We should have seen Red…

Has anyone ever seen such awful officiating at a professional sports match? I’m not talking about one blown call either, the whole game was terrible. My fiancée is a bit more cynical and said that she thought that the ref was biased towards the Revs. I don’t really go for that. I would like to believe that there is some professional integrity at this level of the game, but I was proven wrong earlier in the year when Jair Marrufo was suspended for accepting a signed Blanco jersey. Either way, the swamp got to witness one of the most bizarre spectacles of refereeing that I have ever seen, and one that fits in nicely with the history of the horrid that has been home to our beloved Metro for far too many years. Seriously, when was the last time you saw a ref take a player down in the box?

I was sitting there with my usual optimistic attitude throughout the first half, but something in my gut was starting to sour. Jorge Rojas was underperforming again and it was hurting the entire team. His inability to hold the ball or pass made him a useless outlet making the team too predictable in the attack and overmatched on defense. I was starting to wonder why Richie was allowing him to play as long as he had. The previous week saw an abysmal performance from Rojas go unnoticed as he was able to complete the game, my gut told me it would be more of the same this time around. My faith was renewed when after the half, Rojas was nowhere to be found. Instead, Celades was brought in and the tam shifted to a 3-5-2 with Danleigh moving up the left wing. I was more than a little nervous because the backline only held one quick player in Jeremy Hall, but the line performed admirably under the circumstances and put in a strong and gutsy performance.

The attack came together after the half too. Multiple chances from the Bulls right out of the gate put a tremendous amount of pressure on the young Revs backline. Kevin Alston did a remarkable job on anyone who came down his side, but Jay Heaps and Emmanuel Osei were showing fatigue and cracks in what seemed like an impenetrable armor in the first half. Osei got away with a horrific foul in the box that surprisingly didn’t cripple Woly, but the ref ignored it like it was a dive. Woly, who doesn’t have a reputation for diving writhed on the ground, and the ref motioned for him to get up and play. It was disgraceful, but the game went on. Woly eventually leveled the match from a beautiful cross from Dane, but he sacrificed his body to do so. To me, the play looked like Matt Reis stuck out his hand to push Woly after he had already scored, causing him to fall and twist his ankle. It should have been a straight red card, but again the ref willfully ignored the play.

The kicker to the whole match was that we should have won it. Mac continues to have problems finishing anything but easy tap-ins, and this time it came back to bite us hard. His breakaway miss was unforgivable. It must have been about four feet wide. C’est la vie. It was a good point against the Revs who never looked dangerous in the second half. It was more than evident that they were missing Twellman as their strikers were pretty awful all night. This week we continue in Spoilerquest ’09 with a trip to the Home Depot Center to take on a struggling Chivas team that should give us a hard time but more than likely we can escape with a point. I am looking forward to seeing a Mbuta/Kandji tandem up top if Angel is still not ready to go. In my opinion, keep him out until he has healed. We have nothing to play for so risking further injury to the star striker is just plain stupid, even if he wants to play. The best players on the field this week were Luke Sassano, Albert Celades, Woly, Richards and Boyens. They each played with a lot of heart, a rarity during you-know-who’s era as coach.

One last thing, my uncle and I were talking during the game. He is highly critical of anything that Stammler does on the field, even if a mistake is followed up by 45 minutes of tremendous effort and skill. So this week, Stammler had the job dreaded by all mids in the league: a one on one with Sharlie Joseph. Stammler got knocked around a bit by the incredibly gifted Joseph and my uncle says, He is terrible. Joseph is just having his way with him. With Stammler on the field it is an advantage for the other team. This made me laugh. I asked him which of the Red Bulls players could even match the superior Joseph, who is one of, if not the best, holding midfielder in the league. He has no reply. Then I thought, scratch that, who in the league could even match his athleticism. No reply. It made me laugh quite a bit. It would be like comparing the Orlando Pirates to Chelsea or Barcalona, it is a different class. Joseph is just that good.

Anyway, until next time….

GO RED BULLS!

KC and the Overcast to Light Rain Band

It was a rough loss last Saturday. Neither team looked like a winner out there. It was the first time that Richie Williams’ squad had lost this year and it showed a glaring lack of depth that had manifested itself under the careless guard of both JCO and Jeff Agoof. The team was officially eliminated from the playoffs and any pressure on the player’s shoulders has doubled as they are each trying to secure jobs for next year when the big and beautiful Red Bull Arena opens.

