Photo by ISIphotos.com
A blown lead on an absolutely embarrassing mistake, A 2-0 loss to a USL-2 team AND a 4-0 blowout loss on the 4th of July. These three events took place in a seven-day span, leading me to wonder if there is any way this wasn’t the worst week in the history of the club.
As if the abused fan base wasn’t already beat up enough following 12 years of disappointment, the Claudio Reyna DP contract and Jozy Altidore’s transfer departure, along came a week bad enough to shake the faith out of even the most die-hard of fans.
Yes, there are some new signings on the way, but the inept recent performances make you feel as if these new players are like band-aids on a gun shot.
So how did this week go so terribly wrong? Here are some possible excuses explanations:
The Red Bulls were tired: You can’t ignore the loaded schedule they played and while it is true that other teams also had to deal with loaded schedules, the heavy load exposed the Red Bulls as a thin, overachieving team very light on high-impact talent.
The Red Bulls were distracted: Your coach tells the world that he is planning on bringing in a boatload of new signings when the transfer window opens, meaning almost a quarter of the senior roster could be out the door soon. Anyone who doesn’t think that can have a negative impact is fooling themselves.
The Red Bulls are just that bad: Yes, the Red Bulls are lacking in talent and the injuries to Juan Pablo Angel and Claudio Reyna, as well as the transfer of Jozy Altidore mean that almost a million of the team’s 2.3 million in salary was tied up in players who weren’t playing. That left a team short on star power and low on talent. They were able to put some results together playing at the top of their game, but as soon as fatigue set in, they were exposed badly.
What do you think led to this awful week in what is turning into another forgettable season? Do you still hold out hope that new acquisitions will turn things around, or have you given up on 2008 and started thinking about waiting until Red Bull Park opens to start caring again? Was last week really the worst week in club history, or have there been too many of these kind of weeks to remember?
Share your thoughts on the Red Bulls week to forget in the comments section below.
The Red Bulls are pathetic (I am a neutral MLS fan). Having said that, I think the only thing you can blame on JCO so far this year (and the reality is that it may be more Agoos’ fault, but we’ll never know) is the fact that they jettisoned a highly talented and young player for ANDREW FREAKING BOYENS!!!
“Marc and Manny F: im not saying that he wasnt within his right to say that, in fact i agree he should have said that, i just wouldve worded it differently….” – Brett
Look that is the problem with sports. Everyone is too PC for their own good. Sometimes calling a duck a duck is what needs to be done. Soccer needs to start being treated seriously. Players need to be completely torn down and up to make them real players. Some of these guys don’t see the opportunities. They need to get heart to go with their talents. Osorio is a coach that wants to change the mentality of a horrible franchise with a horrible history. Maybe it wont be him but somebody needs to start really treating this franchise like a real sports team.
What do people expect? The 3 most talented players on the roster in preseason(JPA, Jozy and Reyna) either havent been playing due to injury or were transferred out. Take those 3 out of the equation and this team has very little talent. The rest of the roster outside of 2 or 3 other players is full of mediocre to poor MLS players and USL types. Reyna and JPA look physically shot and probably can’t be counted on the rest of the way and the reinforcements coming in will take some time to get accustomed to the play in MLS and the turf at Giants stadium. It honestly doesnt look promising this year. It could very well get worse before it gets better.
Thanks for the Miami shout out, we had captured magic in a bottle! Again with the shorts? C mon now! I love what JCO said, as it shows his passion to the fans, as well as, to give a broad warning signal…Go hard or go home! Hes not a media robot, and keep in mind he was handcuffed financially, until they sold Jozy. The impact of being off season to most other leagues, affected his ability to prepare/ make offers, as he had to wait until contracts end, etc. Fan since day 1, yr 1 and faithful!
I dont know about the jean shorts, but their jerseys should definitely have the sleeves cut off
I dunno Eugene. Ives has pretty much been saying all along that the talent on the squad isn’t there but for a while they were playing over their heads, and doing better than expected and doing alright. It’s fine to praise average players for playing well. All he said now was that it was a terrible week and speculating on what caused it. There was no mention of the sky is falling, the club is crap, the season is shot etc.
