NY RED BULLS LATEST NEWS

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Red Bulls' new stadium breaks ground
With the ceremonial erection of a steel beam Tuesday morning, the New York Red Bulls new soccer-specific stadium is now officially starting to take shape. The new facility, which they hope will be open September 2009, will be called Red Bull Arena.

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Red Bulls cook off in Times Square

Seth Stammler has proven to be one of the most versatile players in Major League Soccer and a result, one of the most reliable on the New York Red Bulls roster. But in the kitchen? That's a different story.

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Latest Schedule/Scores
DATE	OPPONENT	RESULT	Competition
Sun 8/10	H- DC United	W, 4 - 1	MLS
Sun 8/17	H- Toronto FC	W, 2 - 0	MLS
Sun 8/24	H - Houston	15:00 ET	MLS
Sat 8/30	A - DC United	19:30 ET	MLS
Sat 9/6	A - Chicago	20:30 ET	MLS

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PLAYER	Goals
Juan Pablo Angel	7
Dave Van den Bergh	5
Mike Magee	3
Jozy Altidore	3
Kevin Goldthwaite	2
Danleigh Borman	2
PLAYER	Yellow Cards
Kevin Goldthwaite	4
Sinisa Ubiparipovic	4
Dave Van den Bergh	3
Seth Stammler	3
Andrew Boyens	3
Juan Pablo Angel	2
PLAYER	Red Cards
Jeff Parke	1
Gabriel Cichero	1

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Red Bulls Continue Search For A Second Striker

New York Red Bulls coach Juan Carlos Osorio has spent the past month remaking the side’s backline and midfield. Now he’s on the verge of landing a new striker or two to complement All-star forward Juan Pablo Angel, who has been isolated up top one too many times.
Goal.com - United States - Red Bulls Continue Search For A Second Striker

[Frank Cunha]

loan Keeper Cepero 23 returned to the NY Red Bulls
A LOAN THAT PAID DIVIDENDS
Cepero back with Red Bulls after solid season in Harrisburg



By Dylan Butler
BigAppleSoccer.com Associate Editor

Montclair, N.J. – A lot has changed since Danny Cepero last joined the New York Red Bulls on the practice pitch at Montclair State University. Jozy Altidore has been sold to Villarreal in Spain, Claudio Reyna has retired and veteran goalkeeper Zach Thornton has been traded to Chivas USA.

Back from a season-long loan to United Soccer Leagues Second Division side Harrisburg City, the argument can be made that Cepero has changed, as well. Although the 23-year-old goalkeeper wondered as much when he rejoined the Red Bulls this week after the conclusion of his loan spell.

“My first day back two days ago, the transition was tough. It’s a different level,” Cepero said. “That was a little tough in terms of transition and I wondered, ‘Wow, did I maybe take a step back in terms of soccer?’ Yesterday was better than the first day and today was better than yesterday.”

Red Bulls goalkeeping coach Des McAleenan is the one who broached the subject of a loan to Cepero in the preseason.

“Young players need to play games,” he said. “They’re simply not going to get better. They could have the best coaching in the world, best facilities, but if they’re not playing it means nothing.”

McAleenan said Harrisburg being relatively close and that the club was one of the few USL-2 sides that practiced every day is what sold him on the Islanders. Cepero, though, had mixed emotions.

The Baldwin, L.I., native had built up a good relationship with his Red Bulls teammates and would miss being around them day in and day out. But with Thornton acquired, Cepero’s playing options were extremely limited.

“Once I got down there and got the experience, I was on board 100 percent because I wanted to play games,” Cepero said. “You’re a little apprehensive about going to a new team, but overall the experience was a positive one.”

Cepero certainly made the most of it. He was one of the top players in the USL-2, finishing third in the league with a 1.00 goals against average in 18 matches, recording six clean sheets.

“It was definitely a positive experience, to get games, to get that experience,” Cepero said. “At the end of the year we played close to 20 games, which you can’t beat. Here I was on the outside looking in last year, the ups and downs of a season with the team. With Harrisburg, I was kind of on the inside so I got to see what it was like to be part of that ride, being the starter, the keeper and one of the leaders.”

Cepero said he enjoyed every aspect of the minor-league experience, including the long bus rides.

“The Coach bus came into play in all our road trips, the eight-hour drive to North Carolina, a six-hour drive out to Cleveland,” Cepero said. “It’s kind of nice sometimes because you skip the airport, you skip the checking in, the security, carrying your luggage. There it was just get on the bus and chill. That was almost more me than all this stuff. But it’s nice to be back.”

McAleenan said Cepero has “very good hands, excellent reflexes and decent agility,” but he was sent to Harrisburg to improve his “reading of the game, kicking and decision making.”

With Caleb Patterson-Sewell suffering a right thigh contusion during training this week, Cepero will be the backup goalkeeper to Jon Conway when the Red Bulls take on Houston today. And with a couple of reserve division games upcoming, the chances to play and prove he’s improved in Harrisburg will be there for Cepero.

“It will be nice to be back in the locker room,” Cepero said, “(to) put on the uniform again and get out onto the bench and see the game and just had that whole experience I had for a few games last year.”

[Lemmy]

Jorge Rojas was unable to obtain a P-1 visa in Venezuela because an official at the U.S. consulate in Caracas believed his passport might have been altered, said Red Bulls sporting director Jeff Agoos.

Because he was unable to secure the visa, Rojas was not allowed to leave Venezuela after traveling there last week for a midweek international friendly, and thus missed Sunday's Red Bulls match against the Houston Dynamo.

"I think there was some damage to the passport and the U.S. consulate believed that it could be doctored and was not willing to issue a passport because of that," Agoos told reporters before Sunday's game.

