Osorio sounds off on Barcelona blowout

As you might imagine, Red Bulls head coach Juan Carlos Osorio wasn't happy after Wednesday night's 6-2 loss to FC Barcelona. It took one question to get Osorio going about a match his squad was thoroughly dominated in:

"Was it that this team couldn't handle or wasn't used to this style," asked one local journalist.

"Oh come on! Come on! Half of this team just played and won the European tournament," Osorio stated with a touch of exasperation. "What can I say? I'm not going to sit here and embarrass my players. That's top players playing against very good players in MLS.

"We tried to control the game but they have midfielders that can pass the ball forever," Osorio said. "They have strikers that can individually affect the game. Collectively, you saw what they can do."

Osorio went on to explain the variety of tactical nuances of Barcelona's versatile and unrelenting attack, and was careful to remind the media that he had some young players facing off against some of the best players in the world.

"I like Danleigh a lot, and I think he will grow, but let me remind you six months ago he was playing college football and he's playing against Puyol and Marquez. Come on," Osorio said.

"That's reality, that's what it is. We couldn't have done anything better than we did today. This is the strongest team we have and we played against a very tough team."

As disappointed as Osorio was, he stuck by his statements from earlier this week that he felt the friendly was worth playing.

"I said a couple of days ago that I thought it was a great opportunity because we want our players to grow, like Danleigh (Borman) and Luke Sassano," Osorio said. "We want them playing games like this and realize how hard it is to play football against senior players. I wouldn't say necessarily that it is bad.

"The result is very difficult to digest, but I want to look at the bigger picture and think that the players will benefit from games like we played today."

What do you think of Wednesday night's match? Was it a complete waste of time for the Red Bulls? Do you think that, despite Barcelona's obvious quality, the Red Bulls still shouldn't have lost 6-2?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

[Brice]

I think that even with a 6-2 scoreline, this type of experience for the guys will open up for some eyes. As a fan of MLS, i wasn't looking forward towards tonight's final score, but I think the experience is worth it.

[Isaac]

well obviously Red Bulls were expected to hold out just a bit better than this it wasnt expected to be close but i thought it would be something like 4-2. oh well. but in a way osorio's right. the objective wasn't to win. it never was. anyone telling themselves that was fooling themselves.

[Brooklyn Zoo]

The scary part is that they were lucky to get both of those goals. This just goes to show that Alexi Lalas comment about how top MLS teams are the same as mid-table EPL teams is just false. I like the MLS but I'm a realist. I watched Barcelona play against second division sides in the copa del rey, who looked much, much more competent then the red bulls tonight. Good experience, but they really got embarrassed....

[Binks]

Saddens me to say that I think that this is the best game Metro has played all year.

[Sticky]

Well, considering that RBNY is a bottom of the table MLS side, this is an imbalanced comparison. Let a match against Houston or New England serve as the measure of the MLS vs. Euro gap. Remember that RBNY is tied for last place in the East and only has a better record than San Jose and Colorado - not exactly two MLS standard bearers. Remember, too, that RBNY was humiliated by Chicago by the same margin in May. And no one would put Chicago on a same plane with Barca. Unless they're a travel agent.

RBNY are NOT the class of MLS, and Osorio is deluding himself if he thinks that the league to liga comparison is just a question of veterans vs. amateurs. I'd rather see friggin' Columbus go head to heat with Barca, the only reason the match was held in NJ is because Barca got f***loads of publicity out of it. This is all about selling jerseys for jerseys, and, oh yeah, trouncing one of the US's pub sides. Remember: May 25, Chicago 5, RBNY 1. Pub side. Thanks for the insight, JCO.

[lakaix15]

guys you do realize.... we didnt have richards out there, who would of definitly/ probably would assist or score a goal or two.... and chichero should of started.... it def would of been a different game... and plus we only have one foward....

[frank from sf]

osorio was dead on w/ his comments. didn't sugar coat it and spoke the truth. no way 2.5 mil per team(mls cap) is suppose to hang w/ a team like barca. listen , nyrb's kids did what they could. eh, they had their moments. the comment about danleigh was great and couldn't of been more right.

