Red Bulls heading to MLS Cup

After 13 mostly disappointing and sometimes painful years of existence, the New York Red Bulls, the club formerly known as the MetroStars, are headed to the MLS Cup final for the first time in club history.

As you might expect, getting there was as far from easy as you could get. The Red Bulls scored early and defended well and eventually held on for dear life as Real Salt Lake attacked in waves as the home team searched for an equalizer. Diving saves from Danny Cepero, missed wide-open chances and three different shots hitting the post were all RSL had to show from an all-out blitz on the Red Bulls goal.

Ultimately, it was Dave Van Den Bergh's goal, his third in three matches against Real Salt Lake this season, that provided the difference in a Western Conference final for the ages.

Now the Red Bulls will complete their improbable playoff run in the MLS Cup final against the Columbus Crew next Sunday at Home Depot Center.

What did you think of the match? Was it the most nerve-racking 90 minutes of your life? Can you believe this team has come together and gone on this type of run? Do you think the Red Bulls have anything left to win the MLS Cup final? Did all those near-misses make you start believing that this just might be a team of destiny?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

[MetroFanatic]

13 years in the making.

But the job is not done.

[Ethan]

Did anyone count how many times RSL hit the post?

[MasterShake]

I love this team!

[Trex]

Yeeeeeeaaaaaaah MLS Cup here we come!

[Jason Cram]

The Red Bulls need to make sure that Don Garber gets a big thank you. Everyone knows the league wanted a big market team in the championship, and the ref's sure played their part to make sure that happened.

Even playing against 12 RSL still was the better team tonight, and deserved the win. The post was unkind to them tonight.

[Tim]

The match was pretty poor. Chi-Col was the first MLS playoff game I've ever watched and I thought it was pretty good football. It made me excited for the next playoff game and MLS cup next week. Then I watched the RSL-NY game tonight and I came away with the feeling that surely those two teams aren't in the top four of the MLS? They were absolutely awful. Diving, terrible finishing, amazingly poor passing and defending. So after that game tonight, I really hope Columbus wins. Oh and whats the point of soccer specific stadiums if they are going to have rugby/lacrosse whatever those lines were? its the most important game in the history of RSL and they show up with that crap on their field? Ridiculous.

[Irishapple21]

Woo hoo! You cant stop the running of the red bulls!

[john]

hope those sour grapes taste good, jason

[Tim]

Two games featuring exceptionally bogus refs = paid by Don Garber. Grats NY you are a huge market!

[SC]

The ref didn't do sh!t, if anything they helped RSL. Dane was Mauled and than 30 seconds later A foul is called on us, the free kick hit the post.

I wonder how many Boca and River Plate fans may show up. Schelotto and Angel are still loved by the supporters of those clubs.

[Tony in Quakeland]

Jason Cram - classless remarks and wrong.

COngrats to the Red Bulls. A combination of hard work, guts and luck paid off for you.

[Eugene]

Jason Cram,

Don't know what game you were watching, but the ref provided no help to the Red Bulls tonight. It was an ugly game and I agree with you that RSL was the better playing team, but they didn't take advantage of their chances.

Two clean sheets for Cepero in the play-offs. Wow.

[Jason]

John, if that's all you can come up with it proves my point.

Please, Please, Please try to dispute anything that I have said. I would love to hear what you can come up with.

[Eugene]

Tim, you are wrong, perhaps you should watch a few more MLS games before spouting off at the mouth.

[MasterShake]

Seriously, here we go with the conspiracy sh*t?

If NY is such a big market team that Don Garber paid off the refs then where was he for the past 13 years??? saving up money for this season?

give me a break, bunch of cry babies.

[Eugene]

Jason, why don't you PROVE your point before asking someone else to DISPUTE your NON-point.

Please tell us exactly how the ref favored NY in this match, and furthermore, tell us exactly how the ref favored NY in the Houston match.

