NEW YORK RED BULLS vs. COLUMBUS CREW
GIANTS STADIUM, E. Rutherford, N.J.
April 5, 2008 | 7:30 p.m. ET (FSC/FSE)
WEEK # 2 | GAME # 9
The final team to begin the 2008 MLS season, the New York Red Bulls, opens a new era when they play host to the Columbus Crew at Giants Stadium. The Red Bulls are guided by the 11th coach in club history, Juan Carlos Osorio, who took over in the offseason after leading the Chicago Fire to a late-season charge a year ago. The Crew come into the match after an impressive 2-0 victory against Toronto FC at home to kickoff their new season.
REFEREE: Alex Prus. SAR (bench): Greg Barkey; JAR (opposite): Bill Dittmar; 4th: Jorge Gonzalez
MLS Career: 122 games; FC/gm: 30.1; Y/gm: 3.4; R: 27; pens: 39
Games involving Red Bulls: P16 W7 L6 T3; FC/gm: 28.8; Y/gm: 3.3; R: 4; pens: 6
Games involving Crew: P17 W6 L10 T1; FC/gm: 28.5; Y/gm: 2.9; R: 3; pens: 8
INJURY REPORT: NEW YORK RED BULLS - OUT: DF Eric Brunner (nasal fracture); DF Hunter Freeman (R ankle sprain); MF Dane Richards (R MCL tear); MF David Roth (L knee surgery) ... COLUMBUS CREW - OUT: DF Ryan Junge (R hamstring strain); DF Jed Zayner (L groin strain)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
SUSPENDED: none
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (43 meetings): Red Bulls 19 wins, 59 goals ... Crew 19 wins, 51 goals ... Ties 5
AT NEW YORK (21 meetings): Red Bulls 10 wins, 27 goals ... Crew 8 wins, 21 goals ... Ties 3
• This is the first of three meetings between the teams this season, the first of two at Giants Stadium - and the only one until nearly the end of the season. The clubs next meet on Sept. 18 at Crew Stadium, then conclude their season series in the penultimate weekend of the season, Oct. 18 at the Meadowlands.
LAST YEAR (MLS):
4/7: CLB 0, NY 0
5/19: NY 4, CLB 0 (Wolyniec 17; Mathis 51; Angel 61; Caccavale 90)
6/30: CLB 1, NY 0 (Kamara 69)
• The teams split their season series last year, each team winning once (each at home), with the third meeting a draw. The teams opened the 2007 season against each other with a scoreless draw in Columbus.
• The Crew's last victory in East Rutherford came in the first meeting between the teams in 2003. In the eight meetings in the Meadowlands since, New York has won five.
• One team has been shutout in each of the last seven meetings in the series - covering the span of the last two seasons. Two of those games have been scoreless draws (the first meeting in both the 2006 and 2007 seasons).
• Coaches record: Juan Carlos Osorio vs. CLB: P2 W1 L0 D1 ... Sigi Schmid v NY: P21 W7 L10 D4
NEW YORK RED BULLS
The New York Red Bulls will begin their new season at home when they take on the Columbus Crew. Juan Carlos Osorio assumed the reins as the club's 11th coach in its history, taking over for former U.S. national team manager Bruce Arena, who was dismissed in the offseason.
• The Red Bulls completed their preseason last Saturday night with a 1-0 victory against the Carolina RailHawks of the USL Second Division last Saturday night. The game's lone goal came on a tremendous strike from Dave van den Bergh in the 27th minute.
• Here's Osorio's team: Jon Conway, Kevin Goldthwaite, Jeff Parke, Chris Leitch, Danleigh Borman (Kevin Mesa 72), Dave van den Bergh, Sinisa Ubiparapovic, Luke Sassano (Carlos Mendes 57), Claudio Reyna (Eric Brunner 76), Jozy Altidore (John Wolyniec 57), Oscar Echeverry
• The Red Bulls concluded their preseason with three victories and two draws in eight matches. The win in Carolina came after two draws and a loss at the Carolina Challenge Cup in Charleston, S.C., which also featured the San Jose Earthquakes and Toronto FC.
• "It's really hard to tell in preseason," Juan Pablo Angel said. "Preseason is very deceiving sometimes. The preseason is for us to get fit, to get our fitness level at a stage that will carry on for the rest of the year. So I'm not too concerned about results. Obviously, it's always nice to win and it builds up confidence and stuff like that."
• Osorio is expected to begin the season in a 3-5-2 scheme, looking to add numbers to the attack to create chances.
• "There are still things that ... I'm not completely happy about and one of them is playing from the back," Osorio said. "The defenders have been asked to play football rather than just defend. That is a completely different game. It takes brave players to do that. And hopefully, we'll get the players to do it and provide the base to have a successful season."
• Dave van den Bergh, a wide left player throughout the entirety of his time so far in MLS, has featured in a deep-lying central midfield role. It's meant Claudio Reyna has played a bit more forward during preseason.
• "I played a little bit in midfield, a little bit up front, for me it is between one of those three center positions," Reyna said. "It felt nice to be playing a little bit forward in that position closer to Juan (Pablo Angel) and Oscar (Echeverry) and eventually Jozy (Altidore) as well. You get to kind of link up more and be in the final third."
• For much of the spring, Altidore was with the U.S. under-23 national team, and Oscar Echeverry teamed with Juan Pablo Angel in attack. "Jozy wasn't here during the preseason, now that he's back we would like to start working on our partnership," Angel said. Said Osorio: "I think the partnership will continue growing. They understand each other better and they will get the best out of each other. If that is the case we will have very good chances against anyone in MLS."
