Good evening folks. The New York Red Bulls are in Kansas City tonight to face the Wizards (8pm, MSG), hoping they can halt a terrible skid and salvage a season that is quickly turning ugly.
The Wizards have their own issues, sitting in last place in the East and needing victories in bunches to get back into the race. A win tonight would go a long way in helping their cause.
I will do a running commentary on the match so feel free to follow along. If you will be watching the match, please feel free to share your own thoughts and opinions on the match in the comments section below.
Enjoy the match:
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FINAL- That's all from me tonight. Thanks for following along here and feel free to share your post-game thoughts in the comments section below. Good night.
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FINAL- Here are some final thoughts on the match:
Juan Pablo Angel gave some reason for optimism about his second half.
The midfield needs reinforcements ASAP.
John Wolyniec showed why he deserves to stay on the team. Oscar Echeverry showed why he doesn't.
Mike Magee didn't make a strong case for being kept around.
The Red Bulls need Angel and Dane Richards on the field together to compete.
It will be very interesting to see what lineup takes the field against Los Angeles in nine days.
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FINAL- Wizards 2, Red Bulls 1.
Two breakdowns cost the Red Bulls tonight, though they finally showed life in a strong final 20 minutes. That wasn't enough to win tonight, but perhaps some players showed enough to earn some confidence from Osorio once the reinforcements show up next week.
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92nd minute- Wow, Kevin Hartman has bailed out the Wizards.
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91st minute- SAVE HARTMAN> WOW. He just made a great save on a Van Den Bergh shot. That was the equalizer.
GOLDTHWAITE MISSES BY INCHES.
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90th minute- Two minutes of stoppage time.
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88th minute- Can the Red Bulls find another good chance?
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86th minute- I'll say one thing, Chris Leitch has been solid at left back all night.
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85th minute- I said Wolyniec could create some chances and that was a great one, missed by inches.
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84th minute- RICHARDS with a great shot that forces a save from Hartman. WOW.
WOLYNIEC HITS oNE OFF THE POST. Wow, that was close.
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84th minute- Another KC corner coming.
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81st minute- Wolyniec is now in for Echeverry. I really wouldn't be surprised to see Wolyniec create some chances.
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78th minute- A rough foul by Espinoza on Richards and that needs to be a yellow card. No question.
Wolyniec set to come in for Echeverry.
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76th minute- Wizards come back and Lopez forces a corner after a good shot is blocked out.
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74th minute- The Wizards look flat right now and vulnerable for an equalizer.
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72nd minute- And just like that, Richards comes in and helps generate a goal. The Red Bulls have awakened. Is it too late? Not really, there's time for an equalizer to come.
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70th minute- GOAL RED BULLS. JUAN PABLO ANGEL with the headeroff a nice cross in from Richards. Wizards 2, Red Bulls 1.
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69th minute- Harrington and Angel get into it a bit, maybe Angel criticized his faux-hawk.
"Toss-in" and DRINK.
And there's Dane Richards, who is already hustling more than all of his teammates.
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68th minute- Dane Richards comes in for Mendes and Echeverry STILL hasn't come out. Why? I have no idea.
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67th minute- How things have changed for the Red Bulls. Angel scored five goals against KC last year, five of his 19. This year, halfway into the season, Angel has two goals. Ouch.
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65th minute- Ivan Trujillo just ran in to break up a play and showed more hustle in one play than the Red Bulls have shown all night.
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64th minute- This is miserable. The type of miserable that
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62nd minute- When will we see Dane Richards?
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61st minute- Stammler with the first real good ball into the area, but Echeverry and Angel both miss it.
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59th minute- Mendes gets a good header but sends it wide.
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55th minute- Here's a fair question: Is Magee/Stammler/Ubiparipovic-Sassano/Mendes the worst midfield in club history?
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54th minute- Can the Red Bulls avoid another blowout? That's the hope at this point. Asking for a comeback is a bit much, but pulling a goal back would be good for team morale, which is lower than James Earl Jones' voice right now.
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48th minute- I know there are 42 minutes left but this game is over.
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47th minute- GOAL WIZARDS. Davy Arnaud with the goal. WOW. Wizards 2, Red Bulls 0.
Great ball in and Arnaud beats Conway to it. Nightmare for the Red Bulls.
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46th minute- Ubiparipovic is in for Luke Sassano. The only sub.
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HALFTIME- Ubiparipovic for Magee is another move I wouldn't mind seeing.
