with a league match at the cellar-dwelling sons of Utaw, and a US Open Cup quallie at the Tool Box vs. the Gals (previews to come later this week).

Gnats Go Boom
Let's hear it for the US U-17s, who started World Cup Qualifying with a bang in Kingston yesterday with a 3-0 spanking both Trinidad AND Tobago. Portland, Oregon's Alex Nimo banged in two goals in the victory. Our boys take on Canada tomorrow in the quest to reach this year's signature event, to be held in South Korea from August 18-September 9th.

Red Bulls Preview: Game 4 vs. Steers

Due to a scheduling quirk, New York (2-0-1) will complete it's season series with FC Dallas tomorrow night at the Deep Dish, to be seen on the Deuce at 8pm ET. To say that there's a groundswell of optimism around the undefeated #1 team in MLS is a big understatement. The area's media, however, has yet to get on the Red Bull bandwagon. When leaving Saturday's victory over Houston at the Swamp, neither of the two NY-based news nor sports stations mentioned the score during sports updates. Sunday's New York Times ran the AP game recap in its sports section, even though the match was played at home. Methinks that a national prime-time television appearance would get the underpaid wonks in Red Bull Media Relations to push hard on the local media to pay attention.

Now to the game at hand. For the second straight week, New York faces the Western leader, this time the Steers of Frisco (2-1-1). I'm sure that El Pescadito and the boys will be pumped for revenge after their 0-3 loss in NY's bathtub eleven days ago. The Red Bulls will be without Cleetus, who's sitting out his suspension after his undeserved red card on Saturday night. Here's how it plays out, line-by-line.

The Dallas forwards vs. the Red Bulls' defense:
Carlos Ruiz and Kenny Cooper vs. Hunter Freeman, Jeff Parke, Carlos Mendes, Todd Dunivant (and Ronald Waterreus). By holding Dallas off the board for 74 minutes tomorrow, New York will break Dallas' scoreless-streak-to-start-a-season record, held by the '99 edition of the Burn. Dallas finally got goals from folks other than the front line in Sunday's win over Colorado. Playing at home, though, one has to think that the Hoops' talented forward pair will break through. Slight Advantage: Dallas

New York's attackers vs. the Hoops' defense:
Jozy Altidore vs. Alex Yi, Clarence Goodson, Drew Moor, and Chris Gbani (and Shaka Hislop). Dallas' defense has given up 1.75 goals/match to start the season, not really good enough to excel over the course of a full campaign. Look for Jozy the wonder boy to play alone up top, helped by wings van den Burgh and Richards. Should Jersey's finest hit the net on the national stage, the hype machine may come off its moorings. Slight Advantage: New York

The Midfields:
Ramon Nunez, Dax McCarty, Aaron Pitchkolan, and Juan Toja vs. Dema Kovalenko, Claudio Reyna, Seth Stammler, Dave van den Bergh and Dane Richards. The five-man NY midfield will include Reyna, who sat out the teams' match in East Rutherford on the 15th. In that match, New York controlled the pace to set up numerous scoring chances. Dallas' youth won't serve them here, though Nunez and McCarty are the best of the Hoops' bunch. Advantage: New York

The Coaches:
Steve Morrow should have little to complain about. His club's only loss was in the last of a three-match, eight-day road trip, and was played in a monsoon. Bruce Arena has his team believing in themselves, and New York is sure to be boosted from its introduction to Juan Pablo Angel at practice on Tuesday. Advantage: New York

Intangibles:
Another MLS Primetime Thursday, another view of empty seats at a soccer-specific stadium. At least the weather (Clear, 51 degrees) will be perfect this time around. Advantage: Push

Prediction: All I know is, a New York win puts the Red Bulls 10 (10!) points up on DC after four matches. Enough to put a spring in a NY fan's step. You know why, now don't you, D? New York wins, 2-1.