The New York Red Bulls have Thierry Henry and we all know he's a dangerous attacking player with predatory instincts in front of goal, but how good has former Portland Timbers striker Kenny Cooper been this season? Answer: very good. He has nine goals to date, including his latest, a cool-as-you-like-it 78th minute winner against Philadelphia yesterday:
This win puts the Red Bulls in first place in the Eastern Conference. I am definitely looking forward to seeing how far the Red Bulls can go this year with players like Cooper taking some weight off of Henry's shoulders.
LINK TO GOAL (in the event video does not show up in FireFox)
Showing posts with label New York Red Bulls. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New York Red Bulls. Show all posts
Monday, May 14, 2012
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
USA Summer '12: Friendlies Will Be Forced Down Your Throat
Since the season is basically over - especially for fans like me backing sub-par teams (Roma, your 2011-12 campaign is dead to me) - here's a running list of hot summer friendlies around the USA I've noticed over the past couple of weeks:
Philadelphia Union vs. Schalke 04
May 9 @ 7:30pm (ET)
PPL Park, Chester, PA
Portland Timbers vs. Valencia
May 23 @ 7pm (PT)
JELD-WEN Field, Portland, OR
Houstan Dynamo vs. Valencia
May 31, 7:30pm (local time?)
BBVA Compass Stadium, Houston, TX
Philadelphia Union vs. Aston Villa
July 18 @ 7:30pm (ET)
PPL Park, Chester, PA
Seattle Sounders vs. Chelsea
July 18 @ 9:30pm (ET)
Qwest Field, Seattle, WA
Toronto FC vs. Liverpool
July 21 @ 4pm (ET)
Rogers Centre, Toronto, ONT
Chicago Fire vs. Aston Villa
July 21 @ 7:30pm (CT)
Toyota Park, Chicago, IL
Chelsea vs. PSG
July 22 @ 7pm (ET)
Yankee Stadium, New York City
AS Roma vs. TBD
July 22 @ TBD
Chicago, IL
Portland Timbers vs. Aston Villa
July 24 @ 7:30pm (PT)
JELD-WEN Field, Portland, OR
LA Galaxy vs. Tottenham
July 24 @ TBD
The Home Depot Center, Carson, CA
AS Roma vs. Liverpool - The Underachiever's Shield 2012
July 25 @ 6:30pm (ET)
Fenway Park, Boston, MA
Chelsea vs. MLS All-Stars
July 25 @ 8:30pm (ET)
PPL Park, Chester, PA
AS Roma vs. TBD
July 28 @ TBD
New York City
Trophee Des Champions - France's Community Shield
League winner vs. Lyon (cup winner)
July 28 @ 3pm (ET)
Red Bull Arena, Harrison, NJ
Liverpool vs. Tottenham
July 28 @ 1pm (ET)
M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, MD
Chelsea vs. AC Milan
July 28 @ 6pm (ET)
Sun Life Stadium, Miami, FL
DC United vs. Juventus
July 28 @ TBD
RFK Stadium, Washington, DC
*yet to be finalized
New York Red Bulls vs. Tottenham
July 31 @ TBD
Red Bull Arena, Harrison, NJ
LA Galaxy vs. Real Madrid
August 2 @ 10:30pm (ET)
The Home Depot Center, Carson, CA
Juventus vs. Real Madrid
August 5 @ 8pm (local time?)
Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas, Nevada
*possible rematch on August 8 @ Yankee Stadium, New York City
That's all I have for now. I will update this list when I hear further dates have been announced. Please comment below on other games I failed to mention!
Philadelphia Union vs. Schalke 04
May 9 @ 7:30pm (ET)
PPL Park, Chester, PA
Portland Timbers vs. Valencia
May 23 @ 7pm (PT)
JELD-WEN Field, Portland, OR
Houstan Dynamo vs. Valencia
May 31, 7:30pm (local time?)
