OK! Let's Play A Game Already!

With the massive musical chairs game that’s been played for the last two months around the Red Bulls, it’s a treat that Mo will be running the on-field show, at least for this week. As I said to my ticket rep this week, “the only constant is change.”

We’ve yet to hear from Marc De Grandpre, the team’s new managing director, but the word that there’ll be a separate “director of soccer operations” is promising. I wish I could say the same against the Bulls’ prospects of coming out of Saturday’s match with DC with three points. Here’s the line-by-line matchup as I see it from my gleaming midtown office tower this morning:

The DC forwards vs. the Red Bull’s defense:
Jaime Moreno and Lucio Filomeno vs. Marvell Wynne, Jeff Parke, Taylor Graham, and Carlos Mendes (and Tony Meola). Twenty goals. That’s how many goals Moreno has scored on New York in thirty matches he’s played against his former (hah) team. He didn’t get on the scoreboard in the teams’ 2-2 draw at RFK on opening day, which means he’s due. Meola had some terrific saves on RSL’s carpet last week. With a wet rug on the ground at the Swamp this week, he’ll have step up again, as he’s done all season long. The Red Bulls have given up only a goal a game in three matches. Slight Advantage: DC

The Red Bulls’ strikers vs. the DC back line:
Youri Djorkaeff and Edson Buddle vs. Facundo Erpen, Bobby Boswell, and Brandon Prideaux (and Troy Perkins). The United defense (thanks to some favorable calls) hasn’t been scored upon since Perkins’ howler gave Edison Buddle a gift goal on April 2nd, a 252-minute streak. Boswell, who had a terrific rookie season in 2005, had a strong outing last week holding down a potent Houston attack. Djorkaeff and Buddle haven’t hit the net since the season opener in DC, but perhaps a second-straight match on turf will help them regain their scoring touch. No? Ah well, it was worth a try. Advantage: DC

The Midfielders:
Danny O’Rourke, Seth Stammler, Amado Guevara, and Chris Henderson vs. Joshua Gros, Ben Olsen, Christian Gomez, Brian Carroll, and Freddy Adu. There’s really no contest here. Olsen has stepped up his game big time this season, and Gros, who scored last week, is maturing into a real threat on the wing. Gomez is extremely dangerous, and Adu will want to do something special in Sierra Mist’s corporate home market. On the NY side of the ball, O’Rourke and Guevara have yet to truly find a rhythm, and Stammler fits the wing like a square peg in a round hole. Advantage: DC

The Coaches:
Peter Nowak has his team in great shape, with a 2-0-1 record. He’s got hometown boy Alecko Eskandarian to pull off the bench, who’s scored three against NY in eight matches. It’s got to be a strange feeling to be Mo Johnston, who reportedly was prepared to be let go today. He’s got to try to get the most of the players he’s got, but his team was unable to get three points at the league’s weakest team last time out. Advantage: DC

Intangibles:
Mother Nature is rarely kind to the NY side, and tomorrow is no exception, with showers expected all match long. The crowd, even with Freddy Adu in town, should be sparse, though there should be a good percentage of DC fandom at the stadium. For those watching on espn2, all the fans will be hiding under the overhangs. The downpour and wet carpet will surely put a premium on attractive play. Advantage: Push

Prediction:
There’s little, other than the play of Meola, that offers an ounce of confidence that the Red Bulls will come away with a point tomorrow. DC is too strong a squad, and NY too disjointed. Score: 2-0 DC

UPDATE: As of later Friday afternoon, BigAppleSoccer is reporting that Tony Meola, Youri Djorkaeff, and Jeff Parke are all questionable (hat tip: Mr. Bee) for tomorrow's match, leaving a possible lineup as: Conway,Wynne-Jolley-Graham-Mendes, Stammler-O'Rourke-Guevara-Henderson-Magee (upgraded to probable)-Buddle. Heaven help us.

For Your Viewing Pleasure
Here’s what’ll be on the tube over the weekend (times EDT). Enjoy!

SATURDAY, April 22
7:30am: EPL: Arsenal-Tottenham, FSC
9:00am: ITA: Juventus-Lazio, GOL
10:00am: GER: Hamburg-Bayer Leverkusen, FSC
11:00am: ITA: Messina-AC Milan, GOL
12noon: EPL: Everton-Birmingham, FSC
1:00pm: ECU: Dep. Quito-Barcelona, GOL
3:00pm: EPL: Portsmouth-Sunderland, FSC
3:00pm: BRA: Corinthians-Sao Caetano, GOL
4:00pm: MLS: New York-DC United, ESPN2
5:00pm: ITA: Lecce-Treviso, FSC
5:00pm: ESP: Celta Vigo-Real Zaragoza, GOL
6:00pm; MEX: Atlante-Club America, TELEF
8:00pm: MEX: Monterrey-Cruz Azul, GALA
8:00pm: COL: Dep. Pereira-Atl. Nacional, GOL
8:30pm: MLS: Houston-Salt Lake, DK
10:00pm: MEX: Atlas-Necaxa, GALA
10:30pm: MLS: Los Angeles-Columbus, DK, HDNet

SUNDAY, April 23
11:00am: FA Cup: Middlebrough-West Ham, FSC
11:00am: ESP: Atl. Bilbao-Valencia, GOL
1:00pm: ESP: Real Madrid-Malaga, GOL
1:00pm: MEX: UNAM-Tigres, UNI
3:00pm: ARG: Velez Sarsfield-Boca Juniors, FSC
3:00pm: BRA: Santos-Atl. Paranaense, GOL
3:00pm: MEX: Toluca-Santos, GALA
5:00pm: MLS: FC Dallas-Kansas City, ESPN2
5:00pm: ELS: Firpo-Aguila, GOL
7:00pm: COL: America de Cali-Once Caldas, GOL

Nice to see: BusinessWeek gives props to MLS to the business leaders of the world here.

Numb and Number

Jack Bell’s column in today’s NY Times notes that the New York Red Bulls’ Austrian overlords are “re-evaluating” the Harrison, NJ stadium project that former Metro GM Nick Sakewicz has been working on since 2000. Bell’s piece notes that Red Bull is convinced that Giants Stadium is “recognized around the world as the soccer destination” in the metro area.

