Red Bull New York handed Toronto FC their first home loss of the season in stunning fashion, picking up a 4-1 win in Canada two weeks ago.  They failed to replicate their success and be the first to beat Real Salt Lake at home this year, falling 1-0 to their hosts in a poor match.  New York was crippled by international call ups to Rafa Marquez, Bouna Coundoul, Roy Miller, and Dane Richards.  Joel Lindpere, who has caught a mean case of loving-America-itis has declined his call ups to the Estonian national team for the rest of the year.  Without a big portion of the squad missing, Metro looked flat during the match and rarely threatened the opposition goal.

“I don’t think we are good enough [to win the MLS Cup] to be honest.”- New York Red Bulls head coach Hans Backe

The New York Red Bulls have cemented their position in the Eastern Conference standings, sitting in 2^nd, four points behind Columbus and ten ahead of Toronto (who have a game in hand). Hans Backe, who has done an excellent job of turning last year’s horrendous team into a respectable, and more important, watchable soccer team, often downplays his success.  He has stated that he doesn’t think New York is capable of catching Columbus, and said outright that he doesn’t believe his team has what it takes to win a championship this season.  The fact that anyone around New York can even consider talking about the MLS Cup is amazing given their dismal record last season, but it seems to be happening more and more.

HARRISON, NJ - For the first time in his nearly four year career, Dane Richards is consistently playing like a talented soccer player, not a bizarro-Usain Bolt who happens to be on a soccer field.  He meshed skill with speed excellently in New York’s 2-0 win over San Jose tonight, picking up a goal and an assist.  Equally important as the success of the oft-frustrating Richards was the solid play of Metro’s three headed monster of Marquez, Angel, and Henry.  Thierry Henry got a growing monkey off his back by picking up his first MLS league goal and sealing the win for the home side.

“I think its been our best game.  After going up a few goals and possessing the ball, still creating chances, it was a good game all around.” – Red Bulls defender Tim Ream.

The Red Bulls had an excellent game, controlling possession for long spells of the match and creating solid chances.  Finishing was still a bit of a problem for the squad, as Angel and Henry both hit the post during the match.  John Busch, who had the unfortunate luck of having the last name Busch and playing in front of the Empire Supporters Club for 45 minutes (‘Your Busch Stinks’ is just one example of a plethora of chants thrown his way during the match) was also forced to work hard, making two excellent saves on Henry chances.  Although New York didn’t score on every shot, they got enough to win and Henry picked up his first goal, settling an excellent low cross from Richards in the 63rd minute and pushing it past Busch.  Richards himself scored in first half stoppage time, collecting a headed ball from Joel Lindpere at the top of the box and streaking past two defenders before decking Busch and slotting the ball home.

“I think Dane’s been playing with confidence, and he should, the guy can get behind anybody in the league.  I think he’s learning the other intricacies of the game.  I think that’s from playing with the quality that we have and him honestly being a sponge and willing to learn.  I’ve played with a lot of guys with his speed that don’t have the humility to say ‘I can still learn and still get better’”. – Red Bulls right back Chris Albright

Dane has been steadily improving and regardless of the reason when he is on form the Red Bulls are a better team.  The entire midfield played well, with Tony Tchani moving the ball excellently and Rafa Marquez having the best game of his New York career (despite not scoring a wonder-goal).  Marquez’ influence was clear in the second half, when New York would go through long spells of dominance and strings of passes to cries of ‘Ole’ from the crowd.  The defense also worked well, and although they weren’t airtight (Cornell Glen managed to get the opportunity to miss sitters against them) they secured the shut out.

New York’s current form has fans and members of the team excited, and there is talk (quite possibly prematurely) about the MLS Cup after Metro’s last two wins.  Hans Backe, who loves to downplay expectations, has stated explicitly that he doesn’t think his side is good enough to win the championship.  The final is a long way away but if this form continues even Backe might have to change his tune.

Lineups:
New York- Bouna Coundoul, Roy Miller, Tim Ream, Carlos Mendes, Chris Albright, Joel Lindpere, Tony Tchani (Seth Stammler 84), Rafa Marquez, Dane Richards, Thierry Henry (Salou Ibrahim 88), Juan Pablo Angel (Macoumba Kandji 72)

San Jose- Jon Busch, Tim Ward, Bobby Burling, Brandon McDonald, Bobby Convey, Joey Gjertsen (Geovanni 55), Khari Stephenson, Sam Cronin (Ryan Johnson 78), Arturo Alvarez, Chris Wondolowski (Omar Jasseh 63), Cornell Glen

Scoring Summary:
46: Dane Richards (NYRB 1: San Jose 0)
63: Thierry Henry (NYRB 2: San Jose 0)

