New York Red Bulls
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - 06/2015
Full name
New York Red Bulls
Founded
1995 (as New York/New Jersey MetroStars)
Stadium
Red Bull Arena
Harrison, New Jersey
Capacity
25,000
Owner
Red Bull GmbH
Head Coach
Jesse Marsch
League
Major League Soccer
2014
Eastern Conference: 4th
Overall: 8th
Playoffs: Semifinals
The New York Red Bulls are an American professional soccer team based in Harrison, New Jersey.
The team competes in the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS).
It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having competed in the league since its inception.
The team was a founding member of MLS (1996), but has gone through several name changes.
The team was originally known as the New York/New Jersey MetroStars through 1997.
From the 1998 season through the 2005 season, the team was known as the MetroStars.
On March 9, 2006, the team was sold to Red Bull GmbH, leading to the team's current name. The team is one of two MLS franchises in the New York metropolitan area, along with New York City FC.
The Red Bulls won the Supporters' Shield in 2013.
The team's prior best result in an MLS season was reaching the MLS Cup final in 2008.
In the US Open Cup, the MetroStars reached three semifinals (1997, 1998, 2000), before reaching their first final in 2003, losing 1:0 to the Chicago Fire.
On August 26, 2000, the MetroStars' Clint Mathis set an MLS record by scoring five goals in a game against the Dallas Burn.
HISTORY
1996-2000
The club's original name was Empire Soccer Club, which gave birth to the name of the team's largest supporters' group, Empire Supporters Club.
The team's original owners were John Kluge and Stuart Subotnick.
Nike wanted the full name to be MetroFlash, but MetroStars was selected.
Tab Ramos, the first player to sign with MLS, became the first MetroStars player, and was soon joined by 1994 FIFA World Cup teammate Tony Meola and AC Milan star midfielder Roberto Donadoni.
1990 World Cup player Peter Vermes was named the first team captain, but it was the previously unknown Venezuelan Giovanni Savarese who became the Metros' first breakthrough star.
The team's first coach was Eddie Firmani of New York Cosmos fame.
In 1996, the MetroStars made news when they selected Juninho and Túlio in the 1996 MLS Supplemental Draft.
This report set off an immediately positive reaction which was quickly crushed after the MetroStars revealed that they had not actually drafted Juninho and Tulio.
The MetroStars waived both on March 25, 1996.
While the identity of "Juninho" was later discovered, the true name and club history of "Tulio" remains unknown.
This bizarre episode has entered MetroStars folk lore.
When the league began play in 1996, it was expected that the MetroStars would quickly become the league's dominant team.
This expectation never materialized. Despite famous players and high-profile coach, the team never seemed to click together.
The team's first home game against the New England Revolution proved to be a harbinger of things to come.
Former Juventus defender Nicola Caricola inadvertently flipped a cross into his own net in the dying minutes to hand New England a 1:0 win in front of 46,000 fans.
The resulting play would later be dubbed the "Curse of Caricola" by fans to explain the team's inability to come through with a domestic trophy in their history.
Firmani left after eight games (3:5) and was replaced by former Portugal coach Carlos Queiróz, who did no better than even (12:12) the rest of the season.
The team made it into the playoffs, only to lose to eventual champions D.C. United.
Starting in 1998, the team stopped referring to itself as New York/New Jersey, but it took a few years for the media and fans to catch up.
The team went by just MetroStars, with no city, state or regional geographic name attached to it, a rarity in American sports.
The MetroStars bottomed out in 1999 with a record of 7:25 under former U.S. national team coach Bora Milutinović, the worst record in MLS history.
Hoping to light a spark under the floundering club in 2000, the MetroStars dropped a bombshell by acquiring German international player Lothar Matthäus from Bayern Munich.
Matthäus played in only 16 MLS games during the season and his tenure in the U.S. is considered a disappointment.
The team did, however, leap from dead last to the conference title.
2001-2005
Despite their poor domestic record, the MetroStars became the first MLS team to win a trophy outside of North American soil, a 2004 victory in La Manga Cup.
The MetroStars defeated Ukraine's Dynamo Kyiv 3:2 in the semi-finals before edging Norway's Viking FK 1:0 in the final.