BBVA Compass Stadium, Houston, TX
Philadelphia Union vs. Aston Villa
July 18 @ 7:30pm (ET)
PPL Park, Chester, PA
Seattle Sounders vs. Chelsea
July 18 @ 9:30pm (ET)
Qwest Field, Seattle, WA
Toronto FC vs. Liverpool
July 21 @ 4pm (ET)
Rogers Centre, Toronto, ONT
Chicago Fire vs. Aston Villa
July 21 @ 7:30pm (CT)
Toyota Park, Chicago, IL
Chelsea vs. PSG
July 22 @ 7pm (ET)
Yankee Stadium, New York City
AS Roma vs. TBD
July 22 @ TBD
Chicago, IL
Portland Timbers vs. Aston Villa
July 24 @ 7:30pm (PT)
JELD-WEN Field, Portland, OR
LA Galaxy vs. Tottenham
July 24 @ TBD
The Home Depot Center, Carson, CA
AS Roma vs. Liverpool - The Underachiever's Shield 2012
July 25 @ 6:30pm (ET)
Fenway Park, Boston, MA
Chelsea vs. MLS All-Stars
July 25 @ 8:30pm (ET)
PPL Park, Chester, PA
AS Roma vs. TBD
July 28 @ TBD
New York City
Trophee Des Champions - France's Community Shield
League winner vs. Lyon (cup winner)
July 28 @ 3pm (ET)
Red Bull Arena, Harrison, NJ
Liverpool vs. Tottenham
July 28 @ 1pm (ET)
M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, MD
Chelsea vs. AC Milan
July 28 @ 6pm (ET)
Sun Life Stadium, Miami, FL
DC United vs. Juventus
July 28 @ TBD
RFK Stadium, Washington, DC
*yet to be finalized
New York Red Bulls vs. Tottenham
July 31 @ TBD
Red Bull Arena, Harrison, NJ
LA Galaxy vs. Real Madrid
August 2 @ 10:30pm (ET)
The Home Depot Center, Carson, CA
Juventus vs. Real Madrid
August 5 @ 8pm (local time?)
Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas, Nevada
*possible rematch on August 8 @ Yankee Stadium, New York City
That's all I have for now. I will update this list when I hear further dates have been announced. Please comment below on other games I failed to mention!
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Soccer Gods Dislike Me Today
After some thought, I have come to the conclusion that the Soccer Gods chose me to dislike, effectively ruining my Sunday. Here's what happened:
My enthusiasm was high this afternoon, as the first important football match of my weekend approached - Roma, my team, versus rivals Juventus. A crucial match for both sides - Juve vying for the Scudetto, Roma for Europe - what could be better?
Nothing, until reality struck: the Old Lady tamed the Lupi, taught them how to give paw and scalded them for licking their own butts. A 4-nil drubbing in a match that should have meant just as much to Roma as it did Juve. Hats off to the Bianconeri for being absolutely brilliant all match long, but they were aided in their efforts by a dysfunctional Roma performance.
Here's what went wrong: Roma Coach Luis Enrique had the tactics and line-up wrong from the get-go. I'll admit, Daniele De Rossi has been effective at center back over the past few games, but with Gabriel Heinze available and the issue of Juve's playmaking midfield at hand, DDR should have started in the midfield in an effort to stunt Juve's midfield movement before their attacks heated up. As a result of De Rossi's missing presence in front of the back four, the Juve midfield titter-tattered their way through the likes of Fernando Gago, Marquinho and Simone Perrotta to arrive with some serious space in front of the defense. Furthermore, Enrique decided to leave out Francesco Totti, who was coming off a huge performance against Udinese and was ready to give his all in a rivalry match that always means something to him.
I understand the manager's thoughts of needing to rest certain players, given a midweek game on the horizon, but at this point of the season and the position Roma is in, all games and all points are critical. The best team needs to be fielded, no matter what - no excuses. This is one of several occasions I think Luis Enrique has actually lost Roma the game.
Ironically, game number two of my day brought a similar result and effort from my hometown team, NYRB. In what should have been a cagey grudge match (NY and DC have somewhat of a rivalry) the Red Bulls failed to understand the concept of defending, just like Roma! These two dismal performances from teams I love were so coincidental, that I think the Red Bulls must have watched Roma earlier in the day and took notes on how to roll over. Imagine my disgust at the 60 minute mark seeing the scoreline 4-0 and thinking "hmmm, this reminds me of the Roma game since it is the exact same horrible scoreline."
What went wrong: Pretty much everything. The defending was horrible: players who were introduced into the starting 11 - Lade & Palsson - didn't really click with the rest of the group. In turn, the defense was pretty scattered and individual, rather than what you would expect from a group of professionals. Simple clearances were botched and nearly every set piece was neglected. Moreover, offense was hard to come by and when the Bulls did get something going, DC transitioned quickly to surprise their shaky defense. Overall, it was a terrible effort in a game the Red Bulls could have won.
Mother always said there'd be days like these.