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HALFTIME- What will see in the second half? We had better see Dane Richards for Oscar Echeverry. That much is clear.
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HALFTIME- Does anybody actually enjoy these stadium updates? It's good to keep fans informed, but the whole "guy in a hardhat" thing is getting tired.
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HALFTIME- Wizards 1, Red Bulls 0. The Red Bulls have never been much of a threat, but to be fair it's been an ugly game in general.
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45th minute- KC with a dangerous free kick chance
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45th minute- ANGEL comes close, but Hartman stops his flick shot on a loose ball.
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44th minute- Mendes with a good break-up of a dangerous KC sequence.
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41st minute- Another yellow for another foul on Stammler, this time on Victorine. Stammler's getting abused.
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39th minute- Anyone else see the Jewsbury-Eider Gudjohnsen look-a-like thing?
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39th minute- Jack Jewsbury with a rough challenge on Seth Stammler, drawing a yellow. Stammler is still down. Not sure why Jewsbury is complaining.
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37th minute- It's interesting watching Jimmy Conrad just camp out at the penalty spot and clear out all crosses into the KC penalty area. It's good work, but a simple strategy when you're playing on a middle-school-sized field.
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35th minute- I have to say that playing a game on this narrow a field is tough, well tough to watch unless you're a fan of crosses and headers rather than quality build-ups.
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33rd minute- Wow, was that Echeverry actually running at full sprint? It only took a few months to see that again.
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32nd minute- Does this referee have a whistle? How about cards?
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31st minute- It's tough to figure out where Red Bulls chances will come here aside from long-range prayers.
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30th minute- Shep Messing using the "Central Attacking Midfielder" term. Who knew Shep was a CAM fan.
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29th minute- "Toss-In." DRINK.
And folks, Lionel Messi will NOT be playing in the Red Bulls-Barcelona match. He'll be playing in the Olympics.
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28th minute- I don't know if I've ever seen a soccer player walk during a match as much as Oscar Echeverry seems to just walk.
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27th minute- I think this match needs a drinking game. How about a drink for any time Steve Cangielosi says "Toss-in."
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26th minute- Jon Conway looks completely lost right now on all the crosses coming in.
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25th minute- Hartman makes another save on a long-range Stammler blast.
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24th minute- ANGEL with a dangerous long-range shot that forces a good save from Hartman.
Red Bulls corner kick.
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24th minute- KC gets a great look on goal but can't finish. The Red Bulls got lucky there.
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22nd minute- Another KC corner, something the Red Bulls can't afford to keep giving up.
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20th minute- The Red Bulls just look lost right now and are on their heels.
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17th minute- Juan Pablo Angel looks rusty early on.
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14th minute- The Wizards are on the attack.
Back to the goal, Goldthwaite blew the mark on Conrad for those of you who didn't see it. If there's a player you can't leave alone it's Conrad on that play.
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13th minute- Luke Sassano wastes a perfect chance to equalize, chooses to pass rather than shoot when in alone on goal.
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10th minute- GOAL WIZARDS. Jimmy Conrad heads home a good Lopez corner kick. Awful for the Red Bulls.
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9th minute- Red Bulls almost put something together but Echeverry has a pass intercepted. There should be plenty of chances on this short field. We'll see who finishes their chances between these struggling offenses.
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8th minute- I have to say that I'm surprised to see Magee get the start. He has been playing poorly and sources tell me he's in Osorio's doghouse.
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5th minute- This match will certainly serve as a final chance for some Red Bulls players to impress head coach Juan Osorio because two or more players will be waived in the coming weeks.
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3rd minute- For those of you who didn't know, the Wizards' home field has an absurdly narrow playing field, so keep an eye out for that.
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2nd minute- Looks like Sassano will be in a central midfield role, with Stammler watching Claudio Lopez.
KC with an early corner.
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PRE-GAME- Here is KC's starting lineup:
---------Trujillo-------Sealy-------------
----------------Victorine------------------
Lopez---------------------------Arnaud
----------------Morsink----------------
Harrington-------------------Jewsbury
------------Conrad---Hohlbein---------
------------------Hartman--------------
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PRE-GAME- We will see the Colombian Connection up top, with Angel and Echeverry finally starting together (first time since the season-opening win against Columbus). These two played very well together in pre-season.
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PRE-GAME- So why no Richards? Fatigue is a concern with the Jamaican winger, particularly after his last performance. There's also the fact that Claudio Lopez is on the left wing for KC and is a major threat (Sassano is a better defender on the flank). This probably also explains the decision to start Chris Leitch over Hunter Freeman at right back. Leitch is a better defensive option than Freeman.