As a fan that has followed the soap opera that is Harrison since the turn of the century with great interest, and as a fan that has watched from afar as Columbus, Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago, Colorado and even Toronto has started, and in some cases moved into their soccer-specific stadiums, I’m dumbstruck by this latest news.

People become “fans” because of an emotional connection they feel with their teams. If the promise of escaping the high parking fees, surly security guards and low-forehead concessionaires at Giants Stadium is removed, I’ll feel as if my emotional capital will have been spent on... nothing. As our commander-if chief so eloquently put it... “Fool me twice… um… you can’t fool me again.” As the Mo Johnston death watch has begun, this club needs some good news around it. Now.

Uncomfortably Numb

I was away for the weekend, and grimaced when I saw the NY-RSL scoreline pop up on ESPNews on Saturday night. I erased the game from my TiVo without watching it upon my return home. Then I grimaced some more when I read the news yesterday morning that Alexi Lalas was indeed heading to LA to helm the Galaxy. Lalas left NY after telling fans and the media repeatedly that he wasn’t leaving. Did he lie? Well, he was looking out for his own “business interests,” but the whole thing leaves me feeling like I’ve been taken for a ride. It’s been a long ten years already with the Metros/Red Bulls, but it seems like the last two months have tested club fandom to the limit. Lalas did a lot of things right while he was in NY. He was a presence in the local & national sports media and drew attention to the club. He listened to adult fans’ concerns & responded in kind. He got rid of those awful horns.

Now he’s gone, and while the RB nation waits for who’s next, an unsettled air hangs over the club. Who’ll be running the team? Will Mo coach past Saturday’s game vs. DC? Will there be a mass dumping of players? There probably should be, because off-season adds Canero, O’Rourke, and Henderson apparently sucked it up big time at Salt Lake.

After generating some serious buzz for the home opener on April 8th, there’s no marketing whatsoever ahead of this week’s DC match (forecast is for rain, of course). Will attendance break 20K? 15K? 10K?

The more important question is, why should anyone continue to care? Underachieving malaise on the field vs. constant turmoil off the field has left this 11-yr Metro/Red Bull fan uncomfortably numb.

Must-Have Points

After two straight draws against MLS Cup contenders, the Red Bulls have no excuses heading into tomorrow’s visit to the Wasatch mountains against Real Salt Lake (9pm, DK, MSG). Last season, the MetroStars underachieved big-time against the two MLS expansion clubs, drawing RSL twice and going 1-0-1 vs. Chivas USA. While the HDC co-tenants had a big upgrade in the off-season, RSL continues to be a work in progress. The stormin’ mormons dropped malcontent Clint Mathis and picked up part-time national-teamer Chris Klein, but the team hasn’t won since a 2-1 home victory vs. Chivas on August 6th (0-13-1 since). Tomorrow night’s the home opener at Rice-Eccles, though, and the artificial turf there may play havoc (Hat tip: Ty Keough) on Youri’s knees. Here’s a side-by-side breakdown, based on last week’s starting lineups…

The RSL frontline vs. the Red Bulls’ defense:
Jeff Cunningham and Andy Willams vs. Marvell Wynne, Carlos Mendes, Jeff Parke, and Taylor Graham (and Tony Meola). Cunningham and Williams are proven but aging strikers, and the fast turf will benefit Cunningham’s game. The NY defense had a terrific outing last week against a tougher side (New England). If the Red Bulls can avoid slipping and sliding on the Rice-Eccles carpet, another shutout is a strong possibility. Meola was let down by the US backline in Cary, NC on Tuesday. The same won’t happen tomorrow. Advantage: New York

The Red Bulls’ strikers vs. the RSL backline:
Youri Djorkaeff and Edson Buddle vs. Chris Brown, Eddie Pope, Carey Talley, and Daniel Torres (and Scott Garlick). The RSL vets have let in five goals in two games vs. Chivas and Dallas, and Pope’s 90 minutes for the US Tuesday vs. Jamaica may have taken a little out his tank. The speedy Buddle could feast on RSL’s older legs, especially if he’s given the opportunity to run into the box rather than getting the ball up top. Garlick’s porn-star ‘stache won’t save him. Slight Advantage: New York

The Midfielders:
Amado Guevara, Danny O’Rourke, Chris Henderson, and Seth Stammler (NY) vs. Chris Klein, Kenny Cutler, Douglas Sequeira, Mehdi Ballouchy (RSL). It’s clear that El Lobo hasn’t shown well in NY’s first two matches, but Cutler and Ballouchy are still green with only twenty-five MLS appearances between them. Klein is a natural goal-scorer who gets points for his free-kick goal of the week vs. Dallas last time out. Henderson’s strong play out wide will help the NY cause. Slight Advantage: New York

The Coaches:
Mo Johnston should get credit for the Red Bulls’ two decent results to date. He’s got to convince his club to go for the kill this week. John Ellinger has to show improvement now if he wants to keep his job. Advantage: New York

The Intangibles:
RSL should get a boost from a big, loud crowd in its home opener on a clear and chilly night. New York has traditionally underachieved against poorer competition, but the pressure is all on Ellinger and RSL. Advantage: New York

Prediction:
The Red Bulls don't stampede, but have a strong outing and get the result against a team they should beat. The undefeated season continues. Score: 2-0 New York

Give Him a Break
Ok, Alexi says he’s not leaving. If the Red Bulls don’t deliver, he’ll be shown the door, just like any GM in any league. Can we stop talking about this now? Thanks.