[Shakes]

If I were Osorio, I'd point out that RBNY scored more goals than Hibernian and Dundee did against Barca in their friendlies combined (zero).

A club at the bottom of the MLS league table, got schooled by a team at the top of the La Liga table. Where is the shame in that?

As a Toronto FC fan, I would have loved to see my club playing Barca tonight. As Osorio said, it's a learning experience - a rare chance to play against the best of the best in world class footballers.

Should they have been expected to win? Come on.

- Scott

[frank from sf]

sticky, you're sure about that? no way in hell would houston or n.e. or ANY mls side would of done much better. listen they brought on in the second half caceres that cost them over 20 mil. to basically sit on the bench for them. do you understand the kind of players they got?! mls does not and will not have ( atleast anytime soon) any kind of beasts that teams like barca have. i'm not a nyrb fan but it's kind of funny to think that any other mls team would of done much better. they got 2 goals out of them, no other team so far has taken 2 from them yet.

[Sinter]

Sticky is jealous of NY cute. Teams have bad games, however if you think any MLS team could beat or even hang with Barca 9 times outta 10 you're absolutely wrong.

[span]

Osorio was spot on. I would argue that anyone who disagrees is delusional.

[Nando]

i agree with isaac....barcelona was suppose to beat us fairly easy...but i don't think this game will have a lasting negative affect on the red bulls...they could have done better with a couple of finishes but this game shows us that we are in dire need of another forward, an attacking midfielder(rojas may be the answer but another attacking midfielder could only help us and maybe move rojas to the left), and a solid defender(chichero looked good 2night n we'll see how diego jimenez does)....barcelona is a very good team and that showed 2night with their clinical finishing.....finally, red bulls salary cap (which is probably somewhere around $3.5 to $4.0 million) is probably less than what the hightest paid player on the barcelona team makes(it puts stuff in perspective).....We still could have done better defensively but overall it was a good game and fun to watch as a soccer fan...the red bulls should be fine come sunday.

[Tim F.]

I'm glad the Red Bulls played Barcelona and I hope they play a couple teams of this caliber each year (especially when they don't have Superliga or Concacaf Champions League commitments). I thought the team's effort was better in the second half than in the first. I like the way Cichero played.

[MasterShake]

A player Barca brought on as a substitute in the second half is worth TWICE more than all of the players on NYRB combined and I mean all and I'll even include the coaching staff in there.

[Michael F.]

I stand corrected, RBNY did better than I thought they would. Still, this game, as great as it is for the RBNY players to get this experience, I can't help but think their time would have been better spent preparing/resting up for DC United.

[martha in miami]

JCO was as usual, very well spoken. He is an excellent leader, fair and just. You want that fire and passion, on the pitch and off, from the helm. He is an encyclopedia of futbol, and really the 2 goals were a good effort by this splintered team! Hang tough until there is adequate funding to build it properly!

[KK]

TH 14 makes 7.68 MILLION EUROS a year.

(http://sniffingtt.blogspot.com/2008/03/cream-dollar-dollar-bill-yall.html)

This is approximately 11.8 Million US dollars, or roughly 4.7 times the entire Red Bull salary cap (without JPA).

Eto'o makes 5 Million Euros
Puyol makes 5 million Euros

Its not even a fair comparison. I would like to see the total amount of salaries out there at the starting line up - it would be really ridiculous.

RBNY did win Goals per $ this evening, however.

[BellusLudas]

This actually was a good result for RedBull given the players that took the field. JCO is right on the money...and speaking of $$$ just compare the payrolls of both teams and you can see why MLS is not La Liga.

This was though a great opportunity for our players to experiance another level of play first hand...and that alone is worth playing these matches in the future.

[Jonathan]

I want to get on Alexi Lalas' magical helicopter filled with MLS players heading abroad.

[martha]

Half the team played in the European Championship hmmm. Does that include all the second half subs and their wretched third string goalie that trounced NJ?

