New York Red Bulls 2012 playoff run

[Phall]

The New York Red Bulls are my local soccer team. There are probably some whiter teams in Major League Soccer, but I want to create this thread to support my home squad, which plays with a very enjoyable, white style. I've attended seven or eight home games this year and have season tickets for the first time going into next year's campaign.

For complete soccer newcomers: the "Red Bulls" were previously nicknamed the "New York MetroStars" until the franchise was bought up by the energy drink conglomerate about four years ago. They have only ever been based out of New Jersey, playing in a mostly-empty football stadium until the new "soccer-specific" arena was erected next to minority-friendly Newark, surely under a bevy of tax breaks and union handshakes.

The stadium is gorgeous. It was built on a seemingly random plot of empty land, a full ten minutes removed from any existing commerce in NJ's biggest city. My father and I like to eat at one particular Portuguese restaurant, where you are reimbursed the fee with your bill for parking in their enclosed lot. (Curiously, none of the waiters or chefs at this Portuguese restaurant bear any semblance to Nani or Anderson) We walk about fifteen minutes to and from the gate, then slide seamlessly onto the highway home. I've also taken the subway to the stadium and have nothing but positive remarks: it's fast and easy to get back into NYC.

Major League Soccer has a very curious and unique business model. It's truly an economic experiment in multicultural America. The "hard" team salary cap is about $2.9 million per 21 players, but there are asterisks. First of all, a team can overpay a "designated player" any amount of money and bill it at only $350k against the cap. NYRB have amassed three of these guys, and they pay them almost twelve million dollars per year to exceed American soccer mediocrity. On the other hand, Sporting Kansas City has the best playing record and starts a few "Americans" with big "upside". CF readers should root against them.

Onto the Red Bull roster: lots of valiant whites, Henry, and what else?

Thierry Henry looks like a mulatto.

Ok, he does not look like a mulatto at all. I can't help but enjoy the way he plays: very selfish and yet still delivering on-target shots and goals. He gets bitchy and fussy which has earned him a bundle of yellow cards - I'd call that typical race behavior.

I'll post more tomorrow about my Metros... they do have plenty of CF redeeming qualities!!

 

[Phall]

The Red Bulls stared some real racial tragedy in the face only just recently.

The team traded a longstanding Jamaican international (Dane Richards) for white Frenchman Sebastien Le Toux. In doing so, they sacrificed "speed" and "athleticism" for skill and prowess, although Le Toux has admittedly sucked on his new squad. Wherever his "natural position" is, he isn't afforded the opportunity to succeed there.

By the graces of the Good Lord Himself, the Red Bulls discovered a fast black player named Lloyd Sam who could satiate their newfound gap in in-athleticism. He was an immediate insertion into the first team... until he got hurt last week, his third game.

Sadly, the Red Bulls will be forced to reapply the Pole "Joel Lindpere" back into their lineup:

 

[ThePhilosopher]

The Red Bulls stared some real racial tragedy in the face only just recently.

The team traded a longstanding Jamaican international (Dane Richards) for white Frenchman Sebastien Le Toux. In doing so, they sacrificed "speed" and "athleticism" for skill and prowess, although Le Toux has admittedly sucked on his new squad. Wherever his "natural position" is, he isn't afforded the opportunity to succeed there.

By the graces of the Good Lord Himself, the Red Bulls discovered a fast black player named Lloyd Sam who could satiate their newfound gap in in-athleticism. He was an immediate insertion into the first team... until he got hurt last week, his third game.

Sadly, the Red Bulls will be forced to reapply the Pole "Joel Lindpere" back into their lineup:

What did I miss?The sarcasm?:twitch:
Please tell me:ear:

 

[Phall]

So, the Red Bulls spend a cool 40% of their salary cap on a black (Henry), a mestizo (Marquez), and a half-Samoan (Cahill.... I really like his game, he plays with caste adjectives and has never had behavioral issues other than his obnoxious arm-sleeve tattoo). How do they allocate the rest of the money?

Cahill pairs in central midfield with Finnish international Teemu Tainio. He is "plodding, methodical, tactical, intelligent" and any other flurry of words that would fit a 30 yr old white player. Although the team doesn't officially use a "diamond", Tainio typically withdraws when Cahill advances. That said, I appreciate his sporadic flair most of all, as I've watched him play a few long balls onto his strikers' feet.