The Tube of Boob
Happy Passover, Easter, or happy weekend to all. Here’s a sampling of the matches on TV this weekend (All times EDT):

SATURDAY, April 15
7:30am: EPL: Bolton-Chelsea, FSC
10:00am: GER: Hertha Berlin-Borussia Dortmund, FSC
11:00am: ITA: Palermo-Roma, GOL
12 noon: EPL: Newcastle-Wigan, FSC
1:00pm: ECU-Dep. Quito-Aucas, GOL
3:00pm: EPL: Everton-Tottenham, FSC
4:00pm: MLS: Columbus-Chicago, ESPN2
4:00pm: ESP: Dep. Coruna-Sevilla, GOL
5:00pm: ITA: Cagliari-Juventus, FSC
6:00pm: MEX: Atlante-Unam, GALA
6:00pm: MEX: Tigres-Chiapas, TELEF
6:00pm: BRA: Vasco Da Gama-Internacional-RS, GOL
7:30pm: MLS: DC United-Houston, HDNet
8:00pm: COL: Once Caldas-Ind. Medellin, GOL
8:30pm: MLS: Kansas City-New England, DK
9:00pm: MLS: Colorado-FC Dallas, DK
9:00pm: MLS: Real Salt Lake-New York, DK, MSG
10:00pm: MEX: Necaxa-Morelia, GALA
11:00pm: MLS: Chivas USA-Los Angeles, ESPN2

SUNDAY, April 16
11:00am: ESP: Valencia-Espanyol, GOL
1:00pm: EPL: Blackburn-Liverpool, FSC
1:00pm: ECU: Olmedo-Dep. Cuenca, GOL
1:00pm; MEX: San Luis-Pachuca, UNI
3:00pm: FRA: Paris SG-Lyon, FSC
3:00pm; ESP: Atl. Madrid, Atl. Bilbao, GOL
5:00pm: BRA: Gremio-Corinthians, GOL
6:00pm: MEX: Chivas-Atlas, GALA
7:00pm: COL: Atl. Junior-America Cali, GOL
11:00pm: ARG: San Lorenzo-River Plate, FSC

The Curtain Went Up

The stadium looked great. The sky was finally clear. The crowd was excited. The luminaries of the Cosmos and MetroStars were on the field. The eagle, and the skydivers, landed. And then… the match started. A defensive, bone-crushing, knock down match in which yellow cards were plenty and opportunities went unfulfilled. The Red Bulls' scoreless draw with New England was yet another unsatisfying on-field performance by the home side in front of a large crowd. On Saturday night, the sizzle was more appealing than the steak. Once the match started, the thirty-five thousand fans had little to cheer about, other than Shakira’s midriff. Which is lovely, by the way.

Still, there were bright spots. Jeff Parke did a great job in the center of the defense handling the Revs’ three National-team forwards. Chris Henderson got up and down the field like a man half his age, and created a couple of chances with dangerous, diagonal runs into the box. Tony Meola made a few key saves, and wound up with his first clean sheet of the season ahead of his 100th USMNT appearance tonight vs. Jamaica (7pm et, espn2).

The question is: without the opening day circus, will NY fans return to the swamp all season long? DC and Mr. Adu will be in town next Saturday, but will fans pay to see the Bulls take on Columbus? RSL? Colorado? The club did little on the field Saturday to endear itself to its fan base.

What NY Watched

The Newark Star-Ledger print edition has a nifty little feature on Tuesdays called “What We Watched,” a breakdown of the New York metro area sports TV ratings for the previous weekend. Here’s where MLS fit in on Saturday 4/8 (One ratings point = 74,000 households).

-Yanks-Angels on YES: 4.1
-Masters Golf on CBS: 3.9
-Rangers-Bruins on NBC: 1.3
-Nets-Cavs on YES: 1.3
-CHIVAS USA-DC UNITED on ESPN2: 0.4 (or 29,600 HHs)
-Devils-Canadiens on MSG: 0.2
-RED BULLS-REVOLUTION on MSG (TD at 10pm): 0.2 (or 14,800 HHs)
-Islanders-Capitals on FSNY: 0.1
(The Mets were rained out)

Thoughts:
-As many folks tuned in the match on tape delay as did the Devils game live.
-The Red Bulls pulled in twice the Islanders’ rating
-Chivas-DCU pulled in twice the Red Bulls’ rating
-There are lots of viewing choices for the NY-area sports fan (and I didn’t include ratings for NASCAR, the WTA, Horse Racing, the Men’s NCAA Hockey final or NCAA Softball)
-I wonder what percentage of the Red Bulls’ rating were folks who rushed home from the game to watch the replay

Go West Red-Haired Man?

The rumors surrounding NYRB Pres./GM Alexi Lalas’ departure to take the same spot at the LA Galaxy are growing louder, as Michael Lewis picks up the trail. If Giorgio Chinaglia is about to take over the reins, get ready for lots of sound and fury, signifying nothing from the front office. Bleh.

Making Their Case

Though the final result isn’t important, tonight is huge for those taking the field for the Nats this evening in Cary, NC vs. Jamaica. Those on tonight’s roster fall into three groups:

Those securely on Il Bruce’s 23: Donovan, Mastroeni, Pope, Twellman, Wolff
Those with a serious chance of getting a spot: Dempsey, Hejduk, Johnson, Noonan, O’Brien, Ralston
Roster-fillers who (barring an injury to the first team) will be watching from home in June: Albright, Ching, Garcia, Meola, Olsen, Reis, Zavagnin

Big ups to NY local legend Tony the Tiger for hitting the century mark. Shame this testimonial opportunity couldn’t be played at The Swamp in front of the home-town fans, but SAS Soccer Park should be loud and proud tonight.

Finally Here

A month after the Red Bulls were born, the team finally gets a chance to strut their stuff in front of the hometown fans. Pres/GM Alexi Lalas has promised to “blow our minds,” and tomorrow’s home opener at Giants Stadium should do just that. With music, motocross, appearances by Pele and other former Cosmo and Metro greats, parachuters, bald eagles, a dry weather forecast (thank goodness) and at least 30,000 fans, it should be a great night. After the circus, though, there’ll still be a game to be played.

Here’s a preview of the key matchups, assuming the same formations as last weekend:

The Revs’ forwards vs. the Red Bulls defense:
It’ll be the USMNT’s Dempsey, Noonan, and Twellman vs. a young back line of Wynne, Graham, Parke, and Mendes. Last week, Wynne and Parke made crucial mistakes that let DC back in the match. Even with a superlative effort by the D and Tony Meola, it’d be hard to give New York the nod here. The only hope is that the Revs’ talented forwards are looking ahead to Tuesday’s US match vs. Jamaica & tone down the intensity a notch. Advantage: NE

The Red Bulls’ forwards vs. the Revs’ defense:
Djorkaeff and Buddle vs. Jay Heaps, Daniel Hernandez, and James Riley. Yes, NE will still be without 2005 Rookie of the Year Michael Parkhurst, and keeper Matt Reis is nursing a tender hamstring. However, the Revs kept a high-powered Galaxy off the board on Saturday in LA. Word on BAS this morning is that Youri’s a little teed off that the league has put the kibosh on his “interference” style goals moving forward. Buddle looked dangerous in DC, but he won’t get another gift like the one Perkins dropped at his feet this week. The NY attack is still a work in progress. Slight Advantage: NE

