Everything was perfect for John Wolyniec last Saturday night. He was back home, back at Giants Stadium, back playing in front of the home fans who have adored him in previous stints with the MetroStars.
And the Staten Island, N.Y., native had a near perfect night, too. He scored a goal, set up two others and helped lead the Red Bulls to a shocking 6-0 win against Real Salt Lake.
There was, though, one flaw. When Wolyniec was introduced to the crowd as part of the Red Bulls starting lineup, it was a picture of Jean Philippe Peguero, the previous No. 9, that appeared on the stadium's Jumbotron scoreboards in each endzone.
Wolyniec, who was traded from the Los Angeles Galaxy for a pair of draft picks, is making his third appearance with the Red Bulls. Well, his first with the Red Bulls, since the club was rebranded in March.
Saturday night, Wolyniec started in place of an Edson Buddle who had been struggling. But at the start of the second half, both big center forwards were playing together with Youri Djorkaeff sliding behind them.
The result was stunning and unprecedented. Not feeling the pressure of starting, Buddle exploded for three goals in 18 minutes and was named MLS Player of the Week. Wolyniec set up two and scored the final goal, his first at Giants Stadium since May 31, 2005, and Bruce Arena got his first win as Red Bulls boss.
"It was great to get three points, I'd probably say it's a lot more important than getting a goal," Wolyniec said. "Even though it was the sixth one, it's still nice to get on the board and get off to a flying start. It's a great win."
And the Red Bulls look for a second consecutive win Wednesday in Kansas City, the first of three consecutive Eastern Conference road games.
When the teams last met, the Red Bulls won their third game in a row, handing the Wizards their seventh successive loss on July 22 at Giants Stadium. But the Wizards are coming off a 1-0 win against FC Dallas that has their team believing it might have finally turned a corner. Kansas City is in sole possession of third place in the East with 29 points, one better than the Red Bulls.
The Red Bulls then go on to Chicago on Saturday and New England the following Saturday. It's a difficult stretch, but Arena has a goal set.
"Three wins would make me drunk, I'm sure," he said. "I think if you get four points out of three games on the road would be terrific."
Arena said his roster isn't complete and the Red Bulls are close to finalizing a deal for winger Markus Schopp from Red Bull Salzburg.
Dylan Butler is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