Up top, Red Bulls enjoy the intense, intimidating presence of Kenny Cooper. At a glimpse, Cooper stands out on the field as a physical specimen. He looks like a football player, but has somehow finessed his way into 18 league goals this season. Cooper takes the team's penalty kicks and also conducts the squad in pre-game warmups.

Red Bulls flank the aforementioned Joel Lindpere and firecracker Dax McCarty out wide. McCarty has won me over this season with his work ethic on the field. You would probably not describe him with any superlative, but he is still playing as a converted CDM simply because he's too useful to put on the bench.

Connor Lade is a young, speedy, mistake-free, purposeful left back. He should be in line for a call-up to the national team to audition for that porous position, but perhaps Klinsmann can find a mulatto to fill the void.

Heath Pearce plays on the right side these days. He's another borderline national team player, probably damned by playing all four defensive positions well but none masterfully. Like McCarty, Pearce still starts outside of his default position because he is just a little too good to put on the bench. Pearce was displaced from center back by aging mestizo phenom Rafa Marquez, who is not nearly versatile enough to switch positions, but is just a little too expensive to sit.

Swedish international Markus Holgersson anchors the back line. He is generally reliable and can also score in the air off set pieces.

(yes Markus, we know)

The Red Bulls are a fun team to watch, and they will not offend anyone's sensibilities that is reading here. They have qualified for the playoffs and can hopefully make a decent run. (In America, the soccer trophy is won via a postseason tournament... I suppose this boosts the TV ratings)

I can't finish this post without a little hat-tip to the ridiculous Jan Gunnar Solli, the Norwegian journeyman who moonlights as a trance DJ. He will spell Lindpere in the midfield for twenty minutes, or step in at fullback in the case of injury. Click this link if you'd like to see a video of a crowded basement full of white people hopping around to some modified pop music. (It's not for everybody, but do please remember that the live music scene gets much, much worse)

 

[Freethinker]

Good write-up Phall. I also root for the Red Bull since they are the home team and "white friendly".

I only went to one game this year, the friendly against Tottenham. It was a good game in which the notably Whiter Red Bulls had a 1-0 lead at the half on a Cooper penalty kick. Then in the 2nd, the Spurs were bailed out by nice goals from Gareth Bale and Gylfi Sigurdsson. Ironic that 2 of the few Whites had to save the Spurs from an embarrassing loss.

Anyway, the stadium is great and the team is fun to watch. I'll be rooting for them against DC and hopefully beyond if they advance.

 

[Phall]

Good write-up Phall. I also root for the Red Bull since they are the home team and "white friendly". I only went to one game this year, the friendly against Tottenham. It was a good game in which the notably Whiter Red Bulls had a 1-0 lead at the half on a Cooper penalty kick. Then in the 2nd, the Spurs were bailed out by nice goals from Gareth Bale and Gylfi Sigurdsson. Ironic that 2 of the few Whites had to save the Spurs from an embarrassing loss. Anyway, the stadium is great and the team is fun to watch. I'll be rooting for them against DC and hopefully beyond if they advance.

Hey, I was in there with you somewhere that day. McCarty's assist on that early goal was gorgeous - I found the highlight link here.

Funny story from the game: I was sitting next to an extended family of DWFs who had made the trip down from Connecticut, apparently a four-hour commute that day, to watch Tottenham, their favorite team. When I asked how they chose such an unassuming franchise, the father explained that after one particular World Cup, his sons decided that they needed to follow this "new, trendy" sport. The boys, both in their 20's at that point, sat themselves down for some market research. Premiere League games are televised in America and broadcast in English, so that whittled down the choices. The team had to compete for the occasional trophy and qualify for Europe regularly, but it couldn't be a "front-runner" team from England's Big Four. So, absent any American players, or even particular favorite players, and with no ties to the region in any way, these two nerds selected their new diehard squad.

This all was such a perfect microcosm of American sports fans in general. Couch potato-turned-journalist Bill Simmons actually wrote out this exact same processional back in 2006 (probably the same year that these flabby whites decided to start buying their team kits). Tottenham's blackness is impossible to avoid noticing, and it's also off-putting to me that the Yid Army is curiously invited to New York every year for exhibition games while bigger clubs rotate around the rest of the country. But to these types, that couldn't be further from consideration.