• But to begin the season, Osorio has already had to make adjustments because of injury. Dane Richards, a finalist for rookie of the year last year, will be sidelined for three months after suffering a torn right MCL in a match against sister club Red Bull Salzburg earlier in March. Hunter Freeman was next on the depth chart, but he sprained his left ankle in an Olympic qualifier and will be out 4-6 weeks.
• As was the case last year when Richards replaced Markus Schopp, a rookie will start on the right side of midfield as Luke Sassano will get the nod against the Crew. "He's one of those players who does the basics really well," Osorio said. "He controls the ball very well, he passes the ball really well and on the other side he competes really well, he likes the competition and he thrives on challenge. He has the tools to be a very good player. He has really instantly become one of the players here."
COLUMBUS CREW
The Columbus Crew got their 13th season off to the best possible start, getting a goal in each half on their way to a 2-0 victory against Toronto FC last Saturday afternoon at Crew Stadium in the first game in the 2008 MLS season. The Crew are tied with Kansas City and New England atop the Eastern Conference heading into the second week, the three teams all coming away with wins on First Kick 2008.
LAST MATCH
• The Crew and Toronto FC were meeting in the first game of the MLS season for the Trillium Cup, which will be presented to the winner of the season series between the clubs.
• The honor of scoring the first goal of the new season fell to Columbus midfielder Adam Moffat in the 26th minute. Brian Carroll lofted a ball over the TFC backline, and Moffat ran onto it, taking a touch before letting fly from well outside the area. His bounding shot beat Toronto 'keeper Brian Edwards low inside his right-hand post.
• Just before the break, Danny O'Rourke was adjudged to have knocked over Jeff Cunningham in the Crew penalty area. But Crew 'keeper Will Hesmer got down to his left to stop Collin Samuel's penalty area, and Moffat was quickest to the rebound as it sat in the goal area, lumping it away to safety.
• The Crew finished off the match in the 76th minute. Eddie Gaven's perfect through ball from midfield found Alejandro Moreno in behind the TFC line, and the Venezuelan strolled in before calmly slotting his shot past Edwards to the 'keeper's left.
• Adam Moffat was given the start in the center of midfield with Brian Carroll holding, as Guillermo Barros Schelotto played as the second forward, underneath Alejandro Moreno.
• Here's Schmid's team (4-1-3-1-1): Will Hesmer - Frankie Hejduk, Chad Marshall, Danny O'Rourke, Stefani Miglioranzi - Brian Carroll - Robbie Rogers (Brad Evans 80), Adam Moffat, Eddie Gaven - Guillermo Barros Schelotto (Andy Iro 89) - Alejandro Moreno. Substitutes Not Used: Jason Garey, Leonard Griffin, Andy Gruenebaum, Ezra Hendrickson, Duncan Oughton
• "Obviously, we're happy with three points at home. Anytime you can get three points, we'll take it. The biggest thing for our team - and we're still a young team in a lot of aspects - is just getting our confidence," Schmid said. "I thought our play was good in the first half. In the second half, I thought they took it to us a little bit. As your confidence grows, everything else falls into place and play follows."
TEAM NEWS
• Moffat gained man of the match honors, scoring the first goal in the new season and then clearing away the penalty kick. The Scotland native played just one match in 2007, the entire 90 minutes in the season-concluding 3-2 victory against D.C. United, after being signed from the Cleveland City Stars in September.
• "What you see is what you get with Adam Moffat," Schmid said. "He's a two-way player. He battles, he fights, he scraps. He tries to get on the end of things both ways and he's solid that way."
• Moffat is just one of a number of young players Schmid ran out for the opener - and the Crew boss said the victory will only help their continuing maturation.
• "As the team gets results, that confidence will grow. You have to remember still, Robbie Rogers is 20, Eddie Gaven is 21, Adam Moffat is 21, Chad Marshall is 23, Danny O'Rourke is 24, Brian Carroll is 26 ... That is a pretty good young nucleus there that just has to get the confidence and grow together," he said to the Columbus Dispatch.
• In addition, Schmid started some players in somewhat new positions. Danny O'Rourke, a defensive midfielder for nearly the entirety of his professional career, started in central defense. Stefani Miglioranzi returned to left back, where he saw some time last year, though nominally a midfielder. Moffat was given the driving midfield role with Schelotto underneath, and Eddie Gaven and Robbie Rogers license to attack from wide positions.
• "Let's be honest, there were times last year where we didn't seem to really know what we were doing on the field," Moreno said to the Dispatch. "But I think everybody knows their role and, at least for today, we did quite well."
• It was the second consecutive season the Crew opened the year with a shutout. Last year, they played to a scoreless draw with the Red Bulls in Columbus.
• "You just can't give enough credit to our defensive line," said goalkeeper Will Hesmer. "Stefani (Miglioranzi) filling in and Danny O'Rourke and Chad Marshall have been great. Last year, when we had Chad Marshall, we were really, really good defensively. So as long as he can stay healthy, and Danny O'Rourke gives us speed back there. And Frankie (Hejduk) is Frankie. Frankie, he is looking good every day. We are looking good back there."
• After the trip to New York, the Crew return home to face Chivas USA in two weeks. "We wanted to set a standard for home games, and get in people's faces," said Moffat. "We don't want anyone coming here thinking they're going to have an easy game. We want them to fear coming here."