Late in 2005, after the firing of Bob Bradley, assistant Mo Johnston was named interim head coach and guided the team to seven points in its last three games, with wins at D.C. United and then at Chivas USA; the MetroStars made it to the playoffs.
Unfortunately, it was just another season to end in disappointment after they were knocked out of the playoffs with a 3:2 loss to the New England Revolution.
2006-2009: RED BULL TAKEOVER
When Red Bull purchased the MetroStars in 2006, it decided to completely re-brand the franchise, changing the name, colors, and logo.
In 2006, the Red Bulls defeated German powerhouse Bayern Munich 4:2 in a friendly game in Giants Stadium, which was considered a sign of progress.
Also in 2006, the Red Bulls lost a friendly against FC Barcelona 4:1 in front of a sold out crowd of over 79,000 fans at Giants Stadium.
On August 18, 2007, the N.Y.-Los Angeles Galaxy match debut of David Beckham drew 66,238 fans to Giants stadium, an all-time league record for a non-double-header league match.
After a disappointing World Cup run, Bruce Arena immediately helped the new Red Bulls.
They made it to the playoffs and after a late goal by Jozy Altidore, seemed they would go further.
On November 5, 2007, Arena resigned as coach of the Red Bulls.
The move came two days after the team was eliminated from the 2007 MLS playoffs by the New England Revolution.
Former Chicago Fire and Millonarios coach Juan Carlos Osorio was announced as the new coach of the Red Bulls.
He wanted to return to New York because of family and friends located in the city. "
This is without a doubt one of the most proud moments for me, to be back in New York with all my family and friends," Osorio said.
"Since 2001, when I left for Manchester City, I always made it my goal to come back to MLS as head coach of the New York Red Bulls.
Today, I've been given that opportunity, and I'm extremely proud and extremely pleased."
Juan Carlos Osorio led the Red Bulls to a good start in the 2008 season, despite some injuries to his squad.
South African midfielder Danleigh Borman made an early push for Rookie of the Year after scoring two goals in two games.
Borman was drafted in the first round of the 2008 MLS Supplemental Draft.
Jeff Parke led the defense in Osorio's 3–5–2 formation.
Juan Pablo Ángel was the star player for the Red Bulls during this time period.
Superstar forward Jozy Altidore left the Red Bulls to sign a six-year deal with La Liga club Villarreal CF for a record $10 million transfer fee, the highest for any American soccer player.
On July 14, American soccer star Claudio Reyna retired from the team.
His departure left an opening for some of the Red Bulls' recent additions, including Jorge Rojas, who already had three assists under his belt, Juan Pietravallo, Diego Jiménez, and Gabriel Cichero.
Over 47,000 tickets were sold to the July 19 game versus the Los Angeles Galaxy, which was the team's and league's season record attendance.
The game ended in a 2:2 draw with goals from Dave van den Bergh and Juan Pablo Ángel.
The Red Bulls held the lead for most of the match, but Landon Donovan tied the game late into injury time.
New signing Rojas had two assists in the game.
Pietravallo also made his Red Bull debut as a substitute in the 89th minute.
The Red Bulls again played Spanish powerhouse FC Barcelona in a friendly match on August 6 before about 40,000 fans.
They lost 6:2, with their goals scored by Rojas and Seth Stammler.
Gabriel Cichero made his debut that night.
On August 11, the Red Bulls defeated bitter rival D.C. United in a convincing 4:1 win with goals from star striker Juan Pablo Ángel, Mike Magee, and Siniša Ubiparipović.
This crucial win kept the Red Bulls in the tight Eastern Conference playoff race, though United did maintain the Atlantic Cup for another year.
Though being the last team to qualify for the playoffs in the 2008 season, the Red Bulls made an impressive playoff run, defeating two-time defending champions Houston Dynamo 4:1 on aggregate.
The next week, they played Real Salt Lake in the Western Conference final at Rio Tinto Stadium in Utah.
Dave van den Bergh put the Red Bulls ahead in the 28th minute.
The Red Bulls stubbornly defended for the rest of the game and although Real Salt Lake hit the post three times, they couldn't find the equalizing goal.
This win put the Red Bulls into the 2008 MLS Cup final in Los Angeles against MLS Supporters' Shield winners, the Columbus Crew.