I got a chuckle when one of the sons excused himself around the 80th minute because his baby son was being fussy. Not for considering his child first, but because it was his short, fat, physically-irredeemable Korean wife chasing him out of his seat. I will never know if he fancies himself as "race-blind" or simply self-hating (to ask is to answer, though). But, he would surely return to his cubicle on Monday and congratulate himself for having absorbed some culture.

After the final whistle, the mother/grandmother offered me a shaky congratulations, sharing that "my team" played well in her estimation. Is it even possible for anyone to consider Tottenham "her team", when she would likely not be able to understand half the broken ****ney ebonics of those African migrants on the field? Imagine her discomfort at finding herself in a crowded room with such aliens.

Ah well, it was good for a laugh.

 

[Phall]

The Red Bulls acquired backup goalie Bill Gaudette for a song midseason when two of their white keepers caught the injury bug. Born and raised in Massachusetts, Gaudette somehow has Puerto Rican citizenship and plays for their national team. I must confess though that I'm a fan of his "look".

Not only does this guy look like the prototypical villain from any Hollywood masterpiece, but he further trolls the crowd by wearing the evil #88. There is no reason to believe this is anything but a happy accident, but it makes me laugh every time I see him. (I recall Buffon pulling off this stunt for about half a season until the ADL knocked at his door)

Gaudette had been in pretty good form before picking up his own little injury last month. Red Bulls have been starting a mestizo in his place, but I'm hoping he'll make his return this weekend for the playoffs. This would give the team eight white starters, a lofty sum for an MLS side.

 

[Giles Daldanus]

Thanks for starting this thread! The Major League Soccer league still tends to be relatively unknown in Europe and is probably underestimated in terms of the quality of its playing personnel. I personally like the US soccer culture – even if there are fierce rivalries between teams, the animosities rarely spill over into the stands and there aren’t any “ancient hatreds” to speak of.

The New York Red Bulls have a very promising team…I wish that Hans Backe would try a formation with three forwards, as both Henry and Cooper are talented footballers (the latter should be in the US squad). Le Toux hasn’t seen a lot of playing time with “New York”, but he proved his quality during the previous season, so should eventually get his chance. The team certainly has a very strong Scandinavian player core and forms a well-drilled unit from a defensive standpoint.

Joel Lindpere is a familiar face to me, as I often follow the Eastern European leagues. In the mid 2000s the Estonian played for Bulgarian powerhouse CSKA Sofia and is still fondly remembered by the fans. German goalkeeper Frank Rost was another elite footballer who used to be part of the Red Bulls squad.

Los Angeles and Kansas are very dangerous teams, but the New Yorkers could certainly hold their own against them, hope that they will do well and manage to win their first title.

 

[Phall]

Red Bulls played the first leg of their home-and-home quarterfinal series versus DC United tonight, drawing 1-1 on a pair of own goals.

The Red Bulls started seven whites plus half-Samoan Tim Cahill, mestizos Rafael Marquez (CB) and Luis Robles (goalie), and black Thierry Henry. DC started two blacks, four mestizos, and five whites, including promising Americans Chris Pontius (forward) and Perry Kitchen (center mid).

The venues were flip-flopped in wake of Hurricane Sandy damage. The second leg is meant to confer a bit of "home field advantage" by way of potential extra time and penalties in front of a cheering crowd. There is no "away goals" tiebreaker in MLS this year, although they tweak their format very often. So, Wednesday's game in northern NJ is for all the marbles.

The most noticeable lineup moves for the Red Bulls were Cahill at center mid despite a strained calf in practice this week, and even more surprisingly, Le Teoux up top next to Henry despite Cooper's brace in the season finale. I'd read nothing about this on the internet message boards, but the announcers alluded that it was upon the urging of Henry that the coach benched Cooper, at 18 goals the league's 2nd leading scorer, to be replaced for "speed". Le Teoux is white, but he and Henry are both French. Cooper's pre-game demeanor was not outwardly pleasant.

DC did not completely dominate the first half but failed to capitalize on their more probable scoring chances. After I declared Connor Lade to be a "mistake-free" future national player, he was burned three times by the apt Pontius down the right wing, conceding two free kicks, a yellow card, and finally a penalty kick from an incidental handball in the box. Pontius had his accurate but telegraphed effort blocked wide by Robles, and the Red Bulls dawdled into halftime.

