RED BULLS TANGLE WITH KANSAS CITY:
The New York Red Bulls will play their seventh road game out their last eight matches when they battle the Kansas City Wizards on Thursday night at 8 PM ET in their first trip to the CommunityAmerica Ballpark (TV: MSG, Radio: WADO 1280).
This will be the second and final regular season matches between the Eastern Conference rivals. On May 17, the Red Bulls drew 1-1 at Giants Stadium. Kansas City went ahead in the 20th minute after Jimmy Conrad blasted a header past goalkeeper Jon Conway. However, rookie midfielder Danleigh Borman found the back of the net for his second time in as many games nine minutes from time, putting away a Juan Pablo Angel feed. The Red Bulls were down to 10 men at that point after Dave van den Bergh was given a red card in the 77th minute.
The Red Bulls dominated the shots (20-12) and shots on goal (10-2) categories but goalkeeper Kevin Hartman had a solid performance, stopping seven shots for the visitors. Red Bulls head coach Juan Carlos Osorio was ejected from the match in the 84th minute for dissent.
New York is 14-13-9 all-time against Kansas City, which lies in last place in the Eastern Conference with a 4-5-5 record (17 pts.) and three points behind New York, but with a game in hand. The Wizards are coming off a 1-1 draw against FC Dallas last Friday at Pizza Hut Park. Scott Sealy scored his second goal of the season in the first half, but an Abe Thompson strike in the 91st minute helped give the hosts a point.
THIRD OF SIX THURSDAYS:
This marks the third of six Thursday matches for the Red Bulls. So far the team is 1-0-1 in Thursday fixtures, posting a 1-1 draw away at BMO Field on May, and posting a clean sheet, 1-0, win over Chivas USA at Giants Stadium on June 5.
QUICK RED BULLS-WIZARDS FACTS:
The New York-Kansas City rivalry dates back to the first year of the League in 1996. New York has earned a 14-13-9 record and has gone 3-1-3 in their last seven against Kansas City.
Here are some other facts:
• Clint Mathis leads New York with seven all-time goals against Kansas City. For the Wizards, Chris Klein (currently a member of the L.A. Galaxy) and Preki are tied with five goals versus New York.
• Dave van den Bergh is the only current Red Bull to have played for Kansas City, as he entered MLS with the Wizards in June 2006. He played in 13 games for KC, making 13 starts and tallying three goals and two assists. That season, he started three games against New York, scoring against the Red Bulls (his final goal as a Wizard), in New York's 3-2 win at Giants Stadium on Oct. 14. (Amado Guevara scored a hat trick in that game, which is the last New York hat trick). He was acquired by New York from Kansas City in exchange for a 2007 third round Supplemental Draft pick on Jan. 11, 2007.
• Wizards midfielder Kerry Zavagnin is the only former New York player on Kansas City, as he was drafted by New York in 1997 and played a combined 39 games over two seasons, notching two assists.
• Luke Sassano and two Wizards players, Tyson Wahl and Eric Kronberg, were teammates at Cal-Berkeley, as the trio played together in the 2004 and 2005 seasons, advancing to two NCAA Tournament, including an Elite Eight appearance in 2005.
• Red Bulls defender Andrew Boyens will also see a familiar face on the Kansas City roster, as he teamed up with Lance Watson at the University of New Mexico in 2004 and 2005. In 2004, the duo won the league title and advanced to the Round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament, posting a 17-1-2 record, before repeating as league champs and advancing to the NCAA Title match in 2005 with an 18-2-3 record.
• Kansas City Technical Director Peter Vermes was the captain of the New York franchise in the inaugural MLS season, 1996.
• Last season, forward Juan Pablo Angel tallied five goals in three matches against Kansas City while Dane Richards tallied two assists in the same three games.
RAPIDS RACE PAST RED BULLS:
A four-goal outburst gave the Colorado Rapids a 4-0 win over the New York Red Bulls at Dick's Sporting Goods Park on Friday night.