Juventus 4 - 0 Roma
My enthusiasm was high this afternoon, as the first important football match of my weekend approached - Roma, my team, versus rivals Juventus. A crucial match for both sides - Juve vying for the Scudetto, Roma for Europe - what could be better?
Nothing, until reality struck: the Old Lady tamed the Lupi, taught them how to give paw and scalded them for licking their own butts. A 4-nil drubbing in a match that should have meant just as much to Roma as it did Juve. Hats off to the Bianconeri for being absolutely brilliant all match long, but they were aided in their efforts by a dysfunctional Roma performance.
Here's what went wrong: Roma Coach Luis Enrique had the tactics and line-up wrong from the get-go. I'll admit, Daniele De Rossi has been effective at center back over the past few games, but with Gabriel Heinze available and the issue of Juve's playmaking midfield at hand, DDR should have started in the midfield in an effort to stunt Juve's midfield movement before their attacks heated up. As a result of De Rossi's missing presence in front of the back four, the Juve midfield titter-tattered their way through the likes of Fernando Gago, Marquinho and Simone Perrotta to arrive with some serious space in front of the defense. Furthermore, Enrique decided to leave out Francesco Totti, who was coming off a huge performance against Udinese and was ready to give his all in a rivalry match that always means something to him.
I understand the manager's thoughts of needing to rest certain players, given a midweek game on the horizon, but at this point of the season and the position Roma is in, all games and all points are critical. The best team needs to be fielded, no matter what - no excuses. This is one of several occasions I think Luis Enrique has actually lost Roma the game.
DC United 4 - 1 New York Red Bulls
Ironically, game number two of my day brought a similar result and effort from my hometown team, NYRB. In what should have been a cagey grudge match (NY and DC have somewhat of a rivalry) the Red Bulls failed to understand the concept of defending, just like Roma! These two dismal performances from teams I love were so coincidental, that I think the Red Bulls must have watched Roma earlier in the day and took notes on how to roll over. Imagine my disgust at the 60 minute mark seeing the scoreline 4-0 and thinking "hmmm, this reminds me of the Roma game since it is the exact same horrible scoreline."
What went wrong: Pretty much everything. The defending was horrible: players who were introduced into the starting 11 - Lade & Palsson - didn't really click with the rest of the group. In turn, the defense was pretty scattered and individual, rather than what you would expect from a group of professionals. Simple clearances were botched and nearly every set piece was neglected. Moreover, offense was hard to come by and when the Bulls did get something going, DC transitioned quickly to surprise their shaky defense. Overall, it was a terrible effort in a game the Red Bulls could have won.
Mother always said there'd be days like these.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Thierry Henry: Still Clinical
At age 34, New York Red Bull captain Thierry Henry is still as clinical of a finisher as he was ten years prior. We saw a rejuvenated Henry score a few big goals for Arsenal during a loan spell this winter, but I for one was not sure which Henry would turn up at the beginning of the MLS season: the hands in the air frustrated Henry or the barn-storming goal-scoring French man-machine. Here's what we got in NY's home opener:
Bald head slick is back and ready to rock in New York!
Bald head slick is back and ready to rock in New York!
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Landon Donovan: Love - Hate Relationship
Love Landon in red, white and blue.
Nothing made me prouder as an American soccer fan when Landon Donovan slotted home the injury-time winner against Algeria that heroically sent the USMNT through to the knockout stages of the World Cup in 2010. It was a moment, that's for sure. A big moment, if not the biggest in US Soccer history (see above photo). I am forever grateful and a fan of Landon Donovan for his devotion and accomplishments for this country.
Hate Landon in the MLS.
Landon Donovan the MLS player infuriates me. His cocky, over confident attitude just comes off as petulant to me. He is a real competitor - I'll give him that - but sometimes his do-no-wrong disposition is grating. Donovan's a great player, but he's sort of prone to complaining and whining. Just play hard like you do for the USMNT, dude!
Recent hate Full disclosure: I am a New York Red Bulls fan.
Landon's recent comments following a scrappy semi-final first leg with the New York Red Bulls, I thought, were unprofessional:
When did footballers start getting soft? Cheap shots, Landon...really? You know how you counteract cheap shots (other than b*tching to the media after the match)? You win. You play hard and you win. You did that on Sunday...so why drone on and complain? Just shut up and play.
Tune in to leg two of this semi-final on Thursday at 11pm ET.