A visible spat between Marquez and the Red Bulls coach Hans Backe was noticed by the commentators, and lo and behold, Marquez stayed in the locker room after halftime. The official issue from team officials was "no comment", and even with Backe's predicted replacement in the offseason, Marquez seems unlikely to outlive him at the club. " Speedy" black winger Roy Miller swapped RB Heath Miller back into the center of defense.

Miller lost his balance around minute 60 and had an errant ball deflect off his body into his keeper's net. Two minutes later, black DC keeper Bill Hamid fumbled a manageable ball over the his own goal's line, though not by much. The next telling moment occurred around minute 75, when mestizo youngster Andy Najar drew a yellow card for clipping Dax McCarty while racing after a through ball barely past midfield. The 19-yr old Honduran picked up the ball and gave a waist-level kickball pitch throw to the ref, who was still in the process of drawing his yellow card. The ref didn't bother to raise the yellow and put it back to draw the red in its place.

Robles survived his own disastrous gaffe after scooping up a contested backpass toe from Holgersson under pressure. I don't even know what kind of punishment would have been warranted, because I can't remember seeing that mistake in twenty years. Accordingly to the announcers, Robles' confidence in scooping up that ball helped convince the ref that there was a clear interference in the pass, because no keeper would have ever been so confidently obtuse as to field it otherwise.

Up a man on the road, the Red Bulls finally replaced Le Teoux for Cooper. He did not conjure any miracles on his own, and the team was content to finish the game without much extra aggression to earn the draw. Perhaps the best outcome of this experiment for the out-of-form Le Teoux was to grant some extra rest for the team's leading goalscorer. The pace of the final ten minutes was a bit drab and long-ball.

The Marquez drama creates a bit of hilarity, since very few supporters, whether pro-white or multicultural, local or from afar, prole or elitist, really care if he gets punted before his massive salary promise expires. (Marquez, at $4.2 million, out-earns the entire #1 seed SKC roster) There are probably even a few dozen non-English speaking illegal mestizos that are sick of his bourgeoisie flatness.

If Henry did in fact push for Cooper to be benched, well this would be the NYRB's version of the holocaust. The black frenchman's fits of brilliance are noticeably dwindling (if just by a bit); he can only get older, and in this one particular (crucial) game with his chosen countryman, they both laid an egg. Give me Cooper instead and a 5-man midfield with a few plodding Norsemen. We can keep Le Teoux atop of that 'empty bucket' and see what Cooper does withdrawn officially, his back to the goal a bit.

If we are trying new things out in the playoffs.... :fencing:

 

[frederic38]

Robles survived his own disastrous gaffe after scooping up a contested backpass toe from Holgersson under pressure. I don't even know what kind of punishment would have been warranted, because I can't remember seeing that mistake in twenty years. Accordingly to the announcers, Robles' confidence in scooping up that ball helped convince the ref that there was a clear interference in the pass, because no keeper would have ever been so confidently obtuse as to field it otherwise.

if a goalkeeper scoops up a backpass (made with the boot, not with the head/torso ect) and if the backpass was intentionally directed at the goalkeeper, there must be an indirect freekick

which is the same as a freekick, except that you can't shoot directly at the goal

if the goalkeeper scoops up the ball in the penalty area, there will be an indirect freekick in the place where he scoop the ball up, no penalty kick

here's an example of an indirect free kick in the penalty area:

[video=dailymotion;xh3uja]http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xh3uja_coup-franc-indirect-episode-1_sport[/video]

notice that they have to pass the ball before shooting

 

[Liverlips]

So it seems New York has 8 white starters (including Cahill)?

Are they the whitest team in MLS?

 

[Truthteller]

Are they the whitest team in MLS?

I started a MLS thread earlier in the year that had a lot of that info, but it's been pushed to page 2 in this forum. In brief, I would say several teams start/play between 7 and 9 whites each week. They include, the Red Bulls, Los Angeles Galaxy, Kansas City, Vancouver Whitecaps and Columbus Crew. The Crew, at times, have had 10 whites on the field at once. The top team in the league (points wise) is the San Jose Earthquakes. They only start 5 or 6 whites most weeks, but their stars are mostly white. The darkest teams include the Philadelphia Union, Toronto and the Portland Timbers. All three, by the way, were at the very bottom of the standings in the league.