Then look in the mirror and slap yourself three times because you're being irrational.

[kpugs]

Cram it up your cramhole, Cram. Your post reeks of bitterness. The refereeing in this league is terrible, but the ref tonight was flawless. Unless adding 4 minutes of stoppage time, giving Leitch a yellow for simulation and letting Movsisyan get away without a card for one of the biggest dives I've ever seen counts as favoring the Red Bulls.

No...MLS refereeing is terrible. But tonight, neither team can complain about the ref. You can't blame the ref for bad luck, so go take your crybabying elsewhere.

As for the match itself, the Red Bulls' work rate was obscene. The second Magee's run of form came to an end I couldn't understand why Woly didn't immediately become an automatic starter. Now it's obvious he should have.

As for RSL, too bad for them. They played well the second half, but it's very easy to press forward when the other team is committed to defending a 1-0 lead. If anything, I think Findley should have started. It was a tale of two halves, and in games like that they are often 50/50 in terms of who "deserves" the win. I think the fans can be happy with the season they had, and there is no shame in going out like this, they left it all on the field as it should be.

[Tim F.]

Congrats to JCO and all the players for their hardwork. Special thank you to:

JPA and Dave vdB - couldn't have gotten here without you
Goldthwaite and Stammler - general steady play throughout the year
Jimenez and Cepero - two young defenders coming up big when thrown into the spotlight
Sassano, Ubiparipovic, Boyens and Mendes - coming up big and fighting through some injuries to make a difference in the playoffs
Richards - our hero against Houston
Leitch and Wolyniec - you've always been great with the fans and playing your tail off lately

I thought the Red Bulls needed to string more passes together instead of just kicking the ball out of play or just down the field but I'll take the ugly win.

I've always have kept the faith... with JPA and Dave vdB in the lineup, anything is possible on any given day, including MLS Cup.

I want to go so badly to MLS Cup but it doesn't seem to be logistically possible with other commitments I have. It's too bad this Cup is not being played in DC as last year's cup was.

Go Red Bulls go!!!

[Steve T.]

Jason C.,

The ref remarks are completely misguided. Did you even bother watching the game? That being said, RSL deserved to win, but the iron was unkind.

[Joamiq]

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOY
DEL METRO

CEPERO PARA PRESIDENTE

[Greg]

Now that an east coast team is the champ of the west, it might be time to go to a single table so MLS don't look so confused

[redbullfan]

congrats to coach osorio and the boys. playing 4-4-2 in losange has made us less vulnerable. keeping wearing the red, mike.

[Joamiq]

Ethan: it was at least 3. The kind of bad luck we've faced year after year.

Jason Cram: Yeah, the refs decide which way the ball caroms off the post. Solid insight there!
In terms of questionable calls, the Red Bulls were the unlucky team, not RSL.

Tim: Go away. And good riddance.

Bottom line, RSL played well, yeah. But they didn't get the job done. And the refs had nothing to do with it.

All that matters is that the Red Bulls are playing in the MLS final. If you don't like it, too bad. But I enjoy tasting the sweet bitterness of your comments!

[ken]

As a lifelong and diehard fan love the Red Bull no matter what and JPA. Please anyone but Carlos Mendes he was awful and almost cost us the game three times. He flat out sucks and should be cut. Otherwise great game by all and no matter what lets go out and get an attacking midfielder and one more defensive stopper and we should be fine along with a quality forward to team up with JPA and we can compete with anyone. Great and fantastic job by JCO considering the team he had. Wish Park were back and Boyens not Mendes.

As far as goalie excellent job and DVB cannot say enough about him.

GO RED BULLS!

[go crew]

i guess conway shootin up with the drugs was the best thing to happen to the nyrb.

[Joamiq]

WE. ARE. ONE. GAME. AWAY.
So many years, and 90 minutes away.

After all this time... we finally have the chance.