The defense had a shaky game because of some uncharacteristically bad play from Danleigh Borman. Borman in recent weeks has been one of the hardest working players on the field, defending well and getting forward effectively. He made quite a few errors and it in turn made the defensive line into a slanted line that should have exposed Dane Richards for his lack of marking, but it didn’t. Borman’s gaffe aside, the defense played quite well throughout despite giving up an early goal. The goal was a product of a terrible play from Jorge Rojas. As the ball was coming down he tried to trap it instead of clearing it and gave it up to a full speed burst forward from Claudio Lopez and Josh Wolfe. The resulting 2 on none was slowed down by a great stop from Bouna, but he was left in no man’s land on the rebound and surrendered the goal.

The atrocious play from Rojas throughout the night was the first troubling decision that I had seen from Williams this year (The last three games). Rojas was by far the worst player on the field all night, but he finished out the 90 even though there were options on the bench. Maybe Rojas’ days are already numbered and he has nothing to play for, but these terrible mistakes he continues to make are a sign of a player with a low soccer IQ. Time and time again Rojas has gotten caught off guard and left the team in a bad situation. One of the best examples, besides this past weekend’s stunning piece of evidence, was from a game away against Columbus last year. With the Bulls up 1-0, Hejduk received the ball at just about the top of the box. He faked the cross and Rojas got caught leaving his feet to block it, giving Frankie plenty of time to get around him and fire a gorgeous shot into the net.

On the positive side of things, I liked what I saw out of Oebster, but it is pretty clear that he is undersized and suffering from it. His service into the box is very nice, but I don’t think he will be here next year to grow. Speaking of growing, Mac Kandji continues to make strides to becoming a strong forward, but he needs to have someone kick him in the ass and break him of his selfish play. He tries to involve himself in too much of what is happening in the midfield and it makes his forward play suffer. Some of the reasons this can be fixed are making sure that the coach is mindful of this, which he is, but service from the midfield has been very poor this year, forcing Mac to come back to get the ball. Both of these problems can be totally neutralized before the start of next season.

The bad service came from Seth Stammler as much as anybody, but I have a feeling that he is not as close to 100% as he has let on. His performance last night reminded me of a particularly bad run of form from the end of last season. It was later identified that Stammler was playing through an injury and it showed in a big way. The same thing was true this time. He is one of three or four Red Bulls who have really given it their all this year so he gets a free pass.
For now, I’m sticking with Richie. I like what he has done with the team that he has and I think that if he is brought back next year, the changes he makes in the offseason will benefit the club and get them back into being at least a mid to upper level team in this league. That’s all for now.

GO RED BULLS!

Sorry for the delay

A little bit later than expected, but I have had internet troubles as of late. Let’s see, what has happened. Well for starters, the Bulls finally won a game! I am still a bit shocked. What else. New Coach, for now, new strategy and new stadium. That last one is a bit of a stretch, but that thing is coming along nicely. I look longingly into the webcam day after day, unable to believe that it is finally happening. Should be terrific when it is all said and done. Anyway, let’s talk about the FC Dallas game.

Is it just me, or did this look like a brand new team? They held some possession, fought hard to get to some 50/50 balls, and scored multiple goals. Nothing about that sentence could be found in the first 5 months of the season. It might be too late to make any of this count, but it is really nice to see a team on the field as opposed to a bunch of players. I was very impressed with the work put in by Angel and Richards who have been having bad years compared to our pre season expectations. I used to be a big John W. hater, but in recent weeks, he has shown to be the hardest working player on the team. He is certainly not the most skilled, but he really pulls his weight. His hold up and pass play in the box on Dane’s goal was marvelous.

The defense could still use some work. It was all bad luck Bulls on that first goal, I really think that Goldthwaite made a nice play, but it took a misfortunate deflection. Danny was off his line too far for my liking and got beat by a pretty light header. The ball was placed beautifully in both the cross and the finish, but I think Danny should have had that one. No worries though. The second goal was a bit of a freak occurrence as well. DVDB punished the defense for sitting back a bit too far with a wicked shot, can’t blame Danny for that one. Jeremy had a pretty good game, and Danleigh played out of his skull. All day long he made good tackles and passed well. His cross into Woly in the first half was gorgeous. All it was missing was a great finish.

What spurred this change? I think several factors need to be taken into account. After reading reports this week, even though Osorio was liked, he was not a coach that the team was behind. His practices were erratic and lacked consistency. His inability to tactically prepare the team week after week made the players lose confidence. The change was necessary and one that I had been championing since May. The players didn’t just respond to the change up top, they also finally got sick of all the shit everyone was talking about them. The fans, the media, the league, just about everybody was taking shots at them. The players finally stood together and made their stand.