As far as the Red Bulls, I've followed them fairly close since 2009. It's too bad top goalies Ryan Meara and Bill Gaudette are injured, as they've been forced to go with some anchor-baby that doesn't seem all that special. This team has gotten progressively whiter since Hans Backe and Erik Soler came in 3 years ago. However, Soler has already been fired and Backe probably needs to make the MLS finals to return. Matter of fact, he's pretty much already told folks in Sweden he'll likely be returning to Europe in a few months -- meaning he expects to be fired?

If Backe is fired, this team will be in the hands of some French GM/President (Jerome de Bontin) and whoever he brings in to coach. My hope is they don't start getting rid of a bunch of Euro's and American whites and replace them with a cache of imported blacks and American Mexicans in hopes of increasing attendance**. If they do that, it would be absolutely idiotic, considering MLS is pretty much failing (or has failed) in heavy Mexican/Hispanic areas (Dallas, Chivas, Miami, Tampa) and is thriving in more whiter cities -- Seattle, Portland, ect.


** http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2012/10/06/new-red-bulls-gm-de-bontin-focus-rba-attendance


P.S: If (when) the New York Cosmos are re-launched, they will blow the Red Bulls out of the water, in terms of attendance, if they are willing to spend money -- ala Red Bulls and Galaxy.

 

[Europe]

I started a MLS thread earlier in the year that had a lot of that info, but it's been pushed to page 2 in this forum. In brief, I would say several teams start/play between 7 and 9 whites each week. They include, the Red Bulls, Los Angeles Galaxy, Kansas City, Vancouver Whitecaps and Columbus Crew. The Crew, at times, have had 10 whites on the field at once. The top team in the league (points wise) is the San Jose Earthquakes. They only start 5 or 6 whites most weeks, but their stars are mostly white. The darkest teams include the Philadelphia Union, Toronto and the Portland Timbers. All three, by the way, were at the very bottom of the standings in the league.

As far as the Red Bulls, I've followed them fairly close since 2009. It's too bad top goalies Ryan Meara and Bill Gaudette are injured, as they've been forced to go with some anchor-baby that doesn't seem all that special. This team has gotten progressively whiter since Hans Backe and Erik Soler came in 3 years ago. However, Soler has already been fired and Backe probably needs to make the MLS finals to return. Matter of fact, he's pretty much already told folks in Sweden he'll likely be returning to Europe in a few months -- meaning he expects to be fired?

If Backe is fired, this team will be in the hands of some French GM/President (Jerome de Bontin) and whoever he brings in to coach. My hope is they don't start getting rid of a bunch of Euro's and American whites and replace them with a cache of imported blacks and American Mexicans in hopes of increasing attendance**. If they do that, it would be absolutely idiotic, considering MLS is pretty much failing (or has failed) in heavy Mexican/Hispanic areas (Dallas, Chivas, Miami, Tampa) and is thriving in more whiter cities -- Seattle, Portland, ect.


** http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2012/10/06/new-red-bulls-gm-de-bontin-focus-rba-attendance


P.S: If (when) the New York Cosmos are re-launched, they will blow the Red Bulls out of the water, in terms of attendance, if they are willing to spend money -- ala Red Bulls and Galaxy.

Why do they need 2 teams in NY now.?The league is doing pretty well with attendance. Why would they want to split up the NY fan base at this point.

Does anybody know why Seattle limits ticket sales? I think they don't sell tickets to the upper deck, unless I am wrong about that. I think DC does they same.

 

[Truthteller]

Why do they need 2 teams in NY now.?The league is doing pretty well with attendance. Why would they want to split up the NY fan base at this point.

Having a second team in NY only makes sense "if" the team is branded the Cosmos and "if" they have their own soccer specific stadium in New York City (Queens?) and "if" they are willing to spend money to sign star DP's. If a 2nd team comes to NY and is run on a shoe-string budget (i.e Chivas), it will be a catastrophic failure.

The Cosmos (NASL) were an "iconic" franchise here in the U.S during the 1970's, drawing crowds in excess of 70,000 at the old Giants Stadium. I think the movement to re-launch the Cosmos really took hold around 2009, when former NASL team Seattle Sounders were re-launched and exploded in popularity. After Seattle, MLS brought back the Portland Timbers and the Vancouver Whitecaps and both have thrived. Now, the question is, can MLS re-kindle that magic with the Cosmos? I think they can and they seem to agree, as they are making it a priority to bring them back.