Tom McManus got the scoring going in the 24th minute, nodding a ball past goalkeeper Jon Conway to put the hosts ahead. Colorado struck again 12 minutes later when Mehdi Ballouchy got on the end of a Terry Cooke cross and put it in for his first goal of the season.
Colorado made it three when Colin Clark's acute shot in the penalty box found the back of the net four minutes after the break. Omar Cummings wrapped it up later, putting home a McManus through ball.
The Red Bulls are now 1-7-1 all-time on July 4. All nine matches have been on the road, including three against Colorado.
LAST WEEK:
Red Bulls 0 at Crystal Palace Baltimore (USL-2) 2 on July 1 (U.S. Open Cup third round)
Red Bulls 0 at Colorado Rapids 4 on July 4 at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, CO
THIS WEEK:
Red Bulls at Kansas City Wizards on July 10 at 8:30 PM ET at CommunityAmerica Ballpark (TV: MSG; Radio: WADO 1280 AM)
NEXT WEEK:
Red Bulls vs. Los Angeles Galaxy on July 19 at 6:30 PM ET at Giants Stadium (TV: Fox Soccer Channel; Radio: WADO 1280 AM)
OVER 40,000 TICKETS SOLD FOR GALAXY:
The Red Bulls have sold over 40,000 tickets for the 2008 Red Bulls-Galaxy game set for July 19 at Giants Stadium. Last year in front of a record 66,237 fans at Giants Stadium, the Red Bulls earned a historic 5-4 win over the Galaxy. Forward Juan Pablo Angel broke a 4-4 deadlock two minutes from full time with his second goal of the match while Galaxy midfielder David Beckham tallied a pair of assists, playing the entire game. For tickets, call the Red Bulls at 1.877.RBSOCCER or log onto www.newyorkredbulls.com.
HALFWAY MARK:
The Red Bulls are now officially at the midway point of the season. Here is how their current 5-5-5 (20 pts.) record compares with the past six seasons through 15 games:
2008: 5-5-5 20 pts.
2007: 7-5-3 24 pts.
2006: 2-5-8 14 pts. (played 32 games in season)
2005: 5-4-6 21 pts.
2004: 5-6-4 19 pts.
2003: 7-4-4 25 pts.
2002: 6-7-2 20 pts. (played 28 games in season)
FLYING BACK:
Red Bulls forward Juan Pablo Angel made his return to the team after missing almost a month due to a left hamstring strain. Angel came on in the second half of the Red Bulls' 4-0 loss to Colorado last Friday, playing 45 minutes.
Angel, who has scored two goals this season, has recently been put up for a number of awards. Angel is among the six nominees for the 2008 ESPY Award for Best MLS Player, ESPN announced Thursday, July 3. Angel joins fellow nominees Luciano Emilio (D.C. United), Matt Reis (New England Revolution), David Beckham (Los Angeles Galaxy), Cuauhtemoc Blanco (Chicago Fire) and the 2007 award-winner, Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy) as finalists for the annual award.
The 16th Annual ESPY Awards will take place on Wednesday, July 16, at the new Nokia Theatre L.A. Live, where Justin Timberlake will serve as the show's host. ESPN will televise the awards show on Sunday, July 20, at 9 p.m. ET.
Fans can place their votes for Angel - as well as the nominees in all 37 award categories - at ESPYS.tv or on their mobile phones. Online voting continues through Saturday, July 12, at 11:59 p.m. ET.
Angel is also among the Major League Soccer players nominated for the first-ever annual "Tecate Premios Deportes" (Tecate Sports Awards) and announced by Univision, official broadcast partner of MLS.
The "Tecate Premios Deportes" awards will be presented during a celebrity-filled "red carpet" celebration at the historic Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, California, and will be broadcast on the Univision Network on Sunday, July 20.