I don't care what personnel decisions Osorio makes for this last game. Whatever they are, they're right. He's gotten us further than we've ever been before. He deserves our undivided allegiance.

[mer]

hey ken, i know what you can say about DVB ugliest man in the mls.

[Eugene]

Joamiq, at least until last season, then we can relaunch the fire Osorio discussion...

hahahahahahahahahaha so NY

[Eugene]

Rather meant to say at least until NEXT season

[Andrew]

MLS got what they wanted. You know those big whigs are jumping for joy. Although RSL was the deserving winner tonight, it wasn't meant to be. I can't help but to asterisk this whole Red Bulls season as two major players were caught cheating.

[MasterShake]

lol caught cheating?

man i have a smile from ear to ear from all these cry babies..ive never felt better

[Eugene]

"caught cheating" hahahaha

I have to admit, I haven't gone into a GNC store since because I don't want to be accused of taking performance-enhancing vitamins that are poorly labelled.

Asterisk the season? For guys that were suspended for the entire clutch run? C'mon, let's have some perspective here.

[inkedAG]

It's pretty amazing that RBNY made it this far. But I would have liked it better had they put more pressure on Salt Lake and played better instead of defending for 80 minutes.

[RedLine55]

there is no God.

[tetra]

So I guess MLS bias towards the big market only exists when it's LA and not NY? That game was horrible on so many levels.

[john]

its cool how people always find something to whine about.

[Tim Crawford]

On the subject of next weekend, I have to say I'm a bit disappointed. Columbus absolutely deserves to be champions. I would've been very fine with RSL being champs too with their hard work all season. However, I struggle to see an argument for why Red Bull deserves to be a champion other than the fact that they won the important games. I know this is the argument that will get thrown back at me, but we just won't see eye to eye. Either next weekend will be a slaughter and Columbus will get the deserved ending to their season, or Red Bulls will upset the balance and make me really annoyed that playoffs are necessary (this is from a Revs fan who has benefited from the 4-seed thing already, but has also been beaten by it). I wanted to see two teams that I had no problem with winning, and now I go in fear that RBNY may get an unjust trophy. Once again, there is no offense to New York, and I know I'd be rooting for my Revs if it was them just as hard, but I've seen people wish the Revs doom saying they don't deserve the title, and that's the big feeling I'm getting right now.

[Tom in Newark]

I'd say a ref who allows free kicks to be taken twice while smoke bombs were going off in the penalty area is clearly favoring one team, but it was Real Salt Lake. He should flunk his assessment if for no other reason, allowing this potential distraction to remain on the field while play was stopped.

[Joe Quake]

No doubt the Red Bull s won that match - RSL had their chances, but the RB defense didn't break. I have to give the RBs all the credit.

It kind of feels like when the Galaxy won MLS cup a few years ago - not the best team, but they're playing well when it matters. I hope the MLS Cup Final is more entertaining though.

[J]

NY scored a clean goal and the keeper posted a shut out...NY won...get over it...If anything, I thought the ref could have done more with smoke bombs being thrown on the field and streamers being thrown at the players and the goalie, not just on corner kicks. RSL played well but did not finish their chances. In the end, NY has one more game and is in the CONCAF Champs League next season. LETS GO NYRB!

[mike from linden]

I PREDICTED IT THE WHOLE WAY!
GO RED BULLS
WE FINALLY MADE IT!
GO RED BULLS!
DC SCUM, LOOK AT THE SCUM NOW, HOWS THAT OPEN CUP TROPHY TREATING YOU?
GO RED BULLS!!
I PICK THE RED BULLS UNLIKE THAT SCUM OF A EX-GM LALAS, IT SICKENS ME TO SAY HIS NAME
GO RED BULLS!!!
I LOVE THIS TEAM

[BrianK]

I am stunned. After 13 years of non-senese, I cannot believe that the organization is one step away from winning MLS Cup.

No doubt Columbus is the favorite on Sunday,...but as someone mentioned earlier, with JPA and DVB anything seems possible.