..While NJ kept their stars in until the Final whistle.

Typical excuses by Osorio..

Osorio are you really Haig?

[rterry]

No way that top MLS clubs such as New England or Houston Dynamo would have fared any better against the Spanish giants. CD Guadalajara, arguably one of Mexico's most successful clubs, were beaten 5-2 in Chicago over the weekend.

[martha in miami]

I would like to point out there is another martha, whom I USUALLY agree with ironically!...It was a good experience, chill out people...Ives, youve thrown in some good humor lately, good job...Now about that grass, I will pay for them to keep it, for goodness sakes! Where does it go? Was it on loan, can we sign it? lol

[martha in miami]

p.s. she is clearly wrong this time!

[Karl]

I wouldnt use this game as a measuring stick against RBNY or MLS. Barca is a whole differant animal compared to this team and league. Rojas looked very good on the ball tonite there was more than one occasion when he took on at least three barca players and got through them. Cichero played well and will probably make this team better as the season goes on. Now we must put this behind us and look on to DC.

[Shakes]

@ Martha

I'm not even a RBNY supporter (Toronto FC here), but I think your "analysis" is ridiculous.

Barca didn't use their entire starting lineup in the first half. For example, Yaya Toure didnt come on until the second half. Same with Eidur Gudjohnsen and Martin Caceres, who would only be substitutes on a team with the depth of Barca.

Furthermore, Barca kept in the core of their defense (Puyol & Abidal), for the entire match.

A team of MLS allstars this year battled to a 3-2 victory over West Ham United, and yet you think a normal MLS team would be more competitive against a world class opponent like FC Barca, if only it weren't Red Bull New York?

You're dreaming. The only team I could possibly see making it 6-3 instead of 6-2, would be New England.

Virtually every player on Barca's roster is a superstar - even their bench. Take off your fanboy hat, and put on your thinking hat.

- Scott

[martha in miami]

Thanks dude! See @martha, thats what Im saying! I am a Metro since day 1/Fusion/Redbull but I like Chicago and DC, when we dont play them that is. I try to be open minded, as a rare Eurosnob whom loves MLS and So. America, especially Colombia and Argentina.

[mike]

Sorry,

Barca is great but NJ didnt even make a game of it. Both NJ goals were just crap. That Barca goalie couldnt start for NJ.

Its not so much that they lost but looked terrible and scared.

The Bad News Bears losing was a moral victory.

This was no moral victory and did nothing to enhance the leagues image. It was a mistake to put the worrst team in the Eastern conference against them. Would have been better of putting anothe Euro team out there (Everton) or south american team (has Boca or River Plate ever played there?

Yes Gudjohnson and Bojan where out there but here were also quite a few unimpressive players out there in the second half.

[Chris]

Osorio is saying it was good for Borman and Sassano, but this game will do absolutely nothing for Danleigh because he was scared of the ball and wanted nothing to do with it. I didn't even know Sassano was out there.

[martha]

I see your point imposter Martha (kiddin).

But how can anyone say their was no damage to the league?

Everyone in Europe and S.A. will see this game on the news and laugh and say "see how incompetent the American league is"

Many casual soccer fans in the US who are not MLS fans who saw will say "see thts why I dont watch MLS its just crap league.

I understand what you say about Barca being great and all.

But its not logical to see that NJ had almos NO quality on the pitch and showed why they are bad this year.

Chivas lost 5-2 but made a game out of it and played some good soccer.

The Fire, NE or Houston would have lost maybe 5-1 but they would have looked better and shown more quality. NJ showed that it cant pass attack or defend..

NJ perfromance isnt indicitive if the league because even the biggest NJ homers have to agree NJ isnt very good. But everyone watching will think every MLS team is as bad as NJ.

[Chido One]

This was an utter embarrassment. Heres why NJ sympathizers.

1. Ny didnt even put on a good show
2. NY played their starting lineup..and left them in.
3. Barca started 6 players from Spains Euro Championship side...really? name them. Iniesta, Xavi um um.
4. Barca IS IN PRESEASON. They are nowhere in form and were without Messi.
5. NY is in SEASON.
6. I never saw a Barca player run full speed, not once. A slow jog all night was sufficient to take NY.