I think what Haig has said about the team, says it all.
I don’t mind JCO calling people out, but he had months of off-season to correct the horror-show and he f**cked up mightly. The media in NYC/NJ should be calling him out for all his f**kups and have him explain himself. A D- indeed.
RB would have done the team a great service if they just bit the bullet and bought out Reyna’s contract. Also, firing Jeff Agoos is clearly necessary as it is clear he doesn’t know how to scout and attract players to the team.
Lastly, what would help the franchise the most is if Red Bull would hire soccer people who know how to run a soccer team, re-brand the team without the Red Bull logo and all that crap, and hire a coach who knows what they are doing instead of looting other teams.
I think the level of talent of the Roster is just that bad.
I disagree with the idea that JCO called out the players in the media, correction threw them under the bus. But I’ll give him credit for speaking his mind.
Ives, you really have to stop saying their great when they suck and saying their awful when they’re about to get better. Makes me wonder if you’re really reporting scoops or just yesterday’s news.
Considering how much time you’ve spent defending Reyna and other members of the squad and coaching staff, it really makes me wonder why all of a sudden you’re saying “its like putting band-aids on a gun shot”.
One bad week doesn’t change the history of this club, nor will it affect the club’s direction. The history is gone and pretty much irrelevant at this point. What is important is that the club has a good direction going forward and follows through on its promises. Osorio has just started doing that, as long as the positive steps continue the club will be moving in the right direction.
Richardo & Joey: are you guys complete idiots or do you just play them on the internet? I’m originally from NJ and residing in Brooklyn and can tell you that RBNY would probably get more people in the stands if it were in Brooklyn. On the other hand, the costs of building a stadium are more feasible and accessible to BOTH markets by putting it in Harrison (easy PATH ride). I found that most people with idiotic stereotypes of Brooklyn have (maybe) only been there once, and most idiots who trash NJ aren’t even from the NY/NJ area to begin with. We get it, you guys are superior to everyone else living in other parts of the world…
Hey Joey, I mean this with sincerity, go do something to yourself that’s most likely anatomically impossible. I assume you’re from Colorado if you attended that game. So you think you’re safe to talk about another state when you’re from Colorado? Yeah, I hear it’s really happening there, really cosmopolitan. Enjoy your time in your flyover state.
I’m still on the team?
-Reyna
THEY ARE THIS BAD
Good/Great Teams show their true worth when the stars are unavailable. Teams like the Galaxy (Good not Great) came together and began to perform to their abilities when players like Buddle, Franklin, Randolph, and Gordon were forced to take over for Ruiz and Donovan and the terrible force that is Abel Xavier… The Red Bulls, on the other hand, have shown us just how mediocre they are. They just don’t have any dynamic talent, other than Angel and the departed Altidore. I was hoping players like Magee, Freeman, and Richards would begin to establish themselves as players that could handle the load, but that just doesn’t seem to be the case yet. Their really needs to be an infusion of 2 or 3 dynamic talents, one of whom that can be a two way catalyst in the midfield. I don’t know much about these incoming players, but hopefully they can be that
” wait until July 15th for the cavalry to arrive.”
Yep. And this was a total insult to the fans. If they were going to wait until halfway through the season to field a decent squad, then Red Bull should not have been charging money to watch the team play. As a make-good, all tickets in 2009– season tickets, day of game, whatever– should cost half the price that 2008 tickets cost.
By the way, the whole “Borough Boys” wishful thinking is a chimera.
It’s going to cost a billion dollars to get a franchise, build a stadium in NYC, and sign a high-quality DP.
NO ONE is going to spend that kind of money when they have as little control over the quality of the product as MLS allows under its single entity set-up.
As long as “NYC FC” or the new Cosmos doesn’t actually exist, pretending that a new franchise is the solution to MLS’ problem in the NY area is easy. But if it were easy, it would have been done already.