Another big factor was that this was a very winnable game. Dallas has played well in recent weeks, but it has been the product of an overachieving Jeff Cunningham and a solid defense. They have had lapses in the last couple of weeks, but they have been bailed out by some good fortune ala Metro’s run to the cup last year. Dallas also suffered from a bit of overhype from within. They had two very solid showing against Houston and Kansas City and their confidence was high. Their loss to Columbus was a bit tragic for the team which kept pretty much level in stats throughout. With a bit of regrouping, they started to look at their playoff chances, and that meant beating DC in Dallas after they took care of RB. It was a trap game.

For Metro, it was a desperately needed victory over all that has plagued them this year. This could be a moth emerging from it’s cocoon, ready to face the world stronger then ever, or it could be a fluke in a season full of misery. Columbus is next up and they got ripped to pieces last night by Cruz Azul. That could mean big trouble for little soft drink. I have a feeling that it will be a tough tie this weekend, but it will continue to build the broken bulls confidence as the season closes out. I expect that we will be able to escape from the bottom of the MLS funky barrel of humility, but I don’t know by how much. If the team can hold together and become a unit, then we will see the Bulls play a very effective spoiler role for the rest of the year. The best possible story would be to win out and somehow make the playoffs. It won’t happen, it is impossible, there are too many teams on the cusp of the playoffs for it to happen, but it would be great wouldn’t it. Anyway, until next time. GO RED BULLS!

More To Come…

Holy cow! The Bulls won a game. The change in the coaching staff seems to have paid off. Richie Williams got a team on the field that wanted to play, but how? I will be offering up a longer article tomorrow, for now, enjoy it.

Mike, get your own ideas!

I was surfing soccernet and I ran into Petke’s latest blog. Looks like he is taking a page out of my playbook. Has he been reading my stuff? I hope so.

Crazy?

This may sound a bit crazy but I have tried all of my other “tactics” to help the team change it’s fortunes. I refuse to report on the sinking ship until they win another game. That may mean that this is my last post of the season.

Seattle was meh….

Luck of the draw seems like a pretty appropriate phrase. Hot damn did we get lucky this weekend. What is it about Danny Cepero that the posts like so much? This weekend’s game was quite fitting for the visitors. Doesn’t it feel like we are living in Seattle. The weather, much like this team, will satisfy in the future, but how long are we going to have to wait? The biggest questions for me this week is when are we going to be getting rid of the dead weight? Is there time to save the season? The answer is no, but we could go a long way to securing our future with the right moves in the next couple of weeks.

This weekend’s game was disappointing, although the result is far better than our last meeting with Seattle. The result is misleading though because they could have had 3 more goals if it wasn’t for some really bad luck on their end. We of course didn’t come up with any great offensive moves, but a terrible blunder towards the end of the first half put us up, until the exact same thing robbed us of a lead going into the half for the first time since we played San Jose way back at the beginning of May. I can’t blame Jeremy for collecting the ball because it wasn’t going to roll out, but I have always been a fan of the mantra, when in doubt, kick it out. It was a rookie mistake, one of the few I have seen him commit this year, so he gets a pass, even if it cost us two points. Regardless, that was a great play by Montero, he really is insanely good.

I don’t have a whole lot to say about the game otherwise. I thought we played a solid defensive game, and a very poor offensive one. I was also unhappy with the ref but what else is new? I just felt that he was not very consistent and the game got out of hand at times. Freddy had quite a few bad tackles that were very dangerous and he didn’t even get a card for any of them. The refs in this league need to remember that the player’s well being is part of their job and it needs to be included in their decision making. That’s all for now, TFC rematch this week should be interesting, but I don’t have a good feeling about it either way. Once we get a player who can be the general in the midfield, we’ll be in much better shape.

Giuseppe Rossi vs Mentz!

ConfedCup

As Confederations Cup begins in South Africa I have realized two things after watching the first four games. First of all, while the United States has made strides toward shortening the gap between it and super nations like Italy, Brazil or Spain; it still has ways to go before we can consider ourselves on that level. Secondly,
Don Garber needs to work on the scheduling conflicts to allow our terrible MLS referees to return back to US soil.