Horrible embarrassin showing.

[Shakes]

@ martha

"Everyone in Europe and S.A. will see this game on the news and laugh and say "see how incompetent the American league is"

Many casual soccer fans in the US who are not MLS fans who saw will say "see thts why I dont watch MLS its just crap league."

-----------

Did the Scottish Premier League lose all legitimacy when Barca blanked Hibernian and Dundee by a combined score of 9-0?

Did the English Permier League lose all legitimacy when Chelsea lost to the MLS All-Stars 2-0?

It was a friendly, between one of the top five clubs in the entire world, versus an MLS team at the bottom of the table.

- Scott

[kawa]

why is japan balling us , and got us playing nervous ?

[Nel]

Lets get back to reality.

This was a friendly, not a Champions League game, any great team in the history of the MLS would've gotten crushed by Barca no matter what.

Its like a foreign team going up against a Michael Jordan/Chicago Bull, Larry Bird/Boston or a Magic Johnson/Laker team in a 7 game series, no way they are going to win.

Im a huge fan of the MLS, but we're 15-20 years away from competing with Europe.

[Adam R.]

So if Barcelona played a low to mid table EPL team...could you see them winning 6-2?

I could.

In fact, I'm pretty sure they put up 6 goals in La Liga from time to time.

[Tim F.]

Any word on Conway's wrist/thumb?

[RK]

I can't disagree with anything Osorio said. It's just a friendly, after all. The real story is that only 1/2 showed up versus the previous Barca/NY match.

[SB]

Haven't read all comments above, but if we don't take friendlies seriously when we get a "good" result (I just watched Chicago handily beat Everton) why take them seriously for a bad one? Surprised at some of the tone here - who cares? Sounds like some expectations are vastly overdone - appreciate MLS for its progress and stability. We're getting there...at a very nice pace.

[Joamiq]

Waste of tizzime. Barca has embarrassed every team it has played this preseason. Who cares.

[Pete]

The FIRE would have won 8-2, it's obvious to anyone who watches the game. They would've shown the WORLD how great MLS is, and that it really is a better league than la Liga. Because everyone in the world knows that the best way to compare leagues is preseason friendlies, and that the only team to use to measure MLS is the FIRE, the best team in hemisphere who never get a chance to compete against the cream of the other hemisphere. Oh why, oh why won't they give the almighty FIRE the chance to compete against top European competition and show the world how great MLS is? It must be a conspiracy.

[Marc]

Juancho is the future of savvy MLS coaches.

He is always a head of the curve.

I applaud his honesty and it shows a dose of reality that we have participated in the futbol culture on this planet but we are far from being the best.

I hope that RED Bulls will give him a chance. Hey I wonder how Arena would have done against this squad. Captain America to the rescue....no a chance:)

[Haig]

Pete, I hear that Barca refused to play Chicago because they were afraid of Conde. That's how awesome the Fire are.

[EDB]

Well Pete the fire did just beat Everton in a friendly and they were top5 in the premier league.. While i think all MLS teams would loose the match i think top MLS teams would have put on a better show and possibly looked competitive while NY looked terrible

[Pete]

Yeah, and Henry was worried that he might find MLS too high a level for him, and wouldn't get that big pay day in a couple years. If they had been so boldly stupid as to play the FIRE, he might have had to go back to that dreadful country of England and play in its league again -- and who the hell would want to live there?

[kco]

NY did NOT look terrible, they looked like a team in transition. They looked like a team that is "starting over" with new players & young players trying to mix with current players. This was a great opportunity for NY to get on the field with their new look squad, build a little chemistry and test themselves against some of the best in the world. 6-2 is a fair result, especially if you want to compare it to the 4-2 scoreline against a Chivas squad that have been together longer (and arguably has more quality) than the new NY squad. And I would say it takes courage to put your MLS salary squad up against a Barcelona and use the harassment to help build your club. Props to RBNY. (This all coming from a Kansas City Supporter)

[TCompton]

Osorio is correct. The game is a good experience for his younger players--to learn first hand the level of skill needed to be one of the best clubs in the world, is truly a great experience.