People expecting and paying for the New Cosmos, but getting a year or two of expansion team soccer that would be even worse than the current MLS team in NJ (and yes, the Earthquakes are even worse), then probably several years of a team with the quality of the Columbus Crew or Colorado Rapids, is NOT what the NYC market would tolerate. Keep in mind that the Metrostars have actually been a typical MLS team from 2000 until the last month: finishing between 2nd and 8th and making the playoffs every year but one. There are teams that have done far worse. Signing Reyna was obviously about the stupidest move they could have done, and it has been embarrassing to read people try to claim it was a good signing, but even if the league were to pull off a Beckham-like miracle and sign a Thierry Henry, he’ll be 33 in 2010 and still be necessarily surrounded by guys the quality of Alan Gordon, Joey Franchino, and Ante Jazic.
MLS in 2008 is not like MLS in 1996 or 1998. Maybe if an existing MLS squad were moved to NYC, just as Houston was just San Jose, already a championship-quality team, they could compete. But with the exception of Chicago (and Miami, who won the Supporters Shield three years after they started play) no expansion team has made it anywhere near the elite of the league.
And no one is going to lay out the kind of money that MLS in NYC would require unless they are allowed to use their money to buy a competive squad. Even Fred Wilpon won’t lay out a billion dollars just to end up with a team with the quality of Real Salt Lake. It’s easy to claim that you’re the heir to the Cosmos, but you might as well just keep ignoring MLS and watching Man U on Saturday mornings, because it ain’t gonna happen. But it’s easier to mock than to actually try to build something with the team that DOES exist.
And what happens when the team moves into Red Bull Park and continues to lose? What is going to be your excuse then? The team cannot wait until 2009. And a stadium should not be an excuse for why a team loses. RSL is doing just fine playing in that shitty football stadium this year. We can curse DC and Revs fans all we want and sure, the Revs lost 4 MLS finals but at least they got to play in the final. What have RB/Metros done? Nothing. The US Open Cup would have been a nice start but no, we go and lose to a USL-2 team! RBNY is as bad as the taste of the energy drink in which it takes its current name. I hope the new players JCO bring in can redirect the ship and prevent it from sinking. We’ll see soon enough. Most of the new roster will probably play in the next home game.
Did I miss something? Hasn’t this past week been pretty much like the last 12 years? And yet I still watch.
It used to be in MLS that you just had to make the playoffs (and you had to be terrible not to make the playoffs) and then if you got hot or had a good tactician at the helm, you could be dangerous. That is getting to be less and less true. As MLS expands, it’s harder to have a poor season and make the playoffs. And that’s only going to be truer for the next couple of seasons (as MLS adds Seattle, etc.). But this year, with the East being very strong, the idea that a team can re-tool at midseason and have a good chance strikes me as either unrealistic or someone spinning a tall tale to the fans.
1. Who’s the weak sister in the East that the RedBulls are supposed to make ground on? Chicago is playing poorly now but that is a talented team and they’ve got a good chance of adding McBride. Columbus went through a slump but I’d argue that’s primarily about finishing–that teams plays hard, defends, has talent, a “difference-maker” in Schelotto. TFC–you know they’re going to always be tough at home even when they’re slumping. And right now, NE and DC United look to be assuming even better form.
2. To my mind, the real indictment of JCO is that with an offseason to work with, a league he knows, a team that should have held few or not surprises to him, he basically decided to stand pat. Oh, he tried to get Conde, he tried to get Marmol. But you’d think with his world connections he’d have had a lot of backup options. Even Arena (going after Hurtado, eventually signing Angel) showed more desire to sign talent now rather than wait until midseason.
Maybe the new signings will be gold. Maybe they’ll mesh perfectly from day one. OTOH, maybe they’ll take a month to come together like with Chicago last year (after JCO assumed control) or United did this season with the roster makeover. Maybe some of them won’t work out (which is the norm for foreign signings with most clubs).