But, I absolutely agree with you, Europe, it could really cut into the Red Bulls fan base and perhaps even ravage the Red Bulls franchise in the long term. Only reason the Cosmos aren't in MLS now, is because they have no stadium.



P.S: Here's a great movie/documentary about the Cosmos**, made around 2005. It can be seen in full on Youtube. Just shows how special they were. Again, if they can comeback strong (like Seattle, Portland and Vancouver did), they could displace the Sounders and Galaxy as MLS's preeminent franchise world wide.


**http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLE168F0C6FD9DB246

 

[Europe]

Having a second team in NY only makes sense "if" the team is branded the Cosmos and "if" they have their own soccer specific stadium in New York City (Queens?) and "if" they are willing to spend money to sign star DP's. If a 2nd team comes to NY and is run on a shoe-string budget (i.e Chivas), it will be a catastrophic failure.

The Cosmos (NASL) were an "iconic" franchise here in the U.S during the 1970's, drawing crowds in excess of 70,000 at the old Giants Stadium. I think the movement to re-launch the Cosmos really took hold around 2009, when former NASL team Seattle Sounders were re-launched and exploded in popularity. After Seattle, MLS brought back the Portland Timbers and the Vancouver Whitecaps and both have thrived. Now, the question is, can MLS re-kindle that magic with the Cosmos? I think they can and they seem to agree, as they are making it a priority to bring them back.

But, I absolutely agree with you, Europe, it could really cut into the Red Bulls fan base and perhaps even ravage the Red Bulls franchise in the long term. Only reason the Cosmos aren't in MLS now, is because they have no stadium.



P.S: Here's a great movie/documentary about the Cosmos**, made around 2005. It can be seen in full on Youtube. Just shows how special they were. Again, if they can comeback strong (like Seattle, Portland and Vancouver did), they could displace the Sounders and Galaxy as MLS's preeminent franchise world wide.


**http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLE168F0C6FD9DB246

Why didn't they name the NY team the Cosmos in the first place? The name is owned by someone else? Why didn't the MLS go to them for the first franchise?

Are people not going to Red Bulls games because of the name? If they liked soccer, you would think they would go.

 

[frederic38]

speaking of attendances, are tickets for a soccer match in the US cheaper than for example a football match?
in some countries it's a big problem because the tickets are too expansive, especially in spain
in france too

 

[Europe]

speaking of attendances, are tickets for a soccer match in the US cheaper than for example a football match?
in some countries it's a big problem because the tickets are too expansive, especially in spain
in france too

Yes, You can get soccer tickets for less than NFL tickets. You can get 4 REd Bull playoff tickets for 99.00 dollars including food vouchers.

I saw some Giants tickets for 38.00 dollars, which is pretty cheap. I saw 100 dollar standing room only tickets for the Cowboys.

 

[Truthteller]

Why didn't they name the NY team the Cosmos in the first place? The name is owned by someone else? Why didn't the MLS go to them for the first franchise?

The Cosmos name was owned by some random guy (explained in the Youtube link I provided) named Pepe Pinton, who wanted a lot of money (several million) for it back in the mid 1990's, when MLS was formed. So the league's founders went with the name Metrostars, not wanting to pay the fee.

Also, because the league once owned all the teams and lacked big name players, Pinton claimed he did not want the "Cosmos name" attached to a second tier league...Once the league (MLS) started making more money and signing bigger names (Beckham, ect.), Pepe agreed to sell the name. That happened, I think, in 2009.

Are people not going to Red Bulls games because of the name? If they liked soccer, you would think they would go.

I can't answer that in a definitive way. Fact of the matter is the Cosmos averaged well over 40,000 per game at the Meadowlands in the latter part of the 70's and early 80's, with many world-class players. The Metrostars/Red Bulls, who were run on a shoe-string budget from 1996 until about about 2010, have had trouble getting 20,000 in the seats.

I just feel the Cosmos brand is so strong and so beloved in the NY area, that they would be an instant success if they returned and had a state of the art soccer stadium in NYC. Again, look at how fans have reacted to the return of the Sounders, Timbers and Whitecaps.