How about Reb Bulls goals? DVB springs Woly,...he shields a defender, takes it to the line with his head up. Low probing ball. JPA hustle, hustle, hustle creates havoc in penalty area (note: for a guy with so much class and skill it was his hustle that made the play. Huge props for JPA!!)...and DVB trails the play from midfield and finishes! A great goal.

Feeling bad for RSL and the 20K at Rio Tinto. Just didn't go their way last night.

[Maxey]

Favorite Newspaper in NY

"The New York Post"

Congrats Juancho...sorry RSL!

[Frimp]

Holy holy holy cr*p. For all the times I thought they'd equalized (hit the post)...let's do this next week. At least we shouldn't be looking at another coaching change in the offseason. For some reason I prefer playing columbus to chicago. thinking about making the trip out there...

[Isaac]

Jason, Did you notice that the red bulls also had to make a substitution about 20 minutes into the game? They weren't in a comfort zone when Dane Richards went down either. What you're saying is just because a team sucks in the reg. season they cant do well in the playoffs. The Red Bulls new and angel was smiling on them when they got the playoffs and they didnt waste it. they got where they are by determination and drive. Yes, luck too but what team didnt have that? I dont think they'll win the final but I'm still gonna watch so they can prove YOU wrong.

[CD]

Cool the MLS got the Red Bulls into the final from the mega market of NYC. If the MLS can get the Jets and Giants games canceled next Sunday maybe more than a few thousand New Yorkers will watch the game.

[paul Lorinczi]

Red Bulls MVP of Match = Goal post

[Chris]

To all Metro fans this is a long time coming, year after year we have suffered. One more week and the suffering might be over. The match was not pretty but a win is a win and RSL fans need to get use to disappointment. To say RSL deserved to win is BS, the team that scored more goals deserved to win. On to Carson and may the team that scores more goals win.

[Alexis]

The Pink cows have had a cinderlla story the past month or so; they are in mls cup because of sheer luck; everyone knows that; soon; very soon; thier luck is going to end; i hate the red bulls and the columbus crew so much; but...... THE CREW IS GOING TO SHOOT THAT DAMN BULL!

[Matt K.]

How did this happen?

Their No.1 Goalkeeper gets suspended, and is replaced with their back-up who barely has experience. Turns out this kid is probably better.

They barely make it into playoffs.

Unwittingly destroy Houston, the defending champions.

Beat Salt Lake, thanks to a goal post.

Now they are heading out to the MLS cup!

Talk about Divine Intervention! After 13 years of disappointment, we Red Bulls fans can finally be happy! I see them everyday when I go to class at Montclair. I'm gonna give them a big round of applause.

And to you conspiracy nuts out there, your logic is flawed. If the MLS were really rigged then NY would have won the cup more times before. Not only that, but we're facing Columbus, a small market team, not Chicago. I think we have some disgruntled Revs fans over here, or Jim Rome has been doing undercover douchebaggery.

[roger]

red bulls have a huge market they can dip into but have not been able to because 1) the team is mediocre 2) so is the MLS.
GOOD luck NY & Columbus.
so far the crew-chi game has been QUALITY.
the rest looked like collegiate games

[steve-o]

DC Fan here. For all of you complaining about the refs -- put a cork in it. NY/NJ won -- congrats to them.

As much as I love to hate NY/NJ, the whole league will benefit if they put a good product on the field. They have done enough so far. Howewver, the fact they are in the final adds more proof to the fact that aside from winning the supporters shield, the MLS reg season is somewhat of a joke.

I for one will be pulling for Columbus because that is what we DC fans do -- root for whoever plays NY/NJ. I would expect NY/NJ fans to return the favor. However, (and I can't believe I'm going to say this) a tiny, tiny, tiny part of me would be happy for a NY win. The fans who have stuck with this team deserve it.