When DC United faced Madrid a few years ago, I'm willing to bet that they went out to win. I'd also bet that had Houston or New England played Barcelona, the score would have been much closer. The comparison to Chivas is a joke as they didn't even make it out to the group phase of SuperLiga.

Simply stated, Red Bull New York is team competing at 80% of the level of the top few teams in MLS. Injuries, sales, and a generation of mismanagement put Red Bull New York at a severe deficit. But that doesn't mean they didn't go out to win.

No, the result is not important and there were a lot of lessons learned today. But that doesn't mean Barcelona is really THAT much better than a team in MLS.

Yes, Barcelona's players make so much more than MLS players because of their skill. But it's also supply and demand that have inflated their price tags. So comparing dollar for dollar, is just a poor excuse.

[kaca]

anyone who thinks jco is a top coach didn't pay attention to last years mls playoffs. he definitly choked. then he bailed on the team that gave him his start in mls. he will bail on njrb too. and he certainly hasn't done much njrb!

[Gilly73]

Anyone who thinks an MLS team, any of them, could beat Barca is just delusional. It would take a very special performance, a lot of luck, and an uninterested Barcelona side to pull something like that off. This is coming from a FIRE fan that has a lot of confidence in my team but even Chicago would have gotten smoked.

Matches like this are important for the MLS because teams get a chance to play against some of the best players in the world. They get a chance to see how other teams control possession and dictate play which should ultimately help make our league better.

I thought this was one of the better performances for NYRB even if the scoreline was 6-2. Truly before the match I was thinking 10-1 might be the final. Now back to our regular season and the playoff push.

[derek Gores]

i too liked jco's honesty and passion. not the usual press conference rehash. i would have liked to see a team salary comparison. as for why there was half the crowd--> no ronaldinho, no messi. so, less Q factor that brings out the fringe soccerites.
i still loved the game. glad they put on these things. yes, i think dc or ne would have been closer. we're clearly growing, and we'll get to watch the progress with games like this, superliga, etc., over the next 5, 10, 15 years..
i hope the mls teams watching saw how much barca kept the ball on the ground. no wishful 50/50 balls for those guys.

[CapeCodFutbol]

Wait, Martha et al talking about how embarrassing this performance was by RBNY... that's a joke, right? Halve the scores and I wouldn't be surprised if that were the result of Barca vs. USMNT game. What else could you have expected but an exhibition to show a class club side (which, btw, in no way is relevant to Lalas' comments re: a midtable EPL squad) on a big stage. Incidental benefits for RBNY are about the only thing one could have hoped for, and I think JCO's comments are right on point. But apparently, others had different expectations. Seriously?

[dabull]

i'm surprised nyrb put 2 goals in . . .

could have been a lot worse

[Ron]

I think it was GREAT to see an MLS team get absolutely DOMINATED. I've always been a Juan Pablo Angel fan, being from Medellin Colombia, and I know he still has European Type Talent, like from back in the days when he played for Aston Villa, and I could see how frustrated he was not to have anyone in the midfiled who could hold the ball for a minute and pass it to someone other then a Barca Player. This goes to show how good European Teams are, and how muhc more the MLS needs to go in order to even be consired a decent league. NYRB's have some players that as I sat there I was like jesus, I could be playing better than that guy, I could be the one out there making 30 thousand dollars haha. But true. The blond dude on left back, I'm sorry but he's aweful, and so is the new Argentinian Sensation boy... who the hell is this guy? why are we bringing the worse argentinian talent we can find for the love of god, we can find better players in South America. The only way we will get big as a league is for teams to start spending LOTS and bringing in good players, NOT IN THEIR 30s to come play, and to do that we need a bigger fan base, which is getting there, but wont reach its full potential unless we bring quality players worth going to the stadium to watch. In the mean time we'll have to hope that Alexis Lalas can get on the field and help that aweful Galaxy defense. Good night.