Also, in the B-League (New NASL) AC Miami was averaging less than a 1,000 fans per game in 2010...when they rebranded and went with the Fort Lauderdale Strikers (Retro NASL) their attendance popped up to over 5,000 in 2011. Also, in the new NASL (a B-league) Tampa's attendance spiked when they went from FC Tampa to the Tampa Bay Rowdies (Retro NASL). Strange as it might seem, names do seem to matter. Why, I have no idea. And, I would not have believed it myself up until a few years ago.

 

[Phall]

The MLS playoffs concluded this weekend, but unconventional whiteness of the Red Bulls is already a distant memory. Along with the Swedish coach, gone are norsemen Teemu Tanio and Jan Gunnar Solli. Markus Holgerrson and Joel Lindpere are both rumored to be returning back to their homelands. Additional waived players include former Penn State standout Corey Hertzog, goalkeeper Bill Gaudette, and backup defenders Stephen Keel and Tyler Ruthven.

New "Sporting Director" Andy Roxburgh, brought in from Scotland, has stated that the Red Bulls will have an "American core". As of today, the three newest members of the team are Jamison Olave, Fabian Espindola, and Kosuke Kimura.

the new "Americans"

The acquisition of Espindola is likely the precursor to Kenny Cooper leaving town. Despite netting 18 goals, Cooper never quite "meshed" with Thierry Henry, personality-wise. In the first game of their playoff tie against DC United, Henry essentially benched Cooper himself by publicly requesting a "speedier" strike partner in fellow countryman Sebastien LeToux (they combined to score no goals). LeToux another name high on the potential chopping block list. Keep in mind that all these moves are being made without a head coach in place.

After fielding such a favorable side this year, the Red Bulls are now down to only four confirmed white starters (McCarty, Pearce, Barklage, and Lade). Just in time for my first-ever season tickets!
:fish:

 

[frederic38]

is there a limit for the transferts you can have in MLS? so far it sounds like almost al the white players are leaving
gerard houiller is rumored to bring the brazilian legendary lyon player to the new york red bulls
if he comes you'll be happy to see him i think

[video=dailymotion;x4kuz7]http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4kuz7_27-juninho-ajaccio-1-3-lyon-l1-2005_sport[/video]

i've posted about him here:
http://www.castefootball.us/forums/...-white-players?p=261171&viewfull=1#post261171

 

[Phall]

is there a limit for the transferts you can have in MLS? so far it sounds like almost al the white players are leaving

MLS is weird. The short answer is that there is no transfer limit for teams. Players actually negotiate their contracts under league oversight, so technically everyone is an employee of Major League Soccer, not the Red Bulls per se. So, if some teenage phenom were to sign on with Real Madrid, the league would earn the transfer fee rather than the club. Most of it would be appropriated back, of course, but the MLS is the middle-man.

There is a $2.9 million salary cap for each club. Teams can have up to three "designated players" that can be paid any amount and only count $335k against the cap. So, the Red Bulls pay Henry, Marquez, and Tim Cahill over $12 million combined per year, but they have roughly $1.9 million remaining to spread amongst the rest of the roster. The team from Kansas City qualified for the playoffs with no designated players, meaning their owners paid out only that $2.9 million instead of New York's ~$14 million. The Red Bulls simply hope to sell more merchandise or higher-priced tickets to account for the extra expenditure.

A European club could auction away a bum like Marquez to the lowest bidder, but in the MLS, the team is on the hook for his salary. So, unless the Red Bulls can convince his Mexican home team to match his $4.2 million wage, we will be treated to another year of the Mestizo Matador. Atlas cannot assume him on loan: the money comes off our books until the contract expires.

To put it in perspective: Kenny Cooper earns $300k per year. The organization could afford that, and it is hardly an unreasonable wage for the league's 2nd-leading goal scorer. But for the Red Bulls, that $300k is a big part of the $1.9 million that they must spread amongst 17 other players. So, if Cooper clashes with a (black) designated player, he immediately becomes expendable. Now, it is simply a matter of finding a club to take on his contract, and then "trade" him for peanuts. Red Bulls "traded" for their new black and brown stars for "allocation money", essentially sacrificing nothing but salary cap space. Their previous club will fill the void with interchangeable signees.