One other thing. Do any of you NY/NJ fans find the phrase "NY/NJ Red Bull -- Western Conference Champions" sort of stupid? This playoff format has to be changed. If they keep this format, they should rename the conferences like the used to have in hockey. Use names, Rothenberg and Hunt maybe. Although that may seem stupid as well. Ok I'm done.

[Hincha Tim]

I like how you NYers rewrite history. You make it sound like the NYRB's were playing on even terms with RSL until they scored their goal and then they dropped into a defensive shell which is why RSL was able to get forward. What a bunch of crap. You got the win, but don't chalk it up to anything but an inferior team who was outplayed the ENTIRE match getting away with a lucky win. RSL was totally dominating the match before NYRBs scored. The game up to goal was played in NYRBs half with RSL threatening time after time. NYRB was clearing the ball down the field like a junior high soccer team before they scored.
What I will give NYRBs credit for is this and its what has got them this far: they finish what few chances they get and that was the difference in this game and against Houston.
The match was not pretty not because RSL did not come to play and attack but because NYRB and Osorio play crap soccer. So if you like watching soccer that a junior high kid can play with no soul or flair but hang on for a 0-0 or a lucky 1-0 result than NYRBs are your team. Have fun watching a snooze fest. And I disagree that the result is everything. At the end of the day, soccer has to entertain or fans will lose interest. Playing cynical defensive soccer will not make soccer grow as a sport in the U.S.

[mcscheffel]

Hincha Tim,

I like the kind of soccer where my team wins. If there are junior high players like Angel an VDB, I think the US has a very bright future indeed.

In regards to the game:

Painful game to watch as there was never a moment that Red Bull felt like they had it in hand. Ref was really inconsistent. I thought RSL did a good job with Richards. I think Jason Kreiss would have killed to throw on a jersey and show his team what opportunistic finishing is.

13 years from the opening loss against Hollywood FC (Andrew Shue?!?!?!??!) and here we are. The curse of Caricola is lifted!!!!!!

If you see a crazed, overtired man in a RedBull's jersey wandering around Hunterdon county giggling to himself, that would be me.

[mikeK]

You're not right, Tim.

You're not a fan. You haven't had this team in your heart. You haven't watched all our misfortune over the years. Sure, it's not pretty football, but when we go back in history, and we look at this game, the Metro will always consider this a triumph.

It's soccer. You don't get scored on how pretty you are. Save that for figure skating. You get scored on how many times you put the ball away. New York won.

[mcscheffel]

Oh, and Honcha Tim, defense wins championships. Bring on the snoozefest!

[Scott]

MLS Cup here we come!

[alex]

For all those who complain about the playoffs SHUT UP!! The best team should beat anyone on anyday. If north carolina loses before the final four should we scrap the ncaa playoffs? NO! if the Hawks could have beaten Boston does the NBA think about a change NO!!! thats the beauty of it, if we all wanted to know who wins the league cup at the beginning of the season we would watch the premier league. This is the beauty of mls if you don't like it watch something else. The game was choppy last night but both teams were pressing. Hats off to the red bulls, should be a good game!!

[thumpjosh]

go crew!

[rpb]

I love the playoff format! Change the name of the divisions. Without relegation forget single table madness. On the last weekend of the league multiple teams were fighting for a playoff spot creating excitement. Look at the crowds at Colombus, Houston, and Utah - c'mon accept we love playoffs.

Make the Supprters Shield a bigger trophy if you like or increase that team's salary cap space w/the league picking up the balance. The MLS is flawed, but its the only league we've got. We are not Europe or South America -get over it. Our league is spread over a continent - not like Euro where teams have little cost for travel and wear and tear -on the players.

The playoffs are about upsets and the favorites pummeling the imitators.

REDBULL - demonstrated what people have been saying all season - THE EAST is dominant over the WEST.