The Midfielders:
For New England, Steve Ralston, Andy Dorman, Shalrie Joseph, and Joe Franchino. For New York: Seth Stammler, Amado Guevara, Danny O’Rourke, and Chris Henderson. If there’s a weak link in on the Revs’ side, it’s young Dorman, though the Boston University product did serve up the ball that led to NE’s winning goal last week. Franchino will do his usual heel-nipping job all over the field. Joseph was a serious MVP candidate last season, and Ralston is still hoping to snag a spot on Bruce’s squad for Germany. On the Red Bulls' side is Stammler, who did such a masterful job controlling Ralston during the Metro’s 2-0 home playoff win last season. Guevara should have had an easier time this week after his challenges in Honduras before the DC match. Still, NY is facing a good group that has more experience playing as a unit: Advantage: NE

Coaching:
Steve Nicol did a masterful job last week in LA, exacting revenge for the MLS Cup loss last season. Mo is still finding his way. Advantage: NE

Intangibles:
Much was said about the lift that Red Bulls felt from their away fan contingent last week in DC. There’ll be 500 Rev fans in attendance tomorrow, and they'll be sure to lift the NE squad. Though the crowd at Giants Stadium may top 35,000, many will be folks who will be attracted by the sideshow and aren’t really fans of the Red Bulls, at least not yet. An organized, loud NE group could quiet the NY fans, especially if the Revs get an early lead. That said, a pre-game pep-talk by Pele and Franz Beckenbauer (or Shakira) may but an extra zip in the step of the Red Bulls. Advantage: Push

Final Prediction: The NY fans will want a show, but would have been better served playing Columbus, Colorado or RSL as the home opener opponent. NE has more talent, and that’ll be obvious on the field. Score: 3-1 Revolution

TV Time

Here’s what you can find on the tube this weekend (all times ET):

SATURDAY, April 8

7:30am: EPL: Tottenham-Man City, FSC
10:00am: GER: Borussia Dortmund-Bayer Leverkusen, FSC
12noon: EPL: Wigan-Birmingham, FSC
12noon: ESP: Cadiz-Real Betis, GOL
2:30pm: ITA: Ascoli-Inter Milan, GOL
3:00pm: EPL: Charlton-Everton, FSC
4:00pm: MLS: DC United-Chivas USA, ESPN2
4:00pm: MEX: Toluca-Tigres, GALA
4:30pm: ESP: Celta Vigo-Valencia, GOL
6:00pm: MEX: Monterrey-San Luis, GALA
6:30pm: URU: Central Espanol-Penarol, GOL
7:30pm: MLS: New York-New England, DK (10pm on MSG TD)
8:30pm: MLS: Houston-Kansas City, DK
8:30pm: MLS: FC Dallas-Real Salt Lake, DK
8:30pm: COL: Millonarios-Tolima, GOL
9:30pm: MLS: Colorado-Columbus, DK
10:00pm: MEX: Atlas-Santos, TELEF
11:00pm: MLS: Los Angeles-Chicago, DK, HDNet

SUNDAY, April 9

9:00am: ITA: Cagliari-Palermo, FSC
9:00am: ITA: AC Milan-Chievo, GOL
11:00am: ESP: Ath. Bilbao-Mallorca, GOL
1:00pm: ENG: Chelsea-West Ham, FSC
1:00pm: ESP: Racing Santander-Barcelona, GOL
3:00pm: FRA: Rennes-Sochaux, FSC
3:00pm: BRA: Santos-Portuguesa, GOL
5:00pm: EXH: UVA Women-Washington Freedom, FSC
5:00pm: MEX: America-UNAM, GALA
6:30pm: COL: Quindio-Once Caldas, GOL
7:00pm: EXH: UVA Men-DC United Reserves, FSC
9:30pm: ITA: Juventus-Fiorentina, GOL
11:00pm: ARG: River Plate-Instituto, FSC

2-2 the Hard Way

If you had told me before Saturday’s RBNY season opener at DC that the results would be a 2-2 draw, I’d be pretty satisfied. After all, the club was starting only a handful of players that started the ’05 monsoon game vs. RSL. However, after watching the Bulls blow a 2-0 halftime lead to settle for one point, I’m a little disappointed, but hopeful. The NY goals in the first half were a mix of incredible skill and incredible luck, but even with a two goal lead after 20 minutes, I wasn’t filled with a feeling of confidence. 70 minutes is a long time to hold a lead, and traditionally the NY club does everything possible to keep matches interesting. Alecko Eskandarian is going to be a major factor up front for DC this season, and he absolutely punished the ball for the year the NJ-native spent on the shelf. United’s second goal came at the expense of my Goat of the Week: Jeff Parke. Not only did Parke stick out his leg to knock Facundo Erpen’s shot past Tony Meola, but the defender from Drexel whiffed on a potential game-winner in front of an open net with ten minutes to spare. Steve Jolley, anyone?

Next up: the Revs, who looked real good in laying some MLS Cup revenge on the Gals in Carson. Hopefully, Twellman, Dempsey, Noonan, and Ralston will be taking it easy on RB ahead of their Tuesday USA date in N. Carolina vs. Jamaica, where Tony the Tiger will hit the century mark in appearances before calling it (finally) a USMNT career.

Quick Kicks:

No MLS on FSC this season? I understand that the league doesn’t want to give away rights to Murdoch if Disney & Univision will be paying cash, but more matches on TV=good. Fewer matches=bad.

The renamed New York Soccer Report debuts tomorrow night late on MSG. No other regional carrier devotes so much time to soccer, and MSG does a great job mixing team news, local soccer history, and great personalities. Even if you’re not in the NY area, it’s worth a look.

Rumor on BigSoccer is that the new Canadian Club will be named Inter Toronto FC. Some folks are up in arms, but I see no problem with this paean to the legendary team in Milan. If folks are really going to stay away because of the club name, we’re better off without them.