Rojas was forced to obtain a new passport, which he was able to do in one day. But he couldn't get the P-1 visa in time to return for the Dynamo match.

"Jorge went down to Venezuela for a friendly against Syria on Wednesday," Agoos said. "We knew that Jorge would have to leave the United States at some point, whether it was for the game on Wednesday or for the upcoming qualifiers in Peru and Paraguay on Sept. 6 and 9."

Major League Soccer: News: Article

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Media Player
Mike Magee
Major League Soccer: Sights: Sierra Mist Goal of the Week

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Weekly Update: Playoff positioning

The Red Bulls take their six-game unbeaten streak (3-0-3) into the Windy City on Saturday when they take on Eastern Conference rival, the Chicago Fire. With their tie against D.C. United, the Red Bulls are in the eighth and final MLS playoff position.

[Frank Cunha]

Nov. 24, 2008
WHO'S AVAILABLE
Wolyniec, Leitch, Mendes, Jimenez, Parke, Pietravallo can be picked for expansion draft





Mike Magee was among 16 Red Bulls players on the unprotected list for the expansion draft.
Linda Cuttone/Sports Vue Images
John Wolyniec, who scored the Red Bulls' lone goal in their 3-1 loss to the Columbus Crew in the MLS Cup on Sunday, was one of 16 players made available for Wednesday's MLS expansion draft that will stock the Seattle Sounders.

Other starters from the game in Carson, Calif. who were on the list included defenders Diego Jimenez, Carlos Mendes and Chris Leitch. Midfielder-forward Mike Magee also was made available.

Defender Jeff Parke, who has served five games of a 10-game drug suspension, also was left unprotected. Goalkeeper Jon Conway was protected by the club.

MLS will hold the draft at 1 p.m. Wednesday.

Seattle may not claim more than one player from any team. four teams will not have a player taken in the expansion draft.

The Red Bulls players available:

Danleigh Borman

Oscar Echeverry

John Gilkerson

Diego Jimenez

Gordon Kljestan

Chris Leitch

Mike Magee

Matthew Mbuta

Carlos Mendes

Michael Palacio

Jeff Parke

Caleb Patterson

Juan Pietravallo

David Roth

Sainey Touray

John Wolyniec

[Frank Cunha]

Playoff run over, Red Bulls get busy
by Frank Giase/The Star-Ledger Monday November 24, 2008, 6:22 PM

Mike Stobe/Getty Images for New York Red Bulls
One of the decisions the Red Bulls will have to make in a busy offseason is whether to re-sign midfielder Dave van den Bergh.CARSON, Calif. -- So where do the Red Bulls go from here? After 12 years of disappointment, the franchise and its fans had a taste of glory. But now what?
"I'm very proud of the guys for getting this far," Red Bulls sporting director Jeff Agoos said. "I give the group a lot of credit for overcoming a lot of adversity this year. This group really stepped it up and raised the bar for next year and (established) what that standard should be. They've got a lot to live up to for years to come."

Despite the way it seems, the offseason is not as long, especially when a team reaches MLS Cup. Wednesday, the league will hold an expansion draft to help the Seattle Sounders stock their roster.

Each team is allowed to protect 11 players and no team can lose more than one, so don't expect the Red Bulls to take a hit there. It's likely Jon Conway won't be protected, but the Sounders don't need a goalie, having already signed Kasey Keller for next season.

But that is just the beginning of what will be a long and thorough evaluation of the roster.

"You never know what's going to happen, what players you bring in are going to work, what players aren't going to work," Agoos said. "We'll take a couple of days to absorb the situation and then start preparing for 2009. It's right around the corner."

The Red Bulls clearly need to do a better job signing foreign players. Their three midseason foreign acquisitions -- midfielders Jorge Rojas and Juan Pietravallo and defender Gabriel Cichero -- started off well, but their production quickly dropped and toward the end of the regular season they couldn't be counted on.

"They're all a case-by-case basis," Agoos said. "You really have to look at every player on an individual basis and what they bring to the table and what the need is and how they fit into the group."

The biggest decision the Red Bulls have to make is filling the designated player slot that opened when Claudio Reyna retired midway through the season. Agoos, however, said the team won't feel rushed to do so.

"The designated player slot is a very important decision and we've got to make the right decision," he said. "If there's a player that makes sense we'll take a look at it. If not, I don't think we feel pressured to have to use that slot."

The league has expanded senior rosters from 18 to 20 players for next season, mainly to aid teams playing in tournaments. That will help the Red Bulls, who will play in the CONCACAF Champions League and U.S. Open Cup in 2009.

Decisions on keeping key players also must be made soon. Midfielder Dave van den Bergh and defender Diego Jimenez are out of contract. An argument could be made that van den Bergh was the Red Bulls' most valuable player this year while Jimenez, despite his poor play in MLS Cup, needs to be re-signed.

Although forward Juan Pablo Angel is under contract for next season, it is believed he is seeking a raise from his $1.6 million salary. And with 33 goals in 47 regular-season games, he clearly deserves it.

While Angel won't get David Beckham money ($6.5 million), he is making less than Fire midfielder Cuauhtemoc Blanco ($2.6 million) and D.C. United midfielder Marcelo Gallardo ($1.8 million), and that isn't right.

The Red Bulls also need to bump up the salaries of goalie Danny Cepero and midfielders Luke Sassano and Sinisa Ubiparipovic, who were invaluable contributors.

So there is a lot to do, but also a lot to build on. For once, the Red Bulls won't be shopping for a coach in the offseason, and with Red Bull Arena on track to open in September, fans can finally take some pride in what is happening on and off the field.

"There's a lot of plusses for this team," Agoos said. "We've been under a lot of criticism, some of it just and some of it unjust. We've had some very good fans that have stuck by us thick and thin and we thank them for sticking by us this year."