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PRE-GAME- Here is the Red Bulls lineup for tonight:
RED BULLS STARTING LINEUP
-----------Angel-------Echeverry------------
-------Magee----------------Sassano--------
------------Mendes---Stammler------------
Van Den Bergh------------------------Leitch
---------Goldthwaite---Parke---------------
-----------------Conway---------------------
BENCH- Thornton, Boyens, Freeman, Borman, Ubiparipovic, Richards, Wolyniec.
Ives Galarcep is an American soccer columnist for ESPNsoccernet.com and creator of SoccerByIves.net.
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Boyens not starting may be ominous???
Posted by: Allegre | July 10, 2008 at 07:27 PM
Leitch starting over Freeman????
Posted by: sprool11 | July 10, 2008 at 07:29 PM
4-2-2-2?
Interesting.
Posted by: bwidell | July 10, 2008 at 07:38 PM
am I the only one scared to watch this match??
Posted by: MasterShake | July 10, 2008 at 07:50 PM
I'm getting tired of Magee's lack of contribution.
Posted by: Amit | July 10, 2008 at 07:50 PM
Damn Oso shuffles the deck way too many times for me... Is he still tinkering or will he continue to change the line-up like he changes his underwear?
Posted by: ag nigrin | July 10, 2008 at 07:54 PM
you are not alone MasterShake
Posted by: Bert | July 10, 2008 at 07:55 PM
IM A REDBULLS FAN BUT DIS TEAM SUCK WE REALLY NEED TO CLEAN HOUSE
Posted by: jay | July 10, 2008 at 07:58 PM
Here we go.
Posted by: Pat the Red Bulls Fan | July 10, 2008 at 08:07 PM
guys i have a secret to tell you.....
...i see dead soccer players
Posted by: MasterShake | July 10, 2008 at 08:08 PM
What's the deal with Josh Wolff. Is he not eligible to play until after the 15th, or is he not worked into the KC system yet?
Posted by: William the Terror | July 10, 2008 at 08:13 PM
Here we go
Posted by: RS | July 10, 2008 at 08:18 PM
Red Bulls giving up a soft goal? NO WAY.
Posted by: kpugs | July 10, 2008 at 08:19 PM
Yes!! Thats 8 points for my fantasy team.
Posted by: William the Terror | July 10, 2008 at 08:22 PM
Just got to a hotel in Cincinnati. I figured we would be down at least three now, so this first half is a roaring success.
Posted by: Haig | July 10, 2008 at 08:39 PM
i'm gone and i'll be back on the 18th
Posted by: kawa | July 10, 2008 at 09:12 PM
Time to go watch the Yankees.
Posted by: Nutmegger | July 10, 2008 at 09:17 PM
Magee...super classy. Rather than play the ball AND the whistle he flops on the ground in a temper tantrum. 4 feet away from a live ball. In the opponent's penalty box. Well done Magee. Why try to finish the play when you can cry like a bitch and flop to the ground like a child?
Posted by: kpugs | July 10, 2008 at 09:23 PM
Why is Wolyniec still on the bench? Etcheverry couldn't play for my crappy rec team.
Posted by: kpugs | July 10, 2008 at 09:24 PM
Seriously, Ives, what kind of excuses do Osorio and Agoos use to explain this away? This team is one of the worst I've ever seen in MLS, and may be even poorer than the 1999 team.
Posted by: Haig | July 10, 2008 at 09:33 PM
GOAL!!
What a shocker. I didn't think they'd get one back.
Nice to see Angel score.
Posted by: ManicMessiah | July 10, 2008 at 09:36 PM
Haig, this team is bad, but it is NOT worse than the 1999 team. No way.
Posted by: Ives | July 10, 2008 at 09:40 PM
No, you're right, VDB and Angel make all the difference. Watching the first sixty minutes of this game, when the team couldn't defend OR string two passes together, brought back awful memories.
Posted by: Haig | July 10, 2008 at 09:43 PM
Hartman trying to rock the Walter Zenga look.
Posted by: Haig | July 10, 2008 at 09:50 PM
Woly, you heartbreaker!
Posted by: Joamiq | July 10, 2008 at 09:50 PM
Richards with the hardest shot I can remember him taking, and then Woly with a shot off the post! Great work by Woly to even get off the shot in the first place.