If you haven’t seen the game and just saw the final score of 3-1 and a USA red card you really didn’t get a good idea of how the game was played. The boys showed plenty of hustle in the first half and were rewarded with a lead against the reigning World Cup 2006 champions. Then the official decided that he was tired of watching the first quality match of the tournament and upgraded an obvious yellow card to a hellish red card that ruined any chance the stars and stripes had to continue playing at the pace they were.

For the record I’m not one of those delirious supporters that doesn’t know my country’s weaknesses. I’m not claiming we would have won the game and shutout a world class team like Italy, but we could have, and that means a lot to Sam’s Army. The first half we imposed our physical strength and won balls in the midfield consistently. In the second half we looked so exhausted and Italy played keep away as they progressively moved the ball up the field. It was demoralizing to watch players like Spector and Bornstein giving it their all only to get beaten by truly spectacular goals.

And who else would beat us with a “brace” then Teaneck, New Jersey born and bred Giuseppe Rossi. The twenty year old, ex Manchester United and current Villareal/Jozy Altidore teammate, Rossi scored two brilliant goals in only 35 or so minutes of play. The question of whether he would celebrate if he scored against the States was answered quickly. Apparently the saying “Act like you’ve been there before” isn’t in his vocabulary. Then again, let’s be honest, it’s not really in any of the Italians’.

So after bailing on his birth country in national team duty and the lack of humbleness he showed on yesterday he has put himself into the same category as a Blanco for Mexico or previously DeRossi of Italy. But hey, enough about him, I looked at Tuesday’s match a positive for our guys.

With the exception of Donovan’s free kick attempts I thought he played like he always does for us, great all around. There was never a doubt on that penalty, which is nice to have on your side. Jozy played a solid game and drew the penalty that lead to the halftime lead. He and Michael Bradley had golden opportunities that they didn’t make the most of in the first half, but shit happens.

In continuing the evaluation I would say Bradley had a good game overall. He filled in for a long while in an empty midfield once Ricardo Clark was thrown out via Red Card. Benny Feilhaber’s game troubled me. This was great chance to keep the momentum going after a good game against Honduras, but he as well as Clint Dempsey were virtually invisible on the pitch. With Maurice Edu injured and Mastroeni not with the team (too old at this point), we clearly missed a defensive presence outside of Bradley. This gets me excited; we can welcome Jermaine Jones to the already solid US Midfield pool. From what I hear he is the best defensive midfielder in the Bundesliga and as far as I’m concerned, if you’ve even dressed for Germany you’re getting a shot for my team!

The defense played their asses off. Besides Bornstein’s called off own goal I thought this was a statement game for him in by far our weakest link in the lineup. Spector also did a great job on the right but looked dead tired and I question Bob Bradley’s confidence in Marvell Wynne after that atrocious qualifier performance he had. Gooch did a great job as always and I really hope Fulham FC gives him a shot next season with the big boys.

Overall we looked like a team progressing. We most likely will never have that Cristiano Ronaldo or Kaka that can make defenses quiver, but if we can continue to play well as a team I could see us becoming what the Netherlands or Croatia is. A bunch of B+ players that play well with each other and truly have pride in representing their country. I think we’re taking a step in the right direction, but then again ask me after we play Brazil lol.

-Mentz

A trip to the Frozen North confirms suspicion that the season is lost.

I understand the plight of the battered woman. How many times have you seen it? A woman who “loves” a man so much that she will allow him to treat her like dirt and slap her around but takes no action against it. Instead she claims that he loves her and that it is her fault that she keeps getting beaten, not his. For so long I have looked at situations like this with only pity. The last four months have filled me with understanding for the plight of the abused. Halfway through the season the Red Bulls sit with just 9 points and double digit losses and still have quite a few road games to go. I continually return to watch the games week after week with a heavy heart, and I am rewarded with an atrocious performance again and again. But you don’t understand, they love me, I just haven’t been as enthusiastic recently. It’s my fault, no need to press charges.

This recent game against Toronto was the kind of loss I prefer. Destroy my confidence early so that you can’t let me down. In all seriousness, there is nothing worse than tuning into a game and then watching your beloved give up a penalty in the first five minutes of a game, for the second time this year. The handball was debatable but that rule is all kinds of grey. Reading a players intent is something that is really only clear in very few cases. All a ref needs to see is the ball hit an arm and a penalty is going to be awarded. While I hate that it happened to us, it was not an unfairly awarded call. It took any wind that might be in Metro’s sails out and that was the game.