Disciplinary Summary:
6: Yellow to Bobby Burling (San Jose)
38: Yellow to Dane Richards (NYRB)
56: Yellow to Bobby Convey (San Jose)
75: Yellow to Joel Lindpere (NYRB)
81: Yellow to Tony Tchani (NYRB)

Attendance: 21, 859

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Mexican captain Rafa Marquez scores his first MLS goal

Red Bull New York delivered Toronto FC its first home loss of the season in commanding fashion, winning the game 4-1.  New DP signing Rafa Marquez made amends for a mistake that cost New York last week’s game against Los Angeles, scoring an excellent goal and creating another while playing excellently for the 74 minutes he was on the pitch.  New York's other bajillionaire players, Thierry Henry and Juan Pablo Angel, were less impressive (although Angel did convert a penalty).  The horrifying fact for every other MLS team is that when New York has three players that talented, only one has to have a good game to deliver the win.

This past Saturday was a big one in Metroland.  The critical match against Los Angeles (which was dropped by the hosts in painful fashion) marked the first official sell out crowd at Red Bull Arena.  Yes, there were empty seats, but with 25,000 tickets sold for the game it is hard to complain too much.  There was still a lot going on besides the major match up and the crowd that lined up to watch it.

Clint Mathis, a local legend for his success with the Metrostars and US national team (as well as a respectable return for the Red Bulls in the chubbier tail-end of his career), was honored before the match after his retirement.  Still, the most notable part of the day was likely the Empire Supporter’s Club pregame fundraiser thrown to support former player Joe Vide.

Joe Vide played for the Red Bulls in 2006 and 2007, picking up 23 league appearances before getting picked by San Jose in the 07 Expansion Draft.  Vide was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in April of this year, and has been battling the cancer since then.  Receiving little help from his insurance company, Joe has been paying out of pocket for his treatments (which have been going relatively well but are still extremely draining and an uphill battle).  The fans and front offices of his three MLS teams (NY, San Jose, and DC) have all been supportive of Joe.  His longest tenure was with New York, and the Empire Supporters Club holds Joe in especially high regard because of an appearance in section 101 where he played the drums and sang with the fans.

Disappointing result for the home team

HARRISON, NJ - New York is the only team in MLS with 3 Designated Players, stars who’s salaries are allowed to exceed the salary cap.  In Saturday's 1-0 home loss to Los Angeles, DP might as well have stood for disappointing players.

Rafa Marquez, captain of the Mexican national team, was stripped of the ball in his own half, leading to Edson Buddle’s game winner for the Galaxy.  Thierry Henry continues to be simply incapable of scoring in MLS league games, blowing two solid chances.  Juan Pablo Angel, one of the team (and league’s) most dependable strikers, looked sluggish and was pulled late in the second half.  The Red Bulls lost a game they should have won (or at least drawn) based on their possession and chances, but were doomed by one mistake and poor finishing.

Lindpere's goal gives Red Bulls 1-0 victory over Toronto FC

HARRISON, NJ - Red Bull New York picked up an important win over Easter Conference rivals Toronto FC last night, pulling out a 1-0 win at home.  The game wasn’t filled with great chances and was often reduced to a stark physical battle between the teams, but as always, a win is a win.  Winning ugly may not be exceptionally glorious, but it is certainly better than tying ugly, which is what New York has been doing in its past couple matches.

“A very important win, wasn’t pretty today.  More of a battle but I can understand that because it is a key game for both teams.” – New York Red Bulls head coach Hans Backe.

New York’s win is made more notable by the fact that four of their players were out on national team duty.  Rafa Marquez (Mexico), Roy Miller (Costa Rica), Dane Richards (Jamaica), and Bouna Coundoul (Senegal) all missed the match.  Joel Lindpere was also called up for an Estonian Euro 2012 qualifier against the Faroe Islands, but he elected to stay in New Jersey.  This selfless decision worked out excellently for the hosts, as it was Lindpere’s goal that delivered the 1-0 win.

The first half was a slow one for both teams, and Joel Lindpere’s goal was the only solid chance of the period.  Thierry Henry had a hand in the Estonian’s tally, but the goal was truly created by Seth Stammler.  Thierry Henry was fouled at the top of the box in the 23rd minute, and the ball ended up at Stammler’s feet.  The long-time Metro took a touch and then chipped an excellent ball for Lindpere, who finished well.

“Thierry was trying to get out of some pressure, it happened to squirt to me and I took a touch to settle.  I saw Joel even with the line and it looked like he was ready to go so I just gave him a little scoop over and was fortunate to get a soft bounce and he finished it well.”- Seth Stammler describing his assist.