And one other thing: WE'RE RED, WE'RE BULLS, WE'RE REDDDDD BULLS. GO RED BULLS.
Nothing made me prouder as an American soccer fan when Landon Donovan slotted home the injury-time winner against Algeria that heroically sent the USMNT through to the knockout stages of the World Cup in 2010. It was a moment, that's for sure. A big moment, if not the biggest in US Soccer history (see above photo). I am forever grateful and a fan of Landon Donovan for his devotion and accomplishments for this country.
 |
| "Stop being meanies NYRBs" |
Landon Donovan the MLS player infuriates me. His cocky, over confident attitude just comes off as petulant to me. He is a real competitor - I'll give him that - but sometimes his do-no-wrong disposition is grating. Donovan's a great player, but he's sort of prone to complaining and whining. Just play hard like you do for the USMNT, dude!
Recent hate Full disclosure: I am a New York Red Bulls fan.
Landon's recent comments following a scrappy semi-final first leg with the New York Red Bulls, I thought, were unprofessional:
“There a few plays where they took some cheap shots at us. In all my years in this league, I’ve not played against a cheaper team, and they’ve been doing it all year. We saw it a few weeks ago with [Thierry] Henry kneeing someone in the back. We’ve seen that stuff all year. You just deal with it, and at the end of it, the cream rose to the top, and the better team won.”"What a d*ck." First thoughts that come to mind after reading that. Talk about attitude. The game was heated, there were tackles on both ends, and frankly, I believe LA embellished more than a few fouls (DAVID BECKHAM *ahem). Even if Rafa Marquez (the biggest baby/waste of space in the league) threw a ball at you at the end of the match, there's really no reason to denounce the whole team like a sad clown in public. As far as I can see, the Red Bulls are just as competitive and hard-nosed as any other team in the league. Forget about the little tidbits you're griping about and be happy you won!
When did footballers start getting soft? Cheap shots, Landon...really? You know how you counteract cheap shots (other than b*tching to the media after the match)? You win. You play hard and you win. You did that on Sunday...so why drone on and complain? Just shut up and play.
Tune in to leg two of this semi-final on Thursday at 11pm ET.
And one other thing: WE'RE RED, WE'RE BULLS, WE'RE REDDDDD BULLS. GO RED BULLS.
Friday, April 22, 2011
Juan Agudelo's Messi-esque Goal vs. DC United
Wow. That's about all I can say.
Incredible. Keep your eyes on this youngster.
Incredible. Keep your eyes on this youngster.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
MLS Rules - Gives US Soccer Hope
Hello friends,
Ahead of the United States' friendly against superpower Argentina (which I am attending), the MLS emphatically commenced this week, giving major hope to the future of US Soccer:
Charlie Davies nets 2 in his MLS debut
CD9 entered the fray in the 52nd minute of DC United's encounter with the Columbus Crew and immediately made an impact. Aside from his penalty, it was great to see him score the sort of opportune goal that made him famous amongst US supporters prior to his accident.
18 year old Juan Agudelo scores his first MLS goal
Juan Agudelo piqued the interest of USMNT supporters after scoring in his senior-team debut last November. Last night, he fortified beliefs that he may be a force to reckon with in years to come by dispatching of the Seattle Sounders with a well taken goal - his first in the MLS. Did I mention he is under the tutelage of Thierry Henry?
Exciting things to come from the MLS and US Soccer! Stay tuned for a comprehensive review (with amazing pictures and possibly patriotic videos) of next weekend's USMNT friendly versus Lionel Messi and co.
Ahead of the United States' friendly against superpower Argentina (which I am attending), the MLS emphatically commenced this week, giving major hope to the future of US Soccer:
Charlie Davies nets 2 in his MLS debut
CD9 entered the fray in the 52nd minute of DC United's encounter with the Columbus Crew and immediately made an impact. Aside from his penalty, it was great to see him score the sort of opportune goal that made him famous amongst US supporters prior to his accident.
18 year old Juan Agudelo scores his first MLS goal
Juan Agudelo piqued the interest of USMNT supporters after scoring in his senior-team debut last November. Last night, he fortified beliefs that he may be a force to reckon with in years to come by dispatching of the Seattle Sounders with a well taken goal - his first in the MLS. Did I mention he is under the tutelage of Thierry Henry?
Exciting things to come from the MLS and US Soccer! Stay tuned for a comprehensive review (with amazing pictures and possibly patriotic videos) of next weekend's USMNT friendly versus Lionel Messi and co.
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