[Moose McDowell]

I think our top 2 in MLS could have given Barca a game (provided they don't come out shaking like a leaf, as was the case last night) but RBNY is nowhere near that - they are in transition for next year at this point. I'm not saying either of those teams would have won, I'm just saying the confidence factor would have been a bit higher, resulting in a bit better passing.

[Teddie Boy Eddie]

The match was a complete waste of time, I'm sorry to say. Sitting in the stands for almost every RBNY match I am actually surprised it wasn't worse. The RBNY defense is as bad as it gets, reminiscent of the early days of MLS. Goldthwaite is overmatched against MLS strikers, never mind the quality that Barca brought. And with each game I feel more sorry for JP Angel. And yet, I've got to believe Osorio knows what he is doing and in a couple of years the club will be much much better.

But hey, I got to see the Secaucus train station (thanks Port Authority!), so it wasn't a total loss.

[Christine]

I am baffled by some of the comments being made here. Let's keep this whole thing in perpective here, anyone who thought RB would earn any type of positive result from this game was delusional. I also do not think the result of this game negatively affected how people perceive the MLS. Eurosnobs are just that - snobs and even if through some miracle of the soccer gods NY earned a positive result they still would not stand and take notice. Also to think a better MLS side would have done better against Barca is hopeful at best....maybe NE would have only lost 5-2 like Chivas. Also comparing the strength of MLS sides to mid table EPL or La Liga teams is an exercise in futility. Who cares??? What does that accomplish??? MLS is a work in progress, and it is making good progress but placing unreal expectations on the league will only lead to disapointment. As a Eurosnob myself (Hala Madrid!) I appreciate MLS for what is and respect the league for its vision. Grwing pains lik last night will only help the league in the long run.

[MiamiAl]

Emilio would have dominated Marquez!

[Oranje Mike]

Barcelona are a dominate power in the soccer world. Their reserves could probably beat teams around the globe. This result should have been expected.

The Real Chivas didn't play that well either against Barca and they are a better club than NJRB.

Some MLS fans take this too seriously. Wake up and realize that MLS is a feeder league just like most leagues in the world and a club like Barcelona will pick our bones apart if they want to.

[TwistedTidings]

On Barcelona's performance today, I doubt any MLS team would be competitive. Chivas, in competitive matches, has shown itself to be somewhat better than DC United and Chivas was crushed by Barca.

But saying that is very different from saying that MLS teams are ridiculously far from European first division teams. Remember that Barca and Madrid will put six past a few of their first division opponents in competitive games each year. The real message is (a) don't sugarcoat this result, but (b) don't make it out to mean more than it does.

[Scott]

I liked the play of Cichero at centerback. he controlled the defense pushed them up for offsides traps and last but not least he is a very aggresive player someone that red bulls desperatly need.

[Allegre]

I enjoyed the game. I did not expect RBNY to win or even to keep it close. I didn't view it as an interleague rivals game, it was unrealistic to expect a close match. The MLS has progressed a lot over the last few years and the growing interest in professional soccer in the USA has not gotten to the point where all the clubs can spend the money that the european clubs spend. If you think it is frustrating here you need only to look over to Brasil where players are an exported commodity.

The MLS has chosen not to take the tack of the old NASL and create a couple of powerhouse teams, spending lots of cash and creating a circus. They are choosing to develop the game here by developing American players, limiting the all-star circus routes for teams, and creating enjoyable locations to watch the games. It will happen here and when it does, the european teams had better be ready for the competition for its best players. I know of an English friend who is scared to death of the growing popularity of soccer here!

Watching the Barcelona show last night was a great opportunity to see the goal of soccer development here in the US.

[RBEK]

Look, If RBNY is different than DC or Chicago, the difference is an inch on a yardstick. And all of them are two feet from the likes of Barcelona. This surprises people?

[Ron]

Why cant Barcelona or Madrid Tour and Play the AllStars, which will still get absolutely dominated PERIOD. But it would be a better game.

