The New York Red Bulls will play the final game of a dismal 2009 season Saturday against Toronto FC in the last soccer match played at Giants Stadium.
But it will also be the final game of Albert Celades' career. The 34-year-old Spanish midfielder announced his retirement from professional soccer on Friday, ending a 14-year career that included stints at Barcelona and Real Madrid.
"It is time to say goodbye to soccer," Celades said. "I feel blessed to have been part of the most important teams in the world, and I want to thank everyone in the New York Red Bulls organization for giving me the opportunity to play in the United States and MLS. Now, for my family and I, it is time to go back home."
Celades made his professional debut in 1995 for Barcelona and won a pair of La Liga and Spanish Cup titles as well as the 1997-98 UEFA Super Cup championship. He moved to Real Madrid where he also won a pair of La Liga championships, as well as the 2002 UEFA Champions League crown.
He was signed by the Red Bulls on March 16 and started 13 of the 16 matches he appeared in, finishing second on the team with three assists.
After 13 years of calling Giants Stadium home, the Red Bulls will play their last game at the historic venue before moving into Red Bull Arena, the 25,000-seat soccer-specific stadium in Harrison, N.J., next season.
"It's a phenomenal stadium. It has a lot of history," Juan Pablo Angel said. "Although I haven't been the biggest fan of the surface we play on, it's been a great experience to be part of being able to play in that venue. I'm personally looking forward to Red Bull Arena. I think it's going to be the best stadium in this country. I am pretty sure it's going to change the perspective of everybody in the New York/New Jersey area in terms of soccer."
Veteran Mike Petke has a lot of great memories of playing at Giants Stadium, but knowing that Red Bull Arena is right around the corner makes him less than nostalgic about leaving the structure behind.
"When I'm driving to Harrison next year to play in a beautiful new stadium, I'm not going to give a look toward East Rutherford to be honest with you," he said. "I had great memories, but it's time to go move on."
And Petke and the Red Bulls want nothing more than to close out the season, and the stadium, with a win.
The Red Bulls are winless in their last five games since their first back-to-back wins of the season when Richie Williams took over as interim coach. They've long been guaranteed of the worst record in MLS this season, but the Red Bulls know Toronto FC is still in the playoff hunt and desperate for a win. That's additional motivation for Petke.
"Our season is over, as far as playoffs and forward progress," Petke said. "However, to go out not only with a win and to knock out a conference rival out of the playoffs would be a great feeling and I'm looking forward to it. I can speak for myself only when I say I'm taking this game Saturday as an important game, the most important of our season."
Dylan Butler is a contributor to MLSnet.com.
