What If the New York Red Bulls Hired Pep Guardiola?

New York, NY - Lately much has been written about the New York Red Bulls marketing strategy and the attendance at Red Bull Arena.While it's easy to question the accuracy of the number of fans in attendance or who the Red Bulls organization is trying to target in terms of fanbase, I believe there is an elephant in the room that's not being addressed. Although the Red Bulls may be considered an energy-drink club to many MLS followers, the one thing that cannot be denied is their financial investment. Along with building possibly the best soccer specific stadium (SSS), the organization has brought in world-class players such as Juan Pablo Angel, Thierry Henry, Joel Lindpere and Rafa Marquez.In doing so, the expectations were that along with the Red Bulls being a competitive MLS club much like their West Coast counterpart, the Los Angeles Galaxy, the players brought in were to attract fans of diverse cultures.However, for all their financial investments, the Red Bulls have been consistent in being a mediocre club. At the end of the day, it's not the marketing, the location of Red Bull Arena, lack of attendance or the players brought in that has failed the Red Bulls organization. ...

Thierry Henry Injured in Red Bulls Victory

Harrison, NJ - After last Sunday's disastrous 4-1 loss to D.C. United at RFK Stadium, the New York Bulls returned to Red Bull Arena and rebounded with a 1-0 win over the New England Revolution. The victory improved New York’s record to 4-3-1. As a result, New York is currently in second place in the Eastern Conference. Former Fordham University standout rookie goal keeper Ryan Meara played an excellent game and made some tremendous saves on Saturday. His performance was enough to earn himself Red Bulls Player of the Match.While this was a much needed victory for the Red Bulls, who have gone 4-1-1 over their past six matches, it may have come at cost. Already playing without defenders Wilman Conde, Roy Miller, Jan Gunnar Solli, midfielder Teemu Tainio and forwards Juan Agudelo and Jose Angulo, the injury ridden Red Bulls will now have to add Thierry Henry to the list because. He suffered a hamstring injury in the first half. In addition to their injury woes, Rafa Marquez was serving the second game of a three-match suspension for his violent hit on San Jose Earthquakes midfielder Shea Salinas, which resulted in Salinas fracturing his clavicle in four places. Unlike Marquez who has been ...

New York Red Bulls Win Home Opener over the Colorado Rapids

New York, NY- After losing the first two matches of the 2012 Major League Soccer season, the New York Red Bulls finally showed their horns as they stampeded the Colorado Rapids 4-1 in their home opener at Red Bull Arena.Leading the way for the Red Bulls was team captain Thierry Henry and former Portland Timbers forward Kenny Cooper who combined to produce all four goals. With each scoring two goals, the 21,024 fans in attendance for at least one match had reason to visualize the potential success of their club.In a tribute to Bolton Wanderers midfielder Fabrice Muamba, who is recovering from a cardiac arrest suffered on March 17, 2012 in FA Cup competition against Tottenham Hotspur, the Red Bulls wore a t-shirt which read Get Well Soon Muamba. Anyone in attendance on Sunday could easily recognize the serious and determined attitude the Red Bulls players displayed in their body language.After losing back-to-back road matches to FC Dallas and Real Salt Lake by a combined score of 4-1, the Red Bulls needed every inch of home-field advantage in order to secure a win over the Colorado Rapids. Along with the cloudy and cool weather flowing throughout Red Bull Arena, the enthusiasm of ...

New York Red Bulls vs. LA Galaxy: 2-1 Loss Ends Bulls’ Quest for 2011 MLS Cup

For the second consecutive season, the New York Red Bulls' season was ended by a California MLS club. Last year the Red Bulls were eliminated by the San Jose Earthquakes at Red Bull Arena.A year later, on Thursday night to be exact, their conqueror were the Los Angeles Galaxy. Remaining undefeated at home, the Galaxy won the second leg of the Western Conference semifinals 2-1 and 3-1 aggregate at the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA. After losing 1-0 to the Galaxy at Red Bull Arena on Sunday, the Red Bulls needed to win overall by one goal in order to keep their MLS Cup hopes alive. While Sunday's match was hard-fought and ugly, Thursday's night started off cohesively fast-paced. The Red Bulls faced elimination without suspended defender Rafa Marquez, who earned a red card following Sunday's loss for hitting Landon Donovan and provoking a fight afterwards.Sensing elimination, Luke Rodgers brought his fiery personality and passion and immediately demonstrated that the Red Bulls were here to win.Four minutes into the match, Rodgers accepted a pass from Thierry Henry before he successfully beat LA goalkeeper Josh Saunders to give his teammates a 1-0 lead. As a result, the Red Bulls had a 1-1 aggregate ...

New York Cosmos: The Only Thing Fans Care About Is Whether You Join MLS

New York, NY - A week after Paul Kemsley stepped down as their Chairman/CEO, the New York Cosmos issued a statement on Wednesday regarding changes in their staff.In a statement sent to me from their front office, the New York Cosmos stated:"There has been a buyout at The New York Cosmos and management changes have taken place in various areas of our organization. This also results in a full restructure of both our business and staffing, which will continue to be assessed by the new leadership team that is expected to be appointed within the next 60 days. It is unequivocally the goal of the current ownership to become an MLS team in the most expedient manner possible, and decisions for the club will be made with this in mind."I hate to address it but if I don't, I'll lose face with my readers. Which leads us to the question, is the remaining staff capable of giving their supporters a Major League Soccer Franchise? Based on the recent overhaul within the New York Cosmos organization, it's clear that some things didn't flow as originally planned. It's rather unfortunate but one thing we eventually accept about sports is that at the end of ...