[Matt M]

I can't believe there is a debate here.

Yes, Barca is about four levels higher than MLS in general. There's nothing to be ashamed of there. It's their sport and not ours. Soccer is growing but will likely never become a major sport in the US.

I think New England, Columbus and Chicago could do better. Maybe 3-1 rather than 6-2 but still it would take a special day to truly compete.

[chris]

MLS is just not very good. I try to like the league but all the stringent rules on player signings just guarentee mediocrity at best. Until those restrictions change you will continue to see more of the same every year. Those saying Houston or New England could finish mid tier in the EPL are nuts. JPA couldnt even start for a mid tier EPL team before he came to MLS and he's now the best player in the MLS. Thats all anyone needs to know.

[Mr. Fish]

C'mon folks, let's think. Who benefits from games like these?

1) The foreign club, which gets a bag of cash for appearing, and another bag of cash for selling thousands of shirts.

2) The MLS club, which gets a chance to market itself to a larger-than-usual crowd, and gets its players a chance to take on top-flight competition.

3) The fans, who get to see world-class players do their thing.

and in this case:

4) The NJSEA.

A better result would have been nice, but that's not really why friendlies with Euro sides take place in the US. Let's just take it for what it was, and hope NY can get it's act together for a playoff run. Bring on DC on Sunday.

[chris]

@Mr. Fish

I think a game like this really hurts MLS because it shows how much worse their product is.

[gerald]

Correct me if i'm wrong but it was 4-2 until about the 80th minute.

[SHOLATA]

That was not an embarrassment. That was a disgraceful display of not ready for prime time players. But that's not the problem.

This game exposed Osorio. He played three defensive central midfielders. Barca used them like traffic cones.

The one thing crystal clear last night is that if Richie Williams isn't ready to be a head coach, the search for a new one should begin immediately so the team can clean house and start over.

[RBEK]

My main surprise is that Jimenez got all of zero minutes here, which is surprising and not a positive indicator of his likelihood to improve our defense. Also no Freeman?

I like Rojas, fun to watch. He had some good moments.

[Coach]

What Chris said @ 11:58 + 1000000

[RBEK]

Those stringent rules (at least the money rules) are in the main what keeps the league solvent and competitive coast to coast, but are also the rules that hamper product improvement and thus, potentially, revenue potential. Kind of a chicken and egg problem. They are taking it one step at a time.

[Allegre]

They NEED to take it step by step. Building beautiful stadiums (can't wait to get out of the meadowlands) now getting the beautiful game later. At least they will give the 10-20 thousand fans who watch MLS soccer a good experience. RBNY has their hands tied at Giants Stadim.

[RBEK]

To be clear, I completely agree, Allegre. Didn't mean to suggest otherwise.

[Britton]

Trying to compare Rb to Barca is comparing a Kia to a Ferrari. Utterly ridiculous. Osorio fielded his team, and had a chance to get a better look at some of his players. Thats it. The best accomplishment that could have been achieved was that no one was injured. What is the big deal?

[martha]

"wait, Martha et al talking about how embarrassing this "performance was by RBNY... that's a joke, right? Halve the scores and I wouldn't be surprised if that were the result of Barca vs. USMNT game"

CapeCodFutbol

um fyi the us DID ply the euro champs and lost what 1-0?

Cant blieve all you homers who can find excuses for this crap performance against A TEAM THAT ISNT IN FORM.

They did not play their starters and their subs arent thw WorldCup champs you make them out to be.

A few MLS teams would have beat the second half Barca team

HAIG dont forget the Fire also tied Celtic last yr. Celtics first tem is better than Barcas bench. Chicago even left their mini ditkas on the bench

[Coach]

I don't know if anyone really mentioned this, but perhaps the most disappointing thing about last night was the crowd. Take away the 12,000 or so RB fans and you're left with 26,000 that went to see Barcelona in the country's biggest market. That's not a lot of people. And I'm not going to buy excuses like GS, weeknight, no Messi, blah blah blah. It was a beautiful day/evening yesterday.

Maybe soccer is just as big as its going to get in this country. We'll have a very mid-level league and a chance to host the WC every generation. If the novelty of Barca has worn off b/c they were here "only" two years ago, then it doesn't bode well for MLS ever becoming a "big-time" league.

[Mike RBNY]

This game could definitely have been worse. Much worse. Did you see the # of shots? It was about 25 to 3!

And's it's too bad it was nationally televised on ESPN of all networks. "The worldwide leader in sport" or at least in American sport definitely meant many borderline viewers and some haters flipping through the channels seeing an MLS side losing 6-2. The shame in this game is how European fans in the US and borderline fans and even the people who don't know much on the game will look on this as a reason to not like MLS (mostly due to ignorance, but its still happening).

[J]

I'm a person who tries to maximize the utility of my time spent watching football. In practical terms, I watch the Italian ans Spanish leagues and a little of the English one to get my fix of football. The MLS is league of last resort more akin to picking the 300 lb woman if one's choice is either a beast or worse. That friendly reinforces my view. Pub league indeed.

[martha in miami]

Okay, lets just breeze by that last comment, shall we! @martha, lol, you have a good pt. but Im sure this game was scheduled 8 mo. ago, when ON PAPER, the RB looked great! The MLS is not one to adjust mid season, just for tv/ mktg. reasons. JCO has done the best he can w/the yucky hand hes been dealt, thats why we feel hes talented. Yes he left/moved NY but we all do this to learn/bloom professionally. Nascar took 10 yrs. to reach #2 in tv/merch. sales, give it time. JPA can still play anywhere!

[dan]

If the nyrb players get anything out of a match like this it's that have to get MUCH better technically and develop a soccer brain for many of them. That being said how does one expect a team (any MLS team) with a salary cap of 2.5 million (my guesstimate) expect to compete with a team whose total salaries may exceed the 50 million dollar range. If the MLS hopes to come even close to a team like Barcalona Don Garber has to convince the owners to start increasing the salary cap next year and every year thereafter in order to improve. This can and should be a good show of good faith to the players for the next CBA. This alone will not do it as another DP should be made available to every team in order to raise the level of play and inteernal competition within the team(s).

[diego r.]

i hope the Red Bulls get relegated to USL-2 where they can face their top rivals - Baltimore

[martha in miami]

Exactly the point. Looking at the Nascar model, which is 50 yrs in existance, it has expanded in the last 15 yrs. The last 10 of those have been the hard mktg. work, to then have the money, to make the stars. Now they can pay well due to tv contracts/ merchandising sales. Even still they are greatly down in attendance, due to the economy. You have to plan long term, and ride out any storms, while trying to promote the best you can, at that moment. JCO is the best choice to weather the growth.

[martha in miami]

haha diego r...we swept that one under the rug, my friend!... My *exactly my point* was to the dude before you. Great thing about soccer is, there is always the next goal or the next game!

[martha]

apparrently, Guardiola doesnt agree with all of you who claim a Barca team that is Messi-less,has an obvioulsy out of form Henry, has a horrible third string goalie, and played Guj johnson, Bojan and 9 subs in the second half would beat everyone in the world 6-2.

"It's not normal for us to score so many goals," Guardiola said. "We have to be careful because we created so many chances and, if we try to continue to prepare that way, we could be in a little bit of trouble. We just want to get a good mentality as a group"
http://msn.foxsports.com/soccer/story/8422008/FC-Barcelona-cruises-past-Red-Bulls

Barca is great but is WAY out of form and NJ was completely in form. fitness alone should have kept them in the game.

It helped the Fire tie Celtiv and beat Everton.

NJ play was dismall and embarrassing to the league. No matter how you try to excuse it.

Soryy i just dont by the "Barca is so great and MLS sucks so bad that an out of form Barca without the usual 11 for 90 can beat the crap out of ANY IN FORM MLS team 6-2."

NJ ahould never be allowed to play in one of these until they improve.

BTW Chichenho looks like the Wanchope of defense.