I’m really angry with Osorio. All teams have injuries or promising players that leave for other leagues. But a lack of depth, you’ve got to lay that on the coach. It’s not as if Agoos drafted a bunch of guys that JCO cut. The team just opted to let some guys go (Kovalenko for instance), know others might go (Altidore) and wait until July 15th for the cavalry to arrive.
joe k – and a true fan you are….
jean shorts? seriously? all these jersey jabs are based on 15-year-old stereotypes. (okay, maybe they’re still true in seaside heights or wildwood, but those are time capsules)
i’ve seen way more jean shorts in williamsburg brooklyn in one night than i have in jersey in many many years.
ps. the city could support both a brooklyn team and a jersey team. if brooklyn were to create a team right now, i might switch allegiances away from rbny. the red bulls suck again.
Haig- my post is relavent to the topic at hand… how am i stirring the pot?? even one of your fans agree with me… my post wasnt even negative towards the redbulls… hell you even agreed with me…
“just the phony claims that he has a constructive approach that get tiresome.”
my posts are constructive and well thought out… you redbull fans seem so bent that all fire fans are out to insult your team and organization… in fact, i cant recall a negative thing that ive said about the redbulls that isnt shared by many redbull fans themselves….
I blame Isaih Thomas…
mike Ruze – so says the man law!!!
MAN LAW: if your team is having a losing season, it can be considered as a “Rebuilding Season” even if no rebuilding occurs
of course that was paraphrased, too lazy to look the actual law up 😀
Brett’s just stirring the pot. Nothing wrong with that, it’s just the phony claims that he has a constructive approach that get tiresome. Still, he probably isn’t wrong when he points out that JCO’s approach of revamping the roster mid-season, instead of building a good squad in the many months he had BEFORE the season started, has been terrible for team morale.
75% of the roster is crap, Reyna is a scumbag, and the few decent players are often playing in positions they are unaccustomed to. Osorio gets an D- for this year so far. Jeff Agoos gets an F for hiring him and for not working on the kind of moves that would have helped the team.
By the way, if there’s anyone who should have been able to work out a decent solution for the Reyna disaster, it should be Agoos, who is a fellow UVa guy, played with Claudio on the national team, and presumably is the kind of person who could deliver the bad news. But that would take guts, and Agoos has none.
And shame on Red Bull for their neglect of the team they own and its fans. They bought the team looking for a marketing vehicle, but rather than putting in the real work it takes, they’re just writing checks and not following it up. If their management of the stadium construction is a negligent as their work for the team, the stadium will fall down within two years. They don’t deserve the respect that would be given by using their brand name as the team’s name, so I urge fans not to dignify their mismanagement by participating in the stupid “Red Bulls” marketing– refer to the team as “New York” or “Metro.” If they show themselves capable of running a club half-decently, they might be able to EARN some respect.
This is a rebuilding year for NYRB
Aside from Angel theres probably very few players Benedict Osorio will keep.
He already knows what he wants his team to look like going into next yr when the overrated player that only coachesare enlightened enough to notice his “little things” style of play is gone with his big contract.
HEY JOEY. What the eff are you talking about? You think playing in Jersey is the problem?? Who in the world wants to trek all the way to Bklyn for a a soccer game? OR any game? Bklyn? Please! Only hip hop artists respect that crime ridden blight of a city. C’mon seriously, all the best venues (outside of MSG, of course) are in Jersey, plain and simple. Hell, the YANKEES almost moved here. You won’t get mugged here, and you can park your car. We all love Manhattan, but there is no effin room for anything out there, and it smells like urine. My point? Harrison NJ, I cannot wait. RBNY 2009!
Honestly, JCO’s comments also struck me as a bad decision. I think that a team manager needs to learn to motivate players when they’re down, not step on them. Yes, he needed the players to know that he’s disappointed (which he should be), but that’s a locker-room conversation…not one meant for public ears (in my opinon). Yes, RBNY’s players didn’t step up to the challenge, but he’s not going to trade away all of the starters, and nothing ruins performances worse than making it publicly known that they’re effectively useless.