Comprised of Hispanic athletes in ten different categories, the nominees have been selected for their talent, character and perseverance, as well as their contributions to and impact on the Hispanic community. Angel has been nominated as a forward for the All-Star Team of the Year.
The "Tecate Premios Deportes" nominees were selected by a distinguished panel of current and former professional athletes and sports writers, including famed boxer and Houston Dynamo equity partner Oscar de la Hoya, legendary Mexican soccer goalie Jorge Campos, retired NFL player Tony Casillas, NFL Hall of Fame recipient Anthony Muñoz, former Mexican soccer coach Jesus Bracamontes, and Enrique Borja, legendary Mexican forward and team president of the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León (UANL) Tigres.
In 2007, Angel burst upon the Major League Soccer scene after signing with the Red Bulls as a Designated Player on April 17, 2007, after a successful stint with Aston Villa of the English Premier League. In 24 matches, the Colombian striker tallied 19 goals (good for second in MLS) and set new club records for goals in a season, multi-goal games (five), and goals in consecutive games (six from May 19-June 16). A two-time MLS Player of the Month (May and June) and two-time MLS Player of the Week (weeks seven and nine), Angel was a MLS Best XI selection, and was a finalist for MLS MVP and MLS Newcomer of the Year. The leading vote getter for the MLS All-Star Game, he was recognized as the match's MVP after scoring the game-winning goal against Celtic FC in MLS' 2-0 win.
PACK YOUR BAGS:
The Red Bulls have nearly completed an eight-game span in which they play seven on the road. The Red Bulls' match against FC Dallas on Saturday, June 21 was the only home game in that stretch. The run of games includes an exhibition match in Glendale, AZ against Chivas de Guadalajara on Wednesday, June 25 and a third round Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup match last Tuesday. The Red Bulls are 1-4-3 away from Giants Stadium this season and 4-1-2 at home. The Red Bulls are 2-3-2 through seven of the eight games. Following Thursday's match, the team is home for four of its next five matches.
In the last three weeks, the Red Bulls have been forced to play multiple games within the same week. This will be the first time after that span in which the Red Bulls do not play two games in the same week.
ROJAS, PIETRAVALLO JOIN RED BULLS:
Red Bull New York announced Wednesday, July 2 that it has come to personal terms with Venezuelan national team midfielder Jorge Rojas and Argentinean midfielder Juan Pietravallo. Per club and League policy, terms of the deals were not disclosed, and the deals are pending league approval and receipt of P-1 visas. Both players were introduced to the media at the Red Bulls' training facility at Montclair State University Wednesday afternoon.
Rojas, 31, has enjoyed a decorated career in the top leagues in Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuador. He helped Venezuelan First Division side, Caracas FC, to four league titles, was a member of the 2005 Apertura Champion Atletico Nacional side while playing for the Colombian First Division side, and was named the best foreign player in the Ecuadorean First Division while playing with national power Emelec. Prior to joining the Red Bulls, "El Zurdo" played for Venezuelan First Division side, Union Atletico Maracaibo. He has played in over 150 professional matches in some of the top leagues in South America. The 5-10, 165-pound Venezuelan has also earned 82 caps with his national team, and has served as captain for the side in the past. The second most capped player in Venezuelan history, Rojas featured in two International Friendlies for Venezuela recently, scoring a goal in a 1-1 draw with Honduras on May 30, and helped his national side defeated Brazil, 2-0, on June 6 at Gillette Stadium.
Pietravallo, 26, was previously with Greek Super League side, Veria FC, making three appearances. Earlier in the 2007-08 season, Pietravallo played for Belgrano de Córdoba of the Argentina Premier Division.
The 5-9, 155-pound Argentinean started out his career for Argentina First Division side, Velez Sarsfield in 1999 and made a combined 31 appearances for the club over three seasons. He then moved to Olimpo de Bahia Blanco in the same division before joining Leganes of the Spanish Second Division, where he played in 14 matches. Pietravallo has also enjoyed stints at Argentinean First Division sides Gimnasia (2004), Atletico Rafaela (Argentina 2004-05), Quilmes (Argentina, 2005-06) and Nueva Chicago (2006-07).