In the aftermath of their playoff crash, Red Bulls are resigned to let Henry and his jew agent/best friend mold the team in their image.

Darren Dein stepping out on the town with Gael Clichy

 

[Truthteller]

The transformation of the recently, very-white friendly Red Bulls is happening at a rapid pace, now that vastly underrated head coach Hans Backe and Erik Soler are gone:

The Red Bulls completed a move shipping striker Sebastien Le Toux to Philadelphia for allocation cash and young forward Josue Martinez.

“We are excited to bring Josué to the Red Bulls. Our staff considers him a young player with potential. In addition, the allocation money we received will provide us some financial flexibility,” said Red Bulls Sporting Director Andy Roxburgh.

“Sébastien indicated to us at the end of the season that he wanted to return to Philadelphia and we respected his request. We want to thank him for his service to the Red Bulls and wish him the best of luck in the future.”

http://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/socce...to_union_gzzKCbakU7C02KSHRESFeO#axzz2EgHEPeor


So, they traded an All-Star caliber player, who last year had a EPL trial, for some scrub forward that scored one goal last season?

My guess is Red Bulls ownership has bought into the "myth" that more Latin Players will lead to more fans.

How is this working in Los Angeles, where the mostly white Galaxy pack the stands every week, while Chivas USA plays in front of less than 10,000 each game?....My guess is Chivas must go "WBNA mode" to even get those crowds -- WNBA mode is handing out 1,000's of free tickets and forcing sponsors to buy large blocks for deeply discounted rates.


Also, where are all the "Latin" fans in the Southeast and the Southwest the Jewish media promised us for years would flock to MLS?

Miami and Tampa where contracted 11 years ago and Dallas & Colorado, who have bent over backwards to attract "Latino's" got less than 10,000 at 2011 playoff games, a year after making the finals....Also, notice how all the big attendance numbers are in "whiter areas"? Seattle, Vancouver, Toronto, Portland, Philadelphia, Salt Lake? So much for catering to "Latino's".

Actually, I still hope the Red Bulls remain mostly white. Backe and Soler brought in so many, I'm sure quite a few will remain -- or at least I hope so.

In other news, looks like Kaka (who I consider white) has, once again, made it known he wants to join his younger brother and play in NYC eventually:

http://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/socce..._source=OutbrainArticlepages&obref=obinsource

Heck, if he waits long enough, he can sign with the Cosmos instead?

 

[frederic38]

juninho is very close to signing, he was in new york to visit the club, and he said to his president that he wanted to talk about his future

here's a compilation of his best and more important free kicks for lyon:

[video=dailymotion;x1p8xi]http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1p8xi_juninho-24-coup-francs_sport#.UMcnNnfWplM[/video]

 

[ThePhilosopher]

where are all the "Latin" fans in the Southeast and the Southwest the Jewish media promised us for years would flock to MLS?

Lol,they're jews:lie:,what did you expect:suspicious:?

 

[Phall]

In rather shocking almost-news, Rafael Marquez is poised to move back to a Mexican club. The surprise is that any team could be convinced to match his massive wage. This move, if it is hopefully ever finalized, frees up one of NYRB's "designated player" spots.

The LeToux trade was unfortunate mostly because it integrated another brown onto the roster, but the key component was actually "allocation money". It's a nebulous concept, akin to trading players for cap space in the NBA. Basically, Red Bulls received a credit against the salary cap to be applied to a player of their choice. LeToux, regardless of past successes, never made an impression on the field this past year. Thierry Henry's role on the field is set in stone, and LeToux was not effective in a complimentary position.

The allocation money will be spent on either Kenny Cooper thumbsup or "the real Juninho", who is "Latin" but passes the eyeball test. The team could possibly sign both, depending on Juninho's salary demands. It is possible that both could work out.

The open DP slot allows the Red Bulls to make serious bids for Kaka next month, who still has no shortage of suitors. His brother DiGaio is already on the roster, he owns an apartment in Manhattan, and he's old friends with the incumbent Juninho.

At this stage, the Red Bulls could conceivably wind up with a first team of Cooper and Henry as strikers, Cahill and Juninho behind them, Kaka and McCarty outside, and Holgersson, Olave, Pearce, and Barklage as the back four in front of Meara. That 9-of-11 hypothetical is probably a little too good to be true, but the impending departure of Marquez has me feeling satisfied about my support once again.