The recent failing has been particularly hard to deal with when the club vows allegiance to the man at the helm. Juan Carlos Osorio is not the answer to any of our problems. Unless said problem is how to throw away the season losing more games than anyone in the history of the league. I complain about Osorio a lot, but he has done several things that have killed team moral. In the past he has talked about players and their inabilities and hurting player moral on a much smaller level, but now he is calling out the whole team. Seriously, how do you play for a coach who constantly talks about how the whole team just isn’t getting it done? When a system isn’t working and the players are not performing in the system, you must change the system. If you can’t find a system that fits your team, then you are a lousy coach, end of story. What is even worse is, most of these players are players that he brought to the team, so if they aren’t getting it done, it is only a condemnation of his ability to recognize and hone talent.

The most blatant example I can think of is Mac Kandji. The guy is full of raw talent, but he is not being coached. Instead of becoming a better finisher, his skill has seemed to take a giant leap backwards. He isn’t passing the ball and he continues to shoot off target while he is barely being pressured. A good coach would recognize this and try to fix it, but that isn’t happening. Alfredo Pacheco was taken out of the game again this past weekend, and when he left, the team had less possession and couldn’t get a dangerous attack going. Adding John Wolyniec to a game may introduce someone who can be dangerous, but he is not going to help the team hold the ball and he certainly isn’t going to create any opportunities for his team mates. So where is the logic in the move? I liken it to removing the gas tank from a race car so that it weighs less and can travel faster.

In the end, this is just another chapter in the misery of the Bull’s season and this game was no worse than some of the others I have watched over the last couple, but the increasing trend that once the Bulls go down a goal, they can’t come back. They are spineless and I think that starts and ends with having a poor leader in JCO. If I were a betting man, I would have lost a great deal of money on JCO keeping his job after 6 straight games without a win and a 5 game losing streak. Logic dictates that Osorio is out the door any day now, but I have a nagging feeling that he will be sticking around for a long time. The schedule isn’t going to get any easier and with 7 points between New York and the next closest team in the standings New England (Who spanked the Bulls last weekend 4-0) the end is nigh. For now I will watch the Confederations Cup and hope against hope that the US is more successful than the odds would suggest. Until next time…..

GO RED BULLS!

CONCACAF Champions League: A Chance for Season Salvation

Written by Mentz

Today the drawing for the CONCACAF Champions League 2009-2010 has been announced. Red Bull New York will be taking on W Connection (from Trinidad & Tobago). So what does this mean to us as RBNY fans? Well I’m here to tell you what it means to me.

While we’ve been left with not much to cheer for as far as quality on the field is concerned*, we have a chance to rectify a terrible domestic campaign with a successful international one. Think of this…

(*extreme overstatement disclaimer)

Every season is almost exactly the same as far as structure is concerned. We play 30 regular season games, if we squeeze into the playoffs it’s a handful more. We compete in the US Open Cup. If we’re lucky we schedule on of the “big boys” on their off-season to come to the States. The way MLS is handled, it is extremely regular season weighted, even though we’re proof that all you need is a seat at the table and anything can happen. Success is determined by points in the league, but while we have pretty much dug ourselves into a hole from which there may be recovering to a playoff birth, we have a chance to do so much more.

Just think about it…

Red Bull New York against Manchester United in the group stage of the Club World Cup! Ok, so maybe that sounds a bit extreme, but it gets me pretty excited at just the thought of competing against the top clubs in a meaningful competition.

And that’s what Champions League is all about. While I’ll still give the edge to Mexico as a league over our own, I’d say we are catching up to them by the day. We may struggle against teams like PUMAS or America, I’d say we have a good chance against the average team from south of the border.

I’ve heard tons of rumors as to what approach we will take in the upcoming summer months to salvage this debacle we call a season. Among them I’ve heard getting European golden boot runner-up Marc Janko from our sister club Red Bull Salzburg in Austria. Signing Dilly Duka from our academy to jump in and make an immediate impact this year. Even Bouna Coundoul’s name has risen as a goalkeeper to compete / replace Jon Conway and Danny Cepero. All of these are great, but besides Janko (which I see as being a long shot) they are attempts to fix the long term.

We have a chance right now to start off on a fresh page and show not just the nation, but the world what our team is made of. So I have a message for Mr. Osorio (if he is even the coach still by the time this is posted). Please focus our efforts on a good showing in something that doesn’t come around every year.

With MLS having no relegation to worry about, I don’t see a reason why we wouldn’t go all out on this competition. Then again the way this season is going they may initiate relegation with USL this season with our recent run of luck…

GO RED BULLS!

-Mentz