That being said, I can understand his frustration. I’m hoping these new signings help us, and am really hopeful that it will. I think that it should bring a renewed spirit to the team, and will hopefully give everyone more of a fighting attitude.
Unfortunately, the Red Bull are just really sad. There is no leadership. Van den Bergh is the only player who regularly looks like he really knows what he is doing and actually does so. Reyna is a near-total bust with his games lost to injury. He can’t be counted on. JPA can’t either-this year, at least. Dane Richards is a caricature of CRonaldo-a one dimensional speed merchant with little production. If Reyna and JPA actually return, the team will stabilize at “mediocre” rather than the present “sucky.” I am a New Yorker, but am no longer interested in RBNY now that Altidore is gone. Creativity (except for DvdB) is in the trash can.
Joey,
Where are you from?
-Mike
Before I begin, I want to make it known that I’m a DC United fan and while I enjoy watching Red Bull New York (or any of it’s “formerly known as” names) struggle, I hope, like many of the New York soccer fans, that Osario can pull it together. What I would hope is that every time DC United and Red Bull New York face off, it would be the most exciting MLS match of year. However, that hasn’t been the case for a long, long time, if ever.
I’m not sure if I think this has been the worst week in Red Bull New York’s history, partly because saying it’s the worst, implies to some extent, that it will be better next week. Unfortunately, I don’t see it happening. I believe the Club will not break its curse until it moves into Red Bull Park. And only then will they be able to really begin the healing process. I thought I remember reading that Red Bull Park was suppose to open in 2009, but I don’t remember if that’s been delayed until 2010 or not.
Until it can move, the Club will continue to show similar symptoms that have plagued the franchise for the last 9 or 10 years.
1. Injuries will deplete your roster.
2. Players will find it difficult to compete at a high level for the length of the season.
3. Coaches will get blamed for each losing season, whether it’s within their control or not.
Only after Red Bull can move the team into its own house will the club be able to find its soul, the frequency of player injuries decline, and a coach be given the opportunity to build a successful franchise over a period of time, not one season.
I just hope for the sake of the New York and New Jersey soccer fans that it happens soon. I miss watching DC/New York games that are worthy of a rivalry.
Marc and Manny F: im not saying that he wasnt within his right to say that, in fact i agree he should have said that, i just wouldve worded it differently…. while you may be thinking that on july 15th you’ll be getting rid of X, Y and Z player, but until that point you still have a game or 2 before you can even make the signing… you have to instill confidence in your players regardless of the poor performance… just my opinion
i know they are professionals and i know they should be able to take criticism but pointing out their wrong-doings is quite different then counting down the days till he can cut a handfull of them…
KPugs, how was I to know you would stil come to the site after last week. I figured you would swear off all things soccer for a few months. LOL
Jonny – also if you notice, i post on almost all MLS threads, as i am a MLS fan, i happen to have an opinion…
Jonny – please point out where i am stiring up trouble… i never once insulted RBNJ… i never once insulted their fans… i mearly pointed out a quote from the game and mentioned how i thought it was poorly worded…
in fact, id like you to point out one instance where i have stirred up trouble… go ahead… you’ll find that i did not start any, altho i may have responded directed at the fire, but on here my hands are clean…
perhaps you should unwind yourself and take notice….
Ives my man, how am I supposed to forget this week if you keep writing about it? 😉
July 19 is going to be really, really embarrassing. Losing in front of 70k and the global media is far worse than losing a couple of games no one who doesn’t follow the league even heard about.
The talent is pretty thin, but there are some good players: Van den bergh, Richards, Stammler. Add a couple more on 7/15 and have Angel and maybe Reyna back, you never know. They’re still .500 and it’s a long season to go. How’s that for wild-eyed optimism? : )
Gotta keep the faith…. it’s hard right now.
On the positive side, New York played well recently against New England and FC Dallas; too bad the team couldn’t keep that momentum up.
A lot banking on the new players being brought in. I hate the fact that Reyna eats up so much of the cap room.