The Red Bulls lost 3:1, with their lone goal coming from veteran John Wolyniec in the 51st minute.
On March 19, 2009, at Qwest Field, the New York Red Bulls started the season against Seattle Sounders FC in Seattle's first ever MLS game.
However, Seattle won the game 3:0, with goals coming from Freddy Montero and Brad Evans.
The official attendance of the game was 32,523.
The tremendous run to the 2008 MLS Cup Final also brought another competition for the 2009 schedule, the CONCACAF Champions League 2009-10.
The New York Red Bulls took part in the tournament's second edition, starting in the qualifying round against Trinidad and Tobago side W Connection.
The first leg of the round was held July 28, and the second leg was held August 4.
But the 2009 season was the same season that the team endured in 1999.
They went on a 16-game winless streak which lasted from May 8 to August 23.
They also endured a 23-game winless streak on the road which dated back to May 10, 2008 in a 2:1 win over the Los Angeles Galaxy, in which they finish the season at 0–17–3 on the road.
In the preliminary round of the Champions League the Red Bulls played to a 2:2 draw against W Connection.
However in the second round the Red Bulls were eliminated from group play losing 2:1 at Giants Stadium.
After the preliminary exit from the Champions League fans were disappointed of the team's lack of play in which some came with paper bags over their heads, others wanted the firing of then-Sporting Director Jeff Agoos.
On August 21, 2009, head coach Juan Carlos Osorio resigned from his position. Assistant coach Richie Williams took over as interim coach.
In his second stint as interim, Williams led the Red Bulls to a 3–2–3 record despite finishing with a league worst record of 5–6–19 (21 pts).
2010-2012: Move to Red Bull Arena[edit]
Thierry Henry was one of several high profile signings by the Red Bulls in 2010
The 2010 season brought about a new stadium, a new head coach, and a new group of players to the Red Bulls, who hoped to dramatically improve from their disappointing 2009 season.
On January 7, 2010, the Red Bulls confirmed the signing of new Head Coach Hans Backe.
Not long after Hans Backe was confirmed as coach, he started to purge Juan Carlos Osorio's old signings that caused the team's 2009 season.
Early on he cut Jorge Rojas from the squad, and, in one movement, goalkeeper Danny Cepero, defender (and red card record-holder) Carlos Johnson, and defender Walter Garcia were all cut from the squad while midfielder Matthew Mbuta's contract was not picked up for the 2010 season.
Backe began a new approach by signing more European players (mainly Scandinavian or Eastern European) instead of the South American and Central American players that are usually sought after in MLS.
With Backe as head coach, the Red Bulls went undefeated in their 2010 preseason including the first ever match at Red Bull Arena against Santos FC of Brazil, which the Red Bulls won by a score of 3:1.
In this preseason game, newly signed midfielder Joel Lindpere became the first player to score a goal in Red Bull Arena.
The Red Bulls carried this form into the first MLS match at Red Bull Arena against the Chicago Fire by winning 1:0 with the lone goal coming from Joel Lindpere.
A week later, the Red Bulls defeated the Seattle Sounders 1:0 at Qwest Field in Seattle, breaking a 27-game road winless streak.
Former French international Thierry Henry signed with the Red Bulls on July 14 as a designated player.
Upon arrival in New York, Henry announced his retirement from international football.
On August 2, the Red Bulls signed their third designated player, Mexican international Rafael Márquez.
The signing of Márquez established the Red Bulls as the first MLS team to have three designated players.
With these new additions, the Red Bulls improved further and clinched first place in the Eastern Conference for the first time since 2000.
New York also set an MLS record for best one season improvement, finishing with 51 points after having just 21 points the previous year.
Despite the impressive turnaround, the season again ended in disappointment for the Red Bulls.
The Eastern Conference Semi-Finals saw the Red Bulls fall to the San Jose Earthquakes. Joel Lindpere was named the season's Most Valuable Player.
Prior to the 2011 season the Red Bulls strengthened their roster with two signings from their academy, three foreign transfer signings, and the drafting of six players.
The Red Bulls played their first pre-season match against Atlante F.C. in February 2011.