PARKE MOVES INTO THIRD:
Defender Jeff Parke continued to move up the club's all-time games played and games started list. Parke is now third all-time with a total of 121 matches. He has also started in 115 games.
Midfielder Mike Magee is fifth-place in the club's all-time annals in games played with 117.
Games Played (All-Time)
1. Mike Petke (134)
2. Tony Meola (125)
3. Jeff Parke (121)
4. Steve Jolley (120)
5. Mike Magee (117)
6. Tab Ramos (112)
7. John Wolyniec (110)
8. Amado Guevara (103)
Games Started (All-Time)
1. Mike Petke (129)
2. Tony Meola (125)
3. Jeff Parke (115)
4. Steve Jolley (112)
5. Tab Ramos (105)
IRON MEN:
While there have been many changes to the lineup over the course of the 2008 regular season, two names have always stayed constant. Goalkeeper Jon Conway and defender Kevin Goldthwaite have started every single game for the Red Bulls this season and Conway is the only New York player who has featured in every minute of every regular season game. Jon Conway and Kevin Goldthwaite are the only two Red Bulls to have played in all 15 games this season. Conway has played every minute of every match and Goldthwaite has missed just 81 minutes. Both players have started all 15 fixtures.
CONWAY MOVES INTO RECORD BOOK:
Jon Conway has stopped 151 shots during his tenure as a Red Bull. That total puts his three behind Jonny Walker (154) for fourth on the franchise's all-time list. Mike Ammann stands in third place with 199 saves.
Conway has stopped 151 shots in 3,573 minutes in net for the Red Bulls. Both totals put Conway over the minimum for consideration on the team's all-time goals against average (min. 3,500 minutes) and saves percentage (min. 150 saves) lists. Conway now sits atop both lists and is the fifth goalkeeper to reach the minimums.
Goals Against Average
1. Jon Conway - 1.21
2. Jonny Walker - 1.38
3. Tim Howard - 1.46
4. Tony Meola - 1.64
5. Mike Ammann - 1.89
Save Percentage
1. Jon Conway - 75.9%
2. Tony Meola - 72.9%
3. Tim Howard - 72.8%
4. Jonny Walker - 70.6%
5. Mike Ammann - 62.8%
Should Conway appear against Kansas City, he will move into a tie for fourth with Jonny Walker for games played in goal for New York with 42. Tony Meola leads with 125, followed by Tim Howard (85), and Mike Ammann (46).
GAME POSTPONED:
The Red Bulls-Wizards MLS Reserve League match set for Friday has been postponed to a to-be-determined date.
INDIVIDUAL TICKETS ON SALE FOR GALAXY AND FC BARCELONA:
Individual tickets are on sale for all remaining Red Bulls regular league matches, including the Los Angeles Galaxy match on July 19 through Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster.com and the Red Bulls front office by calling 1.877.RBSOCCER. Individual tickets for the FC Barcelona match went on sale July 1 through Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster.com and the Red Bulls front office by calling 1.877.RBSOCCER.
THE BLOG:
Get the latest in-depth and behind-the-scenes info through the New York Red Bulls' official team blog, Red Bulls Reader at http://www.redbullsreader.blogspot.com/.
RED BULLS ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS TO TRAIN IN YOUR TOWN:
The Red Bulls, already a community relations leader among Metropolitan New York sports franchises, is now offering a unique opportunity for local communities. The club is now accepting applications to have the team hold a training session on at a local facility. This is an amazing opportunity for local communities to have a professional sports team hold a regular season training session in their town. Having MLS stars like Juan Pablo Angel, Claudio Reyna, and Jon Conway participating in a full training session on a local field is a chance that should not be passed up!