I think its a lack of talent. I also think they miss Reyna more then JPA at the moment. Reyna as a holding mid can help settle the team and also provide possibly the best service to Angel.
the new signings should help, but lets not kid our selves. This team looks a bit lost and I’m not sure how you recover after this week.
Has there been a good week in RBNY history?
Well, as the resident Columbus Crew homer here @ Ives, I’m always happy to see another Eastern Conference team looking up at The Crew in the standings, and losing ground whenever possible 🙂
That said, the Red Bulls seem to be the 70s-era New Orleans Saints of the MLS, and everything they touch turns to rubbish somehow.
Listen guys, just to clarify one thing I’ve seen a few people mention. The Red Bulls did have shots on goal against Crystal Palace so I’m not sure where that zero shots on goal story came from. If somebody wrote that then they are wrong. Borman had a great side volley saved and Magee had a long free kick saved (though it wasn’t that dangerous). It was still a terrible performance, but I just wanted to correct that bit of misinformation.
I’m a JCO supporter, as it definitely looks like he gives his all and it also looks like he’s taking some of Agoos’ responsibilities as well & just doing things himself. On the other hand, he’s leaving himself very VERY little room for error. Sounds like he’s feeling the pressure himself, whether self imposed or otherwise.
I’m not a NJ Red Bulls fan but I did attend the match on 7/4 vs CO. Red Bulls had a shot early and even after CO was up 1-0 still had an opportunity, but after they went down 2-0 they stopped playing to win.
By all rights the Red Bulls should be the “jewel of MLS” (apologies to Alexi the Ginger King), because if any city has the potential to lure world stars to MLS, it’s NYC (aside from the unfortunate tendency to build stadiums in New Jersey, ouch, I’m sorry for anyone who has to go to Jersey; why keep making people from Manhattan go to Jersey for any reason? I am in sympathy with the Borough Boys in Brooklyn, I wouldn’t want to have to support a NJ club either, I’d rather have a true New York team). It’s bad for the league that NYC/NJ has such a poor team, because we need the organization and the city to represent MLS on a global basis.
Bring back the Cosmos and put them in Brooklyn, and let the Red Bulls start playing in jean shorts like true Jersey natives.
Brett, why don’t you ever shut up? You are a Chicago fan looking to stir trouble and talk trash about Osorio. Your act is tired so please take it elsewhere. I swear I think you wait around for Red Bull posts so you can talk trash and piss people off. It’s childish and you need to find something else to do.
At the beginning of the season, I had three players from RBNY on my fantasy team in the ESPN MLS fantasy league. Now I have exactly ZERO. Very, very disappointing season to date. However, if you guys can get some new talent, things really can turn around fast. Just look at what JCO did in the second half of the season last year with your hated rivals.
Brett, I don’t think Osorio said anything wrong. Most of these players were given a pass by him to show their worth and they have not done anything with the oppertunities. None of them were selected by him really. Its time for new players. Magee, Wolyniec, Lietch, Boyens and Goldie seem like the heads that will more than likely role.
I disagree Brett. As Ives highlighted, this was one of the worst weeks in franchise history. These guys are professionals, and they played as if they had no pride this week. I think JCO is well within his rights to criticize the team, even publicly. Knowing that roster changes are imminent, you would think that these guys would have put forth more of an effort.
i thought this quote was poorly phrased by JCO…
“I can’t wait for the 15th of July, when we can sign some players and make a very competitive team,” said Osorio. “Because at the moment, I think all of our players have had the chance to shine and stake a claim and a lot of them refuse to do that.”
nothing enstills confidence in a team thats playing poorly by saying noone is safe in his eyes…. a good coach would’ve taken the loss and simply pointed out route to improve, not talk about how he cant wait to bring in new players….
I do think the loss to Crystal Palace was the worst not only in NY history but MLS history. Zero shots on goal against a USL2 side playing with 10 men. A new low for even this franchise.
There’s been so many bad weeks over the years they all seem to run into each other at this point. Hard to say which one is the worst.