Hans Backe then announced that Thierry Henry would be the captain for the 2011 season, and Rafael Marquez would play center defense with Tim Ream.
The Red Bulls opened the 2011 season with a 1:0 win against the Seattle Sounders followed by draws with the Columbus Crew and the Houston Dynamo, respectively.
The second win of the season came against the San Jose Earthquakes in which newcomer Luke Rodgers contributed two goals and Thierry Henry opened his 2011 scoring account after a 690-minute goal drought.
The following week, the Red Bulls dominated arch-rivals DC United in a 4:0 win with Thierry Henry finally proving that he was still an efficient goal scorer, after being heavily criticized by fans prior to the San Jose match.
The Red Bulls won 5:0 against Toronto FC; one of the only wins among a slew of draws and losses in two months of play.
The Red Bulls exited the US Open Cup in the quarterfinals, losing 4:0 to the Chicago Fire.
The loss drew much negative attention, due to head coach Hans Backe's absence and his decision to send a reserve squad with assistant coach Mike Petke.
This resulted in a protest by the supporters groups of the South Ward during the Red Bulls draw against FC Dallas.
On July 16 the Red Bulls signed veteran goalkeeper Frank Rost to a designated player contract, making him the 3rd DP on the team and potentially ending the Red Bulls' goalkeeping woes.
The Red Bulls participated in the 2011 Emirates Cup in London on July 30 and the 31st.
They beat Paris Saint-Germain 1:0 with a goal by Estonian midfielder Joel Lindpere.
The following day the Red Bulls drew 1:1 with Arsenal FC, giving them enough points to win the tournament.
The Red Bulls were the first MLS team to participate and the third team to win the Emirates Cup, after Hamburger SV and Arsenal FC.
In 2012, Red Bulls lost to Harrisburg City Islanders, 3:1, in the fourth round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
In late 2012, the Red Bulls qualified for the MLS Cup playoffs with a third-place finish in the Eastern Conference.
However, after a 1:1 draw in the first leg in D.C., and having the second leg postponed twice due to Hurricane Sandy and a major snowstorm, the Red Bulls would go on to lose their home leg 1:0 to D.C.
United and were eliminated from the Eastern Conference Semifinals for the second straight year.
A few hours after the loss it was announced that Hans Backe's contract with the Red Bulls was not renewed. Mike Petke, the Red Bulls' most capped player and first-year assistant coach, was placed in charge in the interim until a replacement for Backe could be found.
2013-2014: MIKE PETKE ERA
In the 2012-2013 off-season a large structural overhaul occurred within the New York organization. They parted ways with Sporting Director Erik Soler and brought in two people to split his former responsibilities.
Andy Roxburgh was named Sporting Director and given responsibility for all technical and soccer operations, while Jerome de Bontin was named General Manager, with an emphasis placed on corporate operations.
With these changes at the top levels in place, several key players including designated player Rafael Marquez, two-time team MVP, Joel Lindpere, 2012 team leading scorer, Kenny Cooper, and former MLS defender of the year, Wilman Conde, were either sold or traded.
In an effort to revitalize the team, New York began bringing in players from around the world with a history of success, such as Brazilian World Cup Veteran Juninho Pernambucano, French International Péguy Luyindula, and MLS Cup Champions Fabián Espíndola, Jámison Olave, and Kosuke Kimura.
After two months of applicant interviews and discussion between Roxburg, de Bontin, and Red Bull Head of Global Soccer Gerard Houllier, it was announced that interim-Head Coach Mike Petke would be stripped of the temporary title and remain on as the full-time Head Coach.
This marked the first time in club history a former player was put at the helm of New York.
Petke's first season in charge began with a draw on March 3, 2013 away to the Portland Timbers.
Despite having a 3:1 lead at halftime, the game ended with the score 3:3.
However, the former MLS defender of the year showed an immediate knack for making the right adjustments when he countered a slow 0–2–2 start by switching the formation from a 4–2–3–1 formation to a 4–4–2 — placing more emphasis on playing a strong defensive game, and playing up through the midfield.
The rookie manager sought to turn the club around, and gain his first win by the end of the month.
On March 30, 2013 he did just that against the Philadelphia Union, by the score of 2:1 thanks to goals from Thierry Henry and Dax McCarty.