Was Thursday the worst day in Red Bulls/MetroStars history?
As far as nightmares go, Thursday has to be about as scary a day as any Red Bulls fan could have imagined.
With the Red Bulls struggling for their playoff lives, the team's starting goalkeeper and best defender are suspended for the rest of the season (and part of next season). On that same day, the team's most bitter rival, D.C. United, sees its playoff hopes revived by two goals from a player the Red Bulls released before the season (and a player who hadn't scored a single league goal all season). Now D.C. is looking like a good candidate for the post-season while the Red Bulls are looking shakier than the stock market.
Here is the question for the day after: Was Thursday the worst day in Red Bulls/MetroStars history?
I will be heading to Red Bulls training today, where suspended starters Jon Conway and Jeff Parke are expected to discuss their suspensions. I will also be looking to speak to goalkeeper Danny Cepero, who sources are telling me will get the nod in goal.
Back to the poll. Did you vote yet or no? And if you voted no, what other nightmare day in Red Bulls/MetroStars history beat it out? Was it the day Clint Mathis tore his knee up in 2001? Was it the playoff loss to Los Angeles? Was it the day Alexi Lalas showed up as team president? Was it the day Tim Howard left?
Share your thoughts below.
Ives Galarcep is an American soccer columnist for ESPNsoccernet.com and creator of SoccerByIves.net.
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Why Cepero and not Boss?
Posted by: Brett Kozinn | October 17, 2008 at 09:54 AM
Fire fans are loving every minute of this.
Posted by: Front Row | October 17, 2008 at 09:54 AM
What kind of sports enhancing drugs were they on?
Posted by: Chad | October 17, 2008 at 10:01 AM
Heh. 9/14/2002...Metro lose to DC for the second time in 3 days. Mathis and Howard red-carded and out for the season finale, a 3-0 loss to New England that put a premature end to the ill-fated first "Metro Playoff Fever Campaign" (already launched at the time of the 9/14 loss).
I'd have to say that was worse. Just check out some of these post-match threads from That Message Board site:
http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=1&order=desc&page=410
Posted by: EdTheRed | October 17, 2008 at 10:05 AM
No, I still think the day earlier in the year where the got shut out 2-0 by a USL2 team was worse.
Posted by: Kyle | October 17, 2008 at 10:06 AM
Yep Red Bulls are the Chicago Cubs of the MLS......... WOW kid sucks being a Red bull Fan!
I can see it Osorio..... Quits in about a month!!!
Then we hare going to start a new process!!
Great!!!
Posted by: Mighty | October 17, 2008 at 10:07 AM
Is it October already?
Posted by: Seth|NYC | October 17, 2008 at 10:11 AM
Everyday is the worst day in Red Bulls history.
Posted by: dabull | October 17, 2008 at 10:12 AM
I say no.
Yeah...we're royally efphed, but this is still a league of parity. Anything can happen.
NOTHING IS OVER!
FOOOOOOOORZA METRO!!!!!!
::drops bottle of rum::
Posted by: Faux Fur and Soccer Shirts | October 17, 2008 at 10:14 AM
Thursday was standard practice, let's not overreact here. It is what all of us fans have come to expect.
For me the worst day in our history was also the furthest we ever got in the postseason, losing to an inferior Chicago team because of a crappy referee.
Posted by: kpugs | October 17, 2008 at 10:17 AM
April 20, 1996.
http://www.northjersey.com/sports/redbulls/Red_Bulls-eye_on_futility.html
Posted by: Speedball | October 17, 2008 at 10:26 AM
the end of the mathis golden age, albeit brief, was definitely worse than this.
Posted by: andrew | October 17, 2008 at 10:26 AM
the worst metro/rb day was the day we found out Mathis blew out his knee and out for the year. He was never the same after that.
with all due respect to Parke and Conway. They are solid players but they are NOT irreplaceable.
Posted by: cbr | October 17, 2008 at 10:27 AM
yea alexi lalas was way worse.
Posted by: ruscien | October 17, 2008 at 10:30 AM
The worst day in Metro history was when Lalas took over for sure. I'm glad that he was shown the door to ruin another team. Hopefully that's the end of his meddling. Bob Bradly had built up one of the greatest squads (However inconsistent) that we have ever had, and Lalas tore it all down.
Posted by: Joe G. | October 17, 2008 at 10:38 AM
Well, at least the day before they found out that NY wouldn't get a second team.
Posted by: RK | October 17, 2008 at 10:38 AM
Gees, Ives. Do we really have to relive all the bad days in our history??
We have had it pretty bad, huh? I do think the loss the CP Baltimore was the worst. (We were a man up most of the match).
