Red Bulls fall to Union
The New York Red Bulls fell to the Philadelphia Union, 2-0, on Sunday evening at Red Bull Arena. Two goals in a five-minute span made the difference while New York was held off the score sheet for just the second time this season.
With the loss New York moves to 4-2-5 on the season, and remain in third in the Eastern Conference. It is the first regular-season loss at home for New York since October 14, 2014.
“We were able to be on top of the game from almost every level for 57 minutes,” Red Bulls head coach Jesse Marsch told the media Tuesday morning. “If you look at the overall impact that we have on every game, it’s pretty strong. It’s a pretty strong grasp, so, you know, it’s just a matter of turning that grasp into more goals and more wins.”
The Red Bulls had a chance to strike in the 27th minute, when Mike Grella played Sacha Kljestan down the wing. Kljestan found midfielder Felipe at the top of the box, but his shot rang squarely off the left goal post.
Grella hit the other post in the 44th minute, stealing the ball along the endline and curling a shot back across goal only to be denied by the right post.
Seattle Bound
New York is back on the road this weekend for a meeting with the Sounders on Sunday, May 31 at CenturyLink Field in downtown Seattle. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. ET, with coverage on ESPN2. Seattle is currently 6-3-2, and second in the western conference.
In its most recent outing, Seattle played to a scoreless draw with Kansas City on Saturday. Dynamic duo Clint Dempsey and Obafemi Martins will host Colorado for a midweek tilt before New York comes to town.
Last September, the Red Bulls rallied for a 4-1 win over Seattle on the strength of a Bradley Wright-Phillips hat trick.
The match will be the first of two on the road, and the first of four against opponents from the west. RBNY heads to Houston next weekend before hosting Vancouver (June 20) and Real Salt Lake (June 24).
MLS Announces fan voting ballot for 2015 AT&T All-Star Game
MLS unveiled the ballot for the 2015 AT&T All-Star Game on Wednesday afternoon.
The Red Bulls are represented on the ballot by eight players. Goalkeeper Luis Robles and defenders Matt Miazga and Damien Perrinelle all earned a nomination. Midfielders Sacha Kljestan, Felipe, Dax McCarty and Lloyd Sam, along with forward Bradley Wright-Phillips, also made the fan ballot.
Wright-Phillips represented New York in the 2014 All-Star Game. The MLS All-Stars will face Tottenham Hotspur in the 2015 AT&T All-Star Game on July 29 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Colorado.
Miller moves up in record books
With his start at center back on Sunday, Roy Miller passed Thierry Henry on the franchise’s all-time games started list. The start was Miller’s 123 for RBNY. He is now two games behind Tony Meola for eighth place.
The Costa Rican international also moved into a tie with current Red Bulls Radio analyst Steve Jolley for ninth all-time in games started, with 112.
NYRB II earn win in RBA return
New York Red Bulls II downed FC Montreal, 3-2, on Sunday evening in the second half of a Red Bull Arena doubleheader after the Red Bulls-Union match.
With the win over Montreal, the USL affiliate of the Montreal Impact, New York is now 2-0-0 against the “2s” – other USL sides that are part of MLS organizations. NYRB II also climbed to 3-4-3 overall.
NYRB II now embarks on a six-game road trip, beginning this Saturday in Richmond. The club is next home on July 12 for a match against Harrisburg at Rocco B. Commisso field on the campus of Columbia University in Manhattan.
Derrick Etienne named to USL team of the week
Red Bulls Under-18 captain Derrick Etienne has been named to the USL team of the Week following his performance in NYRB II’s 3-2 win over FC Montreal on Sunday at Red Bull Arena. Etienne recorded an assist on the opening goal before scoring the game-winning, a one-time screamer, in the 68th minute.
Etienne, one of several current Red Bulls Academy players seeing time in USL on amateur agreements, took his defender to the endline and beat him with a clever touch before feeding Anatole Abang for the opening goal in the 12th minute of the contest.
With New York up 2-1, Etienne got on the end of a long cross from Anthony Wallace and struck a volley across goal and into the lower left corner to give the home side some breathing room.
Etienne is committed to play at the University of Virginia next fall. He most recently appeared in international competition for the Haiti Under-20 side at the CONCACAF Championships in January.
Red Bulls learn date, potential opponents for Open Cup
The New York Red Bulls learned last week that it will host a fourth-round game in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday, June 16 at Red Bull Arena.
New York will face the winner of a third-round game between the Atlanta Silverbacks (NASL) and Chattanooga FC (NPSL). That game will be played tonight (Wednesday, May 27th) in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Atlanta enters with the rest of NPSL in the third round, while Chattanooga has won first and second round games on penalty kicks.
USWNT visit Red Bull Arena
Red Bull Arena will play host to the U.S. Women’s National Team on Saturday, May 30, as the team preps for the upcoming FIFA World Cup with a match against the Republic of Korea WNT.
The match is the finale of a three-game sendoff series before the USWNT heads to Vancouver for the World Cup. The U.S. begins play in a tough group against Australia on June 8 before facing Sweden (June 12) and Nigeria on June 16.