[Hincha Tim]

mcscheffel,
that's fine if you like 1-0 0-0 snooze fests where both teams put 10 men back and play for a counter attack. but you'll be watching it on tv because soccer will die if here in the u.s. on a professional level if you teams keep playing those tactics. And I said nothing about JPA and vandenberg, they and richards are the only reason that they are where they are. I said before the game that they singlehandedly can pull a game out where NY has nothing else going for it. Both are great players.
I don't take anything away from the win for NYRB, just don't pretend that NYRBs were the better team out there and that it was because of that that they won and the only reason that RSL was able to attack was because NYRB withdrew into a defensive shell after they scored. That is not the case. RSL dominated the midfield and the run of play from the start of the game, before the goal was scored and the goal was scored against the run of play.
And NYRBs "injuries" in the last 5 minutes were a joke. MLS has got to clamp down on that. Teams should keep playing until there is a natural break in play. The "injured" player should not be able to reenter the field for at least 5 minutes if the game has to stop to cart him off.

[torosrojosfan]

YEEEESSSSS!! GOOOOOOOOOL! VanDerbergh!!!
I am amazed & delighted Red Bulls are going to the MLS Cup. Truth be told RSL was the better team last night but in futbol the one that scores is the winner. The Bulls are lucky to make it to the final but then again ... we've been one of the unluckiest teams in MLS history til now. I'd like to commend the RSL fans who braved the cold temperatures to attend the game. I hope you can build up on what you have and go to the final next year (unless RB stands in the way of course).
Whatever the RBs do in the final is just icing on the cake. Since RBs are the underdogs I hope they make a game out of it. A lot of people will be watching on TV and would be a shame if the RBs don;t show up for the game.
Go Bulls.

[cb]

I'm still euphoric. The match was a complete nerve-racker - I don't care for the Italian style of putting ten men in the box after scoring a single goal, but hey, the Red Bulls pulled it off. A huge congrats to the team. After all those RSL shots hit the goalpost, we have a new meaning for post-season - ha! The lowly pun! GO RED BULLS! With this kind of luck, you're definitely a team of destiny.

[mcscheffel]

I suspect I am getting into a very similar argument to ones I have with my 4 year old, but have you ever actually watched soccer outside the US or any professional sport?

The better team does not always win, the winner wins. Although I would not count this as a great game, there was a ton of drama.

If you tell me there is championship American football game where the underdog prevails after 3 goal line stands and two field goals that bounced outside the goal post, I would look for the rebroadcast if I missed it live.

If you told me a US hockey team would barely hold on after being pummeled for the last 10 minutes against a superior team, I would call that a Miracle and say it changed a sport forever.

If you told me that the average World Cup Final (the most popular televised event on the planet (including, gasp, in the US if you count all television outlets)) was generally anything but a defensive game with a ton of luck involved, I would call you a liar.

This is sport. This game will win fans. This game is destined to be legendary in long future history of MLS.

Soy del Metro.

[redbullfan]

i read plenty of hatred and envy in some of these posts. i hope the bashers will wake up. not everyone plays like brazil. some of you might even root for the italian team "snoozefest", who by the way, won several world cups. if the redbulls were losing 1-0, obviously they would have taken risks to win the game. at times, parking the team bus in front of the net is a good thing. go redbulls

[Geoff]

Perfect example of the flaws in the American playoff system. If justice will be served Columbus will win next Sunday because they were the best team this season and in any other league they would have won the title.

[Tres]

Shew, that was one sloppy first half by both teams, and it got only marginally better in the second. It often looked like they were playing on a plastic pitch, the way nobody could trap the ball or send properly weighted passes. Thursday night's Columbus-Chicago game looked like Chelsea-Arsenal compared to this one.

That said: What an exciting match. Congrats to the Red Bulls for getting done what they needed to get done. And congrats to Salt Lake for the good season (and for getting a really pumped-up sellout crowd into their new stadium).

Speaking as a neutral observer, this has been a really fun year for MLS.

[Danny]

Couple of weeks ago I never thought I