That being said, I think you could easily say this has been the worst YEAR in Metro history.
Posted by: Steve | October 17, 2008 at 10:41 AM
worst day for you should have been the day in I think it was 02 when the Fire won at Naperville and thus eliminated the MetroStars from the playoffs. That prompted the firing of the only coach that had even led your team anywhere near hardware.
Speaking of Octavio Z, I think he recently got a new job in Hungary after a stint in Moldavia. Whose wife did he @#$# to get himself banished to Eastern Europe?
Much as I hated some of his comments, you gotta say he had a better record in MLS than almost any other coach still in the league.
Posted by: gofiregooooo | October 17, 2008 at 10:43 AM
@Steve: worst year? Have you somehow managed to erase the memory of the '99 Metros from your mind?
Posted by: EdTheRed | October 17, 2008 at 10:51 AM
The worst day in Metro/Red Bulls history had to be the day of that loss to Chicago in the 2000 playoff semi-finals. Razov scored the go ahead goal with two minutes left. A Tren Valencia goal that would have given us a 3-2 lead earlier in the game was, unjustly, called back. We were one game away from going to MLS cup.
Posted by: Miguel | October 17, 2008 at 10:56 AM
Their whole history is pathetic. They haven't won ANYTHING. For one of the flagship markets, Metrostars/Red Bulls are a complete joke. I feel sorry for their fans. At least they'll have a nice new stadium to lose in.
Posted by: dolan | October 17, 2008 at 10:59 AM
Only NYRB/Metro fans can say anything about the worst day in the franchise's history.
I find the news re: Parke and Conway sad on many levels. I like them both as players even though, as someone said, they're not irreplaceable.
I've only seen scattered reports of the incident, but if they bought a supplement at a national chain store like GNC and took it without vetting the contents then they (or their trainers) are just careless/stupid, given MLS's very public stance on the matter. If it happened this way, I think the punishment is way too harsh, and they're just being made examples of.
If they were more cynical about it and bought their juicing supplies behind a seedy gym somewhere, they deserve everything thrown at them. That seems REALLY unlikely to me.
Finally, I don't think DC's playoff chances have improved radically. They'd have been eliminated with a loss last night, but we still have to go to Columbus and get a win. That's a tough ask, esp. given the Crew's record and our history of futility on the road. Still, I'll take the win over the Revs happily and hope for the best in Columbus. I might even take out a mortgage to buy the gasoline and drive out for the game.
Posted by: Matt Mathai | October 17, 2008 at 11:03 AM
Cheaters!! Karma biting Benedict Arnold Osorio again!!!!!!!!!
Gotta love it!!!!!
Cant wait till next Thu to see that Red Metro stars line up torn apart.
Didnt NY make it to the playoffs WITHOUT Osorio last year?
Great improvement.
Are the Fire going to the playoffs?
Oh YEA!!!!!
Posted by: martha | October 17, 2008 at 11:03 AM
There's no warnings? 10 games for first offence seems really harsh!
Posted by: chris | October 17, 2008 at 11:09 AM
what dabull said
Posted by: anotherbodymurdered | October 17, 2008 at 11:12 AM
nope
conway sucks.... i want to see boss in there
parke hes great but we can replace him....
maybe we win vs colubus with out shacky conway
Posted by: lakaix15 | October 17, 2008 at 11:13 AM
This is only going to get worse for the RedBulls. They will have to play columbus. They will lose and more than likely miss the playoffs
Posted by: Kuzz | October 17, 2008 at 11:13 AM
I didn't even follow MLS back then and I know that 1999 was the worst year ever for the Metros/Red Bulls. And as a Galaxy fan, I must conclude that the worst Metro/Red Bull day ever was the day they hired Lalas as GM.
Posted by: CACuzcatlan | October 17, 2008 at 11:18 AM
This is nothing.
March 7, 2006 was the worst day in Metro history, of course.
Posted by: Michael K. | October 17, 2008 at 11:36 AM
With so many bad days in our history does it really matter? How about discussing our players who take performance enhancing drugs that don't even enhance their performance. Classic Metros/Red Bulls.
Posted by: Michael F. | October 17, 2008 at 11:39 AM
The worst day in NYRB/Metro history was the day they hired JCO. Serves the traiterous coward right!! My only regret is that the crew will have the honor of eliminating your horrid team from the playoffs before the Fire kicks the crap of of them next Thursday!
Cheers
Posted by: El Rey | October 17, 2008 at 11:39 AM
Way to bring some good information to the discussion Martha. I love it.