My bets on 2006 Hall-of-Fame invitees: Rocket Roy Lassiter, who’s MLS single-season goal record set in 1996 still stands today, and the formerly goateed President of RBNY, Alexi Lalas. The announcement is set for the April 22nd Red Bull-DC rematch at Giants Stadium.

On the fracas between some DC morons and Red Bull fans at and around RFK on Sunday, I hope the larger media doesn’t get wind of the incident, because events like this can very quickly deflate the momentum that the league has built in the season’s first week. I appreciate the steps that RBNY and the league seem to be taking to attract more adult soccer fans, but unruly fans have got to be squashed immediately.

Chivas USA is introducing USMNT Midfielder John O'Brien as the latest member of their roster today. And NY gets all the allocations?

I’m taking part in the new, blog-ified All-American XI this season, along with a who’s who of the BS and blog cognoscenti. Week 1’s report should be up soon. Take a quick click on over there, won’t you?

70 Days to Go: EJ, LD, and DmB in NYC

Something to think about as we head into the weekend. this billboard's at 34th & 7th in NYC, right next to Penn Station and The Garden. Good job, Nike.

Trendy, Trendy Red Bulls

It seems that all of the New York media is weighing in on the Red Bulls. Trendy New York Magazine, home of cutting edge photo layouts of wealthy city dwellers’ bathrooms and “of the moment” cover stories like “Forever Youngish: Why Nobody Wants to be an Adult Anymore” (probably ‘cause of those pesky mortgage payments) comes the image above. It’s from April 3rd issue’s “Approval Matrix” feature, which plots the week’s culture/celebrity/news items on a “brilliant-despicable” x-axis vs. a “highbrow-lowbrow” y-axis. How did the Red Bull sale fare? More brilliant and highbrow than The Donald’s new son’s name Barron, and more despicable and lowbrow than The Ringling Bros. Elephant Walk. Sounds about right to me.

Tee Vee
Here's a sampling of this weekend's matches on the tube - all times Eastern. Don't forget to spring your clocks forward on Saturday night...

SATURDAY, April 1
6:30am: EPL: Birmingham-Chelsea, FSC
11:00am: EPL: West Brom-Liverpool, FSC
1:00pm: ESP: Real Zaragoza-Villareal, GOL
2:00pm: EPL: Newcastle-Spurs, FSC
3:00pm: ESP: Barcelona-Real Madrid, GOL
4:00pm: MLS: Dallas-Chicago, ABC
4:00pm: ITA: Lecce-AC Milan, FSC
5:00pm: ITA: Inter Milan-Messina, GOL
6:00pm: MEX: Atlante-Toluca, GALA
7:00pm: COL: Nacional-Deportivo Cali, GOL
8:00pm: MEX: Chivas-Pachuca, TELEF
8:30pm: MLS: Kansas City-Columbus, DK
10:00pm: MEX: Necaxa-Monterrey, TELEF
11:00pm: MLS: Los Angeles-New England, ESPN2
11:00pm: BRA: Palmeiras-Rio Branco, GOL
12mid: MEX: Tigres-UAG, GALA

SUNDAY, April 2
9:00am: ITA: Lazio-Empoli, FSC
9:00am: ITA: Fiorentina-Roma, GOL
11:30am: GER: Schalke-Hamburg, FSC
1:00pm: ECU: Olmedo-Emelec, GOL
1:00pm: MEX: UNAM-Chiapas, UNI
3:00pm: FRA: Paris SG-Bordeaux, FSC
3:00pm: ESP: Betis-Sevilla, GOL
5:00pm: MLS: DC United – New York (looks funny, doesn’t it?), FSNY, DK
5:30pm: GUA: Municipal-Antigua, GOL
6:00pm: MEX: San Luis-Cruz Azul, GALA
7:00pm: MLS: Chivas USA-Real Salt Lake, DK
7:30pm: MLS: Houston-Colorado, DK
7:30pm: COL: Ind. Santa Fe-Millonarios, GOL
9:30pm: BRA: Sao Paulo-Santos, GOL
11:00pm: ARG: Boca Juniors-Banfield, FSC

Music. Nonstop.

Maroon 5 is out and Shakira and Wylcef Jean are in as halftime entertainment for the Red Bulls' home opener on April 8th at Giants Stadium. The two artists are sure to attract Hispanic and Caribbean football and non-football fans to the Swamp.

Say what you will about Red Bull management, but they're pulling out all the stops to draw fannies to the seats for the re-branded club's first-ever home date.

With so much going on off-the-field at the home opener, (motocross, Cosmos/Metros ceremony, halftime) one has to wonder what will be in store for the club's second home date vs. DC on April 22nd. Marketing messages have talked up the sideshow surrounding the soccer to be played. For fans to come on back to the stadium, the on-field product will have to deliver a good amount of that Red Bull buzz.

Here are the Metros' attendance for the first and second home games of each season, save '99, which weren't readily available. We'll all be watching carefully to see what happens in the new, fizzy era of RBNY.

4/20/96 vs. NE: 46,826
4/27/96 vs. CMB: 26,416

4/12/97 vs. NE: 20,328
4/19/97 vs. DC: 26,322

4/11/98 vs. LA: 29,380
4/25/98 vs. SJ: 17,380

3/28/99 vs. CMB: -
4/3/99 vs. DC: -

4/1/00 vs. DC: 27,322
4/15/00 vs. CMB: 12,399

4/7/01 vs. NE: 30,753
4/21/01 vs. TB: 17,253

3/23/02 vs. NE: 13,234
3/27/02 vs. CMB: 45,411 (Ecuador/Bulgaria Doubleheader)

4/12/03 vs. CMB: 23,786
4/19/03 vs. LA: 19,801

4/17/04 vs. DC: 31,419 (Adu's first game in NY)
4/25/04 vs. NE: 8,129

4/2/05 vs. RSL: 12,657 (Monsoon)
4/16/05 vs. KC: 12,548

Special Guests

The big names of NY's soccer past will be honored before next Saturday’s RBNY home opener. How big? Think of the biggest name there is. Think of the guy running the biggest soccer tournament there is. Think of the loudmouth that fans feared would be taking over the Bulls. Think of the Metros’ first-ever superstar. That big. All the more reason to be at the Swamp on 4/8.