The rest of the first half was pretty uneventful, with Stammler being the best player in the first 45, sending an excellent diagonal ball across goal that Henry just couldn’t get to.  New York didn’t exactly dominate in possession and the game was fairly open, although there were few chances to be had.

The second half was a better one for the Red Bulls, with possession and chances tipped more solidly their way.  Chris Albright lofted Juan Pablo Angel a perfect cross in the 75th minute, but the Colombian Captain just couldn’t put his tight angled header on frame.  Angel was also involved in a great chance in the 80th minute, where he accidentally blocked a great Sinisa Ubiparipovic shot.  Talking to Sinisa after the match, he didn’t seem to have any hard feelings.

The defense played well throughout the match and picked up their second straight shut out.  Tim Ream and Carlos Mendes have gelled well in the middle, and Chris Albright continues to get back to form as a right back.  Danleigh Borman and Roy Miller both slot into the left back spot well, and chances for the opposition have been limited in recent matches (Greg Sutton could have set up a lawn chair between the posts and still earned a shut out last night).  The offense is still struggling to convert chances, but the defense is certainly doing its job.  And with Lindpere getting his second goal of the season, someone not named Juan Pablo Angel scored for Metro, which is a rare and joyous occasion.

Lineups:
New York - Greg Sutton, Chris Albright, Carlos Mendes, Tim Ream, Danleigh Borman, Macoumba Kandji (Salou Ibrahim 81), Tony Tchani, Joel Lindpere, Seth Stammler, Juan Pablo Angel (Carl Robinson 89), Thierry Henry (Sinisa Ubiparipovic 46).

Toronto - Stefan Frei, Maksim Usanov, Nana Attakora, Adrian Cann, Nick Garcia, Jacob Peterson (O'Brian White 65), Joseph Nane (Fuad Ibrahim 76), Julian de Guzman, Nick LaBrocca, Dwayne De Rosario, Chad Barrett (Mista 33).

Disciplinary Summary:
56: Yellow to Julien de Guzman (Toronto)
94: Yellow to Mista (Tornto)

Scoring Summary:
23: Joel Lindpere (NYRB 1: TFC 0)

Attendance: 19,035

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Shiny new signing Rafa Marquez is set to make his league debut in Chicago this Sunday, as New York vies to sweep their Midwestern rivals in the regular season.  The meeting comes at an interesting time for both clubs, as New York and Chicago have recently updated their rosters with big name signings. Metro’s Cerberus of Angel, Henry, and Marquez will be together for the first time, while Chicago will be trotting out new additions Freddie Ljungberg and Nery Castillo.

The Fire’s mediocre 5-5-5 record sees them sitting in 4th in the Eastern Conference.  They have struggled this season, and although they are coming off a solid 3-2 away win in Los Angeles, Chicago’s form has been erratic.  Brian McBride has been limited to 4 goals on the year, and the team hasn’t recovered from the loss of Chris Rolfe and Cuauhtemoc Blanco during the offseason.  Ljungberg and Castillo have been brought in to replace Rolfe and Blanco, and if they play up to their potential they will be great additions to Chicago’s squad.  Castillo is an especially intriguing prospect, as he is still young at 26 and has boatloads of talent at his disposal.  He also has a nasty attitude and a pretty serious unibrow, so it’ll be interesting to see if he can succeed in MLS.

Marquez: I have not come here to finish my career, I have come to play and to win championships

HARRISON, NJ - Mexico captain and Barcelona standout Rafa Marquez was officially announced as New York’s third DP signing from Red Bull Arena today.  Marquez, who has 94 caps for his home country, is only 31 years old and brings with him a trophy case that is likely larger than my house.  He won Ligue 1 and the French Cup with Monaco, and accomplished even more in his seven years at Barcelona, picking up multiple La Liga titles, two Champions League victories, the Club World Cup, Copa Del Rey, UEFA Super Cup, and Spanish Super Cup.  He has also won the Gold Cup and Confederations Cup with Mexico, for whom he has appeared in three World Cups.

“I am a really, really happy man because this is adding quality to the team … he is a piece of this puzzle of building a really strong team, that I would say can compete with the best ones in MLS.”-  New York Red Bulls head coach Hans Backe.

Red Bull New York enters the All Star break with 26 points from 16 games, as well as being comfortably second in the East with an 8-6-2 record.  This is highly respectable, especially considering the incredible improvements the team has made since the dismal 2009 season.  With new signing Thierry Henry preparing to make his league debut against Houston on Saturday night and Rafa Marquez on the way, now is a good time to break down the season so far.