NY Red Bulls Lose 1-0 to LA Galaxy in First Leg of Western Conference Semifinals

Harrison, NJ - If the 22,663 fans gathered on Sunday at a Red Bull Arena learned one thing about Red Bulls defender Rafa Marquez, it's that he wouldn't make it as a MMA fighter—and much less as a luchador. Before the Western Conference Semifinals first leg turned into the Survivor Series, Red Bulls fans were treated to a competitive but ugly match, where a total of 19 fouls were called.Seconds after the New York Red Bulls lost 1-0 to the LA Galaxy in the first leg of the Western Conference Semifinals, however, the sparks really began to fly. Marquez clearly threw the ball and hit Galaxy MF Landon Donovan.In a sequence of events that would have restored TNA'a Impact Wrestling storyline, a melee broke out. As Galaxy Adam Cristman confronted the Mexican international, Marquez threw a misfired head-butt and punch before falling to the ground in a motion that hearkened to mind images of Eddie Guerrero. LA midfielder Juninho and New York defender Stephen Keel rushed in and within a matter of seconds, both players needed to be restrained by their teammates from devolving into fisticuffs. Adding the finishing touches was none other than David Beckham, who did his signature clap and thanked ...

MLS Cup Playoffs: New York Red Bulls Eliminate FC Dallas with 2-0 Victory

I watched the 2011 MLS Cup Playoffs kick off on Wednesday night from the Football Factory at Legends in New York City with over 600 Red Bulls supporters. The New York Red Bulls' 2-0 victory over FC Dallas guaranteed that one more match will be played at Red Bull Arena. After barely making it into the MLS Cup Playoffs, the Red Bulls will advance to the Conference Semifinals, where they will face the Los Angeles Galaxy, MLS Supporters Shield winners, in a home-and-home, aggregate goal, two-leg series.With the first leg taking place on Sunday, Oct. 30 at 3:00 PM ET at Red Bull Arena, the Red Bulls will have little time to fully recover for their showdown against Los Angeles. The last time they met in September, the Red Bulls won 2-0 at home. On Wednesday night, the Red Bulls had to weather an early onslaught by FC Dallas when they almost produced a goal in the ninth minute when the ball bounced to the top of the Red Bulls' 18-yard box. Jackson Goncalves got to it first and tried to round goalkeeper Frank Rost, but Rost blocked his shot. Five minutes later, New York defender Tim Ream almost blew another huge play when his ...

New York Red Bulls Clinch Final MLS Playoff Spot with 1-0 Win over Philadelphia

Harrison, NJ—Playing their final regular season match of the 2011 MLS season, the New York Red Bulls clinched the final MLS playoff spot when they defeated the Philadelphia Union 1-0 in front of a sold out audience at Red Bull Arena on Thursday night. Playing without leading scorer Thierry Henry who was serving a suspension, the Red Bulls only goal was contributed by Union goalkeeper Faryd Mondragon, who's own goal in the eighth minute gave the Red Bulls a 1-0 lead.In a sequence of plays Dax McCarty advanced the ball to Jan Gunnar Solli who then crossed to the center of the box where Dane Richards headed it.Initially, it appeared that Richards had successfully scored a goal but instant replay revealed that the ball had indeed bounced off the back of Mondragon and into the net. With the score remaining the same, the Red Bulls finished the regular season at 10-7-16. As a result, they are tied with the Colorado Rapids and the Houston Dynamo with 46 points. Based on goal differential, the Red Bulls currently hold the ninth spot over Houston, who has one more match remaining. Depending on this weekend's outcome of MLS matches, New York will enter the postseason as either the ...

New York Red Bulls Maintain Final Playoff Spot Despite 2-0 Loss to Sporting KC

In a season of underachievement, the New York Red Bulls were clearly out-played by Sporting Kansas City in a 2-0 loss on Saturday afternoon at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park.Watching them play live has been painful at times, but watching them on television was even more excruciating. Sporting almost took an immediate lead when Omar Bravo crossed the ball to an unmarked Aurelian Collin, who misfired his header past the left post.Even though the Red Bulls had numerous scoring opportunities, the team looked flat and out of sync. After colliding with Sporting's Roger Espinoza, Thierry Henry was immediately issued a red card in the 28th minute. Playing a man down for the remainder of the first half, the Red Bulls were able to hold Sporting to a scoreless draw. Despite the ejection of Henry, the Red Bulls failed to take advantage of their scoring opportunities.In the second half, Sporting KC gave their 19,921 assembled fans two good reasons to cheer. The first was in the 57th minute, when Teal Bunbury accepted a pass from Julio Cesar and kicked the ball past Red Bulls goalkeeper Frank Rost to give Sporting KC a 1-0 lead.  Moments later, Joel Lindpere had the opportunity to produce the equalizer when ...

Will Don Garber’s Meeting with Potential NY Investors Impact the NY Cosmos?

Harrison, NJ - MLS Commissioner Don Garber met with three potential investors for a second New York expansion club during Tuesday's United States 1-0 friendly loss to Ecuador at Red Bull Arena.Apparently, none of those investors were from the New York Cosmos.None of those investors were from the New York Cosmos either. “We’ve talked to them (Cosmos), I don’t know if they are involved,” expressed Garber to the Press at halftime. “They’ve got some things that they’ve got to work out in their ownership group. As I’ve said before, they’ve done a great job of building their brand and when we’re ready to get that team launched if they want to be a part of that, we’d be happy to talk with them.”Throughout the discussion, Garber was insistent that New York will be the 20th team in Major League Soccer. “We’re making progress and the city has been supportive,” he said. “If we can build the stadium, we will have the 20th team in New York City.” So how does this affect New York Cosmos organization? If you include the three potential investors with the Cosmos, then there's four different parties who may potentially be interested in become the second MLS New York ...