Posted by: ManicMessiah | July 10, 2008 at 09:50 PM
hartman with one hell of a game, KC cameo out very lucky, no one is to blame but the bulls for their bullshit in the back tho . i'll be back when we play the galaxy. till then i'm fed the F$##$k up
Posted by: kawa | July 10, 2008 at 09:58 PM
Thank you Mike Magee for teaching the young Red Bulls fans of the world about immaturity, petulance, and stupidity. That stupid foul for no reason killed the entire second minute of stoppage time.
It's official, Magee will never re-win me over. I'd rather play with nine men than with him on the field.
Posted by: kpugs | July 10, 2008 at 09:58 PM
KPugs, it was Dane Richards with the hip check at the end, not Magee.
Posted by: Ives | July 10, 2008 at 10:00 PM
Hmmmm, is an in-form Conrad making a case for inclusion on the Olympic Team? A veteran CB who is a threat on set peices is a must for one of the overage spots.
Posted by: eric | July 10, 2008 at 10:01 PM
kpugs, the last foul prevented a KC wizard to score on an empty net since Conway was waaaayyy out
Posted by: MasterShake | July 10, 2008 at 10:03 PM
Ives,
Thanks for doing the commentary.
- I did not like the fact that Osorio chose to start Leitch, Sassano and Magee; I would have preferred to see Freeman, Richards and Ubiparapovic start in their places
- Ubiparapovic wasn't great the second half but he needs more first team minutes to develop (especially since he took the big paycut)
- Rojas, Pietravallo and Jimenez can't start soon enough
- The Red Bulls HAVE TO FIND ANOTHER FORWARD (Please retire Reyna... PLEASE)
- Time to trade Magee; time to release Echeverry
Posted by: Tim F. | July 10, 2008 at 10:30 PM
Worst in the East
Posted by: KingSnake | July 10, 2008 at 10:31 PM
I propose an Eddie Gaven for Mike Magee/ Etcheverry trade. A situation where Eddie might be able to redeem his career back home.
Posted by: Amit | July 10, 2008 at 11:03 PM
amit i agree, Gaven will do well off the bench if he playse to his potential. i've defended magee enough tired of his crap now .
Posted by: kawa | July 11, 2008 at 12:05 AM
Thanks for correcting me Ives. Oddly enough it doesn't change my verdict on Magee.
Shake I honestly don't know about that man, there were two Red Bulls within a couple of feet of the ball, it was at about midfield, and there is no way in heck Conway wasn't retreating hardcore. So I'm not saying you're wrong there, just that I was thinking differently.
Having said that, at that point in the game you know exactly what is going to happen if KC wins a foul. They are going to waste the entire second minute. The Red Bulls were dominating in stoppage time. Now granted I'm not on the field, I'm sitting in a chair, so maybe it's easier for me to think. In my mind, I let the play happen, because 10 seconds later maybe there's a goal. Or maybe there ISN'T. And then you have one more shot to get the ball up the pitch.
A K.C. goal would have killed the game. So did that foul. And considering at the moment goal differential isn't something you should be thinking about when you can earn a point in the standings with a late goal, I think I'm being pretty logical here.
I think there are plenty of coaches out there who would agree. There were three outcomes of that play: goal, K.C. free kick, RBNY regain position. The first two result in game over. So which of those three is the smartest option to take?
Posted by: kpugs | July 11, 2008 at 12:23 AM
Amit/Kawa, I couldn't agree more. I couldn't believe they traded Gaven in the first place.
Having said that, after the past several weeks, I can't think of any team that would want either Magee or Etcheverry, including Magee's hometown Fire. In fact Etcheverry is a complete joke, and has actually made me doubt just how good JCO is as a manager. I just can't believe he signed someone who doesn't run, has terrible touch, no leaping ability, can't pass, the list goes on and on, just because he's left-footed.
Posted by: kpugs | July 11, 2008 at 12:31 AM
Osorio and NY Red Bulls...
Welcome to last place.
with all these upcoming NY signings...remember he did bring Wanchope to the league and continued to start him after it was painfully obvious that he was done.
Posted by: mike Ruze | July 11, 2008 at 01:21 AM
I seriously question JCO's ability to scout players after seeing Echeverry in every game he's played. Just plain awful.
Posted by: JSquaredNY | July 11, 2008 at 09:48 AM
Write this year off. No way they'll make the playoffs at this rate. And if they do, they'll be out in the first round like every year. No US Open Cup. No MLS Cup. Different year, different coach, same results. :(
Posted by: TheDreamTeam | July 11, 2008 at 12:49 PM