Posted by: RS | October 17, 2008 at 11:55 AM
As Matt said, only NYRB/Metro fans really can say. But I would have guessed 2 October 1996, with 1:59 remaining on the clock:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1a6DOpYwjAQ
. . .since it really seemed like you guys had an excellent shot at the Cup at that point, and it hasn't been the same since.
Posted by: Bootsy | October 17, 2008 at 12:05 PM
I voted no. Because Conway is so so and they are going to be embarrassed if they make the playoffs anyhow.
So I say it was the day they signed Matthaus.
I remember going to Giants stadium and watching him make an a$$ of himself on the field yelling at teammates, the linesmen and the refs. Being a native NYer it turned me off to Metrostar soccer for a long time. Especially in contrast to the years I lived in DC and went to United games. That club has been a class act since the inception of the league.
Posted by: wyo fan | October 17, 2008 at 12:14 PM
This day just blends in with the rest of them
Posted by: cm | October 17, 2008 at 12:45 PM
Geez!!! The WORST day ever for Metro/RBNY was the day Charlie Stillitano was hired followed closely by the most retarded initial draft in the history of sports. Those two events doomed the franchise for its entire existance.
Posted by: Ulrich | October 17, 2008 at 01:27 PM
thanks ives, now i've thought of so many shitty moments in redbull/metro history.
Posted by: joe k | October 17, 2008 at 01:29 PM
Karma is a biatch, Red Bull struggling to make the playoffs while the Fire are a win away from clinching second place in the East. Life is good, well unless you're a JCO or a Red Bull Fan.
Posted by: Chow | October 17, 2008 at 01:38 PM
So many BAD moments to choose from......this is not the worst yet. We still have a long way to go to rock bottom and , no doubt, as a franchise it will be the one thing we succeed at.
Posted by: C. Elvis | October 17, 2008 at 01:47 PM
Ulrich beat me to it @ 1:27 PM!
My gut tells me the team is gonna rally around this current situation
Posted by: Coach | October 17, 2008 at 01:52 PM
My vote has to be for my boy Cletus' knee injury back in 2001. Mathis was never the same after that injury. Something changed in his game. He seemed to lose that explosiveness (though he'll always be volatile). With a healthy Mathis in 2001, they looked like the team to beat. His injury destroyed the season and seriously damaged his career.
Posted by: Mike | October 17, 2008 at 01:54 PM
I don't think you can consider Thursday as the worst day in the Club's history. That's sort over dramatizing things a bit. The Parke and Conway situation is imbarrassing, but it could be viewed as a season ending injury too.
As for United winning, that should have no impact on the Red Bulls. They still own their own destiny. If they win, they're in.
Posted by: TCompton | October 17, 2008 at 02:01 PM
"Red Bulls are the Chicago Cubs of the MLS"??
Negative. The Cubs have actually won a championship.
Posted by: Str8Red | October 17, 2008 at 02:37 PM
I agree with Speedball. April 20, 1996 started things off....wrong!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJSlv5gf_C0
Posted by: Sterlinho | October 17, 2008 at 02:51 PM
Certainly not this latest incident, because we don’t deserve to be in the playoffs anyway. It’s a self-inflicted tragedy for Conway and Parke, but ironically some good could come from it if it forces RedBull central to rethink what they’re allowing to happen on and off the field.
So here are some more suggestions from an old timer:
1. The day we drafted Tab Ramos. I know the creed … US soccer icon, the most skillful US player ever, etc. … but by the time we got him he was semi-crippled and his always marginal self-control was essentially gone. For most of the first decade MetroStars was a framework of a team with a floating spot for Tab to fill on the occasional days he was simultaneously fit enough to play 60 minutes and not on suspension. And then there was the bite out of the salary cap.
2. The day we drafted Roberto Donadoni. He was just too good for the fledgling MLS and quickly went back to Italy. Since then we’ve always struggled to field a quality attacking mid-field.
3. The day Carlos Queiroz quit.
And that leaves 12 years to go!
Posted by: Peter | October 17, 2008 at 03:24 PM
This is definitely up there, so I had to say yes, only because of our current playoff situation. If this was in the middle/beginning of the year, would mean a lot less.
Some awful days for RBNY/METRO:
-Loss of Tim Howard to Man U
-Loss of Jozy Altidore to villareal
-loss to a USL2 team
Posted by: metrostar 4 life | October 17, 2008 at 04:03 PM
we've had so many bad ones. They all seem to run together at this point.
Posted by: chris | October 17, 2008 at 06:10 PM
In response to the "no" explanation:
Alexi Lalas showed up as team president
Posted by: PCFC | October 17, 2008 at 09:15 PM
is there any way to get rid of conway's contract now?
Posted by: john | October 18, 2008 at 01:50 PM