Facing the Media

Red Bulls Media Day was yesterday, and MetroFanatic has a great series of interviews up as usual. Look here to see some video yesterday's event at B.B. King’s in Times Square. Nice to see MSG paying attention, though they’re really just promoting one of the few sports properties they have left on their programming roster. No official news yet of the Jean-Philippe Peguero for Thiba + a draft pick trade, or for the opening day halftime show yet… but patience is a virtue. RBNY is running a daily giveaway as the countdown to opening day continues and fans can enter every day until April 8th. Nice. Lots of “season preview” stories are popping up national newspapers – give ‘em a look. Big ups to MF.com poster "The Pebble" for a story on the inching forward on the Harrison stadium... but shouldn't these steps have happened sometime in the past 5 years?

Being Green

Michael Lewis reports today that the Red Bulls' home opener will be played on grass, a huge step towards a more asthetically pleasing experience for RBNY fans and a safer one for the team itself. If you listen closely you can hear Youri Djorkaeff's knees thanking the team's Austrian overlords. Will the entire season be played on the natural stuff? We'll see.

Amado (the pout) Guevara has apparently recieved his green card, opening up another SI slot for the team. Will Alexi & Mo be able to find an affordable foriegner to put the bulge in the old onion bag? Any time now would be great.

Also, in a major improvement over the 2005 season, RBNY has secured television coverage for all of the team's league matches this year on MSG (24 times) and FSN (6 times). A 30-minute pre-game show, "Running With the Bulls," will appear before most matches. The team will also appear two times on ESPN2. Nice job, front office.

Harder to Breathe

Pop recording group Maroon 5 will be part of the attraction when Red Bull New York opens its home season next Saturday, April 8th, at Giants Stadium. The J Records recording artists will play at halftime of the RBNY-New England match, just part of the “special goings-on” that Red Bull hopes will bring folks to the Swamp for the match.

UPDATE: On Thursday, 3/30, RBNY announced that Shakira and Wyclef Jean would be playing the team's home opener instead.

Before the match, RBNY will host a motocross event and a “Hispanic concert” in the Giants Stadium parking lot for the tailgating masses. Will all the hoopla pay off in the form of ticket buyers? It’s too soon to say, but with the many free ticket promotions in place for the match, it’s obvious that the Front Office is trying to earn repeat business from customers by putting on a great show, in addition to the soccer that’ll be played.

That’s good, because last week’s RBNY results in Charleston did little to prove that the Bulls will have much to show on the field. RBNY went scoreless in losing three matches at the Carolina Challenge Cup, including the first-ever defeat by the host Battery over an MLS club in the three-year history of the tournament. With only six days remaining before the season opener in DC, Alexi & Mo are rumored to be placing a sacrifice at the feet of the Columbus Crew in order to get a natural striker. At this point, giving up Eddie Gaven and newly acquired defensive midfielder Danny O’Rourke for Westchester native Edson Buddle may not be the worst deal, if Mo is convinced that RBNY stalwart Mark Lisi can shoulder the load at D-Mid. Tick Tock. Time's a wasting.

Depressed in Dortmund

While it’s safe to say that Kerry Zavagnin, Brian Ching, and Chris Klein hurt their chances of landing on Il Bruce’s World Cup Roster, the most depressing Yank performance last Wednesday in Dortmund was from Tenalfy, NJ native Greg Berhalter, who gifted a German goal with a horrible miscue as the last line of defense in front of Kasey Keller. Berhalter has had a snakebitten tenure with the Nats, as his goal effort vs. the same Germans in the 2002 WC Quarterfinals was stopped by Torsten Frings’ hand. Berhalter was also whistled for a phantom handball in the final moments of a WCQ at Costa Rica in 2000. The resulting PK gave the Ticos a 2-1 win and made things tough for the US in that qualifying round. Does Arena leave Berhalter off the squad? Here are my eight defenders for the World Cup: Bocanegra, Cherundolo, Conrad, Gibbs, Lewis, Oneywu, Pope… and yes… Berhalter. What other choices does Bruce have? Albright? Olsen? Shudder the thought.

Busy Day

Lots going on today. The Yank’s B+ team takes on a hungry, desperate German side in Dortmund. Without Donovan, Reyna, Beasley, O’Brien, and Dempsey, Marc Connolly has the midfield in the hands of Mastro, Klein, and Zavagnin. Yikes. If the US loses by less than two goals, it’ll be a moral victory for The Bruce, who suffers considerably less pressure than his pal Jurgen Klinsmann.

I’ve sent a note to the tech department at USSoccer.com, asking them if they’ve made any server upgrades since the Poland friendly, when limited bandwidth of the website’s Matchtracker kept many from following the game live at work. If I get a response, I’ll post here. UPDATE: Here's the web team's promising response:

Thank you for writing. We have made some changes to the hosting of MatchTracker(to be separate from the rest of the site) in effort to improve performance. Please let us know if you experience any issues with today's match so that we may look into them, however we expect performance to be dramatically better than it was for the Poland match.

Good show, guys.

Tonight’s the second round of the Carolina Challenge Cup at Blackbaud Stadium in Charleston, where RBNY will take on the host Battery, and DC United will play Dinamo Houston. Red cards to Red Bulls Djorkaeff and Graham won’t carry over from the team’s loss to DC on Saturday.

About those Bulls, Alexi Lalas made a good number of friends last week when he offered free tickets to anyone that wanted to make the trip to DC next Sunday for the home opener. A staggering 750 fans wanted in, which should make the group the largest traveling fan contingent outside of an MLS Cup. A wedding will keep me from making the trip, which should be a great time.

Alexi then made many RB/Metro fans scratch their heads when an offer popped up on the Revs’ site for season ticket holders: a free ticket & bus ride to the Swamp for the 4/8 RBNY home opener. Helping your own fans to travel is one thing, but busing away fans into your house? I’m not so sure. From a business standpoint, the move is solid – giving Rev fans a reason to sign up for season tickets to get the free trip will endear RBNY to the Krafts. From a home-field advantage standpoint, however, bringing in significant Revs fan presence won’t exactly help RBNY on the field.

Tonight, the MLS-less Concacaf Champions’ Cup semis get going, with LDA hosting Club America, and Saprissa visiting Toluca. One of these clubs will be heading to Tokyo this December to represent the region in the World Club Championship. Hopefully the winner will do us as proud at Saprissa did last time, picking up 3rd place.

And as for MLS Glassboro? Let’s talk again in 120 days.

Steaks of Cheese

I, like so many others, raised an eyebrow after reading the Daily Record report of an impending MLS franchise in the South Jersey suburb of Glassboro. The league has been salivating over the Philly market for years now, but the lack of an owner or a location for a soccer-specific stadium on the PA side of the Delaware River has prevented MLS Philly from becoming a reality in the past. Glassboro isn’t as convenient to the well-heeled and soccer-mad West Philly suburbs as is “Center City.” For instance, famed youth club FC Delco in Downingtown, PA, is forty-five miles from the proposed site, an 80-minute trip one-way, as per Google maps. Then, of course, is the whole franchise name thing. I guess we’ll all learn more on Monday. To say it’s been quite an off-season is a massive understatement.

Between March Madness and the US-less World Baseball Classic final four, here’s what’s on the tube this weekend (all times ET):

Saturday, March 18th
7:30am: ENG: Everton – Aston Villa, FSC
10:00am: GER: Wolfsburg-Hamburg, FSC
Noon: ENG: Birmingham-Tottenham, FSC
2:00pm: ESP: Real Sociedad-Barcelona, GOL
3:00pm: ENG: Arsenal-Charlton, FSC
4:00pm: ESP: Villareal-Atletico Madria, GOL
6:00pm: ITA: Livorno-Juventus, GOL
6:00pm: MEX: Atlante-Atlas, GALA
8:00pm: COL: Independiente-America de Cali, GOL
8:00pm: MEX: Chivas-Cruz Azul, TELEF
10:00pm: GUA: Municipal-Marquense, GOL
10:00pm: MEX: Necaxa-Veracruz, TELEF
Midnight: MEX: Tigres-Monarcas, GALA

Sunday, March 19th:
9:00am: ITA: Inter-Lazio, GOL
11:00pm: ESP: Santander-Valencia, GOL
11:00am: ITA: Treviso-Cagliari, FSC
1:00pm: ITA: Real Madrid-Real Betis, GOL
1:00pm: ENG: Newcastle-Liverpool, FSC
1:00pm: MEX: Pumas-Tecos, UNI
3:00pm: ECU: Deportivo Quito-Emelec, GOL
3:00pm: FRA: Paris SG-Auxerre, FSC
5:30pm: COL: Millonarios-Once Caldas, GOL
6:00pm; MEX: San Luis-America, GALA
7:30pm: ELS: Aguila-Isidro Metapan, GOL
9:30pm: ITA: Roma-Messina, GOL
11:00pm: ARG: Tiro Federal-Boca Juniors, FSC

The Mo & Alexi Show

Over 50 current, former, and new members of the ESC gathered last night at Stout Pub in New York City for the Annual “Meet the GM/Coach” event, and those in attendance were treated to a friendly exchange with Mo Johnston and Alexi Lalas in a great setting. The downstairs room of the pub should prove to be a great new location for viewing away RBNY matches and will offer a lot more room than the former Nathan Hale’s space for US matches this summer. Thanks to Corey & team for pulling together another great event.

Here are some frantically scribbled highlights:

Mo Johnston:
-Has been to Poland, Czech Republic, Scotland and England looking for players
-There still “some cash left” for another player, and with Guevara’s green card a formality at this point, it’s fair to expect a foreign signing
-The biggest hole in the current lineup is up front
-Plans on playing 3 or 4 in the back – RBNY will be versatile enough to play a 3-4-3, a 3-5-2, or 4-4-2
-The starting lineup is not yet set… don’t put too much into pre-season results
-On Josie Altidore: “a tremendous goal scorer"
-On David Arvizu: “at first, he wanted to return to LA, but we’re not doing [Chivas or LAG] any favors in terms of giving him up… he was the most important player on the U-17s, and he’s liking it more here every day"
-On Blake Camp: “Gives us a lot of depth”
-On Mike Magee: He “grew up a lot during the offseason”
-On Eddie Gaven: “I told him we wanted to trade him”
-On Ante Razov: “We had to trade him to save some $$”
-On Abbie Ibrahim: “He’s still in Togo. We’ve been on the phone in the middle of the night with the embassy in order to get him back. Hope to have him in Charleston.”
-On Amado Guevara: “He wants to play in NY… he’ll play hard every game this year… but if guys aren’t pulling their weight, they’ll be changes made… if [anyone] wants to sulk, they can do it by themselves"
-On Chris Henderson: “He’ll play all over the field… on the wings, behind the forwards… etc."
-On Mark Lisi: “He’s a little in between… he’s been on the bench for some games"
Jeff Parke and Seth Stammler have "stood out in preseason”

Alexi Lalas:
-Led off with a classy toast to Doug Hamilton
-The club sale “will make a tremendous long-term impact” to the league
-“We [management] have a responsibility to prove to fans that the sale will be a positive”
-Red Bull Park “will be different and better than the stadiums currently in place in MLS”
-On the club name flap: “The hypocrisy of the NJ politicians is astounding”
-Apparently, a lone fan (not in attendance) has taken up Alexi’s offer to tell the RBNY players that he won’t be supporting the team in light of the name change. Said fan will be visiting the practice bubble today to share his reasoning with the team.
-Offered no specifics on marketing, but noted that efforts “will be different” than in the past.
-Bus trip for DC is a go & signups will be available on the official site today
-Trying to get all games on TV
-Trying for English-language radio for the first time ever
-Has “no plans to leave” and “it’s up to RB to decide how long” he’ll stay

Hornless in Jersey

Big, BIG ups to RBNY (Ribknee?) honcho Alexi Lalas for banning those godforsaken plastic horns at Giants Stadium for the upcoming season. You have to love Lalas’ tongue-in-cheek attitude in his announcement. For too long, Metro games have sounded more like a cow pasture than a soccer match. I’m sure parents of six year-olds may take issue, but for anyone that’s suffered sitting in front of a pack of youth soccer players blowing into those horns for ninety minutes, the change is most welcome.

Combined with the addition of the Pride & Passion Pub, which will live on despite the ownership change, RBNY has taken steps to make the game experience more attractive to adult soccer fans, a target that the club has ignored in the past. Well done.

High Five

Brazil, the Czech Republic, Holland, and Argentina are the only nations in the world ranked higher than the US this morning in the latest FIFA rankings. The Mexicans, so sadly, have dropped to seventh. Not only is the five-spot the highest ranking for the Yanks ever, but the US is ranked above Mexico for only the second time since the rankings began in 1993 (In June of 2003, the US was 9th, Mexico 11th). Barring a slip vs. the Krauts next week, the US should finish its pre-World Cup slate without a loss, as non-qualifier opponents Jamaica, Morocco, Venezuela, and Latvia shouldn’t give the Yanks too much trouble. Much has been said about the lack of attention to give the FIFA rankings, but maintaining a strong ranking will be important for the US to receive a top seed for South Africa 2010.

Meetup

The venerable (if not expanding) Empire Soccer Club will hold their annual “Meet the GM/Coach” event tonight in NYC at the Stout Pub on 33rd Street (b. 6th/7th) at 8pm. Given Alexi’s offer to take dissatisfied fans into the team locker room to tell the players why they’re giving up on the club, it should be an enjoyable evening. Events like this should make MLS fans appreciate the lengths that the clubs go to in order to reach out to fans. It’d be hard to imagine Joe Torre or Omar Minaya taking the time to meet their teams’ fans in a public setting to discuss team issues. Even if you're not planning on joining the ESC, If you’re an MLS in the Metro area, please try to attend.

Western Soccer League?

Perhaps those with a grasp of German can help me. This ad has been running opposite the sports page in the NYC edition of Metro, the free daily newspaper with editions in most major cities around the world. As you can see, it’s an ad for LTU airlines, promoting non-stop flights from the US to “the biggest soccer event.” The spokesperson for LTU is Kasey Keller, who is noted here as the “Western Soccer League Player of the Year.” Huh? I’m not sure what the Keller’s Q rating is these days, but I’d imagine it’s higher in Germany than here, especially among the general subway-riding public. Hmm. Reminds me a bid of those bizzarely catchy Mentos’ ads. “It doesn’t matter what comes/fresh goes better in life…”

George Zoffinger is an Angry, Angry Man

After raping MLS and the Metros for years, and doing everything he can to prevent the Harrison project from moving forward, The G-Zizza is making a fuss about RBNY’s N and Y, insisting on the silly slash or an NJ in the team’s moniker. In my mind, adding New York to the club’s name properly represents the media market that the club plays in. The “NY” will turn off far fewer NJ fans than an “NJ”-named club will for New Yorkers. All this civic posturing is a bit silly, though there is a rub. The Red Bull lease agreement at Giants Stadium expires after this season. Harrison, once said to be ready for the ’07 season, won’t be in place until 2008. In fact, groundbreaking has yet to occur – as there’s a bit to be done before that can happen. Zoffinger has said that RBNY won’t be able to play in the Swamp with its current name in place. Won’t this be fun to watch? Probably not.

Metro Fan Club

Pissed-off Metro fans are in the process of applying for a PDL club under the name of AFC Metro. The club would be the first owned exclusively by fans of MLS. Best of luck to them.

RIP Doug Hamilton.

Your Weekend TV Listings (all times et):

SATURDAY, March 11
7:30am: ENG: Chelsea-Spurs, FSC
10:00am: GER: Wolfsburg-Bayern Munich, FSC
Noon: ENG: Blackburn-Aston Villa, FSC
2:00pm: URU: Penarol-Cerro, GOL
3:00pm: ENG: Everton-Fulham, FSC
4:00pm: ESP: Valencia-Real Madrid, GOL
4:00pm: MEX: Toluca, UAG, GALA
6:00pm: ITA: Inter Milan-Sampdoria, GOL
6:00pm: MEX: Atlante-Pachuca, GALA
8:00pm: BRA: Poruguesa-Palmeiras, GOL
8:00pm: MEX: Chivas-San Luis, TELEF
10:00pm: MEX: Necaxa-Club America, TELEF

SUNDAY, March 12
9:00am: ITA: Cagliari-Fiorentina, FSC
9:00am: ITA: Ascoli-Roma, GOL
11:00am: ESP: Mallorca-Villareal, GOL
11:00am: ITA: Lazio-Reggina, FSC
1:00pm: ENG: Man. Utd.-Newcastle, FSC
1:00pm: MEX: UNAM-Morelia, UNI
2:30pm: ITA: Juventus-AC Milan, GOL
3:00pm: FRA: Marseille-St. Etienne, FSC
4:30pm: ESP : Osasuna-Barcelona, GOL
6:00pm: MEX: Tigres-Monterrey, GALA
6:30pm: GUA: Municipal-Heredia, GOL
9:30pm: BRA: Corinthians-Sao Paulo, GOL
11:00pm: ARG: Independiente-River Plate, FSC

More RBNY Thoughts

Wow! We made the Yahoo! home page! You may call it drinking the Kool-aid, but a chat with my sales rep earlier today help put things in focus for me.

He said that the Metros were AEG's fifth priority, after LA, Chicago, DC, and Houston. Now, under Red Bull, the team will be the top priority of its owners, who are experts in sports marketing AND are willing to spend to promote their products. I can't tell you the last time that I saw a MetroStars advertisement in a major newspaper in the NY area, on any billboard, or on TV (other than on MSG). With RB's marketing prowess, we may see an attempt at a real-live campaign designed to make folks aware of the team and get them to the Meadowlands. I see ticket offers on cans of Red Bull, posters in bodegas & supermarkets that sell the stuff. Maybe a Red Bull Bus to get NYC-based fans to the swamp. Am I dismayed over the loss of the MetroStars name? Yes. However as the minutes pass I have no choice but to be optimistic about the future of RBNY.

With the sale, Uncle Phil and Lamar Hunt's combined share of MLS clubs is down to 58%, and will be 50% next year if you read Not Doug Logan's note about Cleveland today. Is a loosening of the purse strings an inevitability? We'll see.

UPDATE: Kristian Dyer at NYNJSoccer.com has a great interview with Alexi Lalas. The highlight:

KD:What role will Giorgio Chinaglia and Franz Beckenbauer play in the franchise?
AL: Franz has been an advisor to Red Bull Salzburg for some time and I hope he is involved with Red Bull New York. From what I've read, Giorgio seems to think that we should fire the front office staff, the players and the coaches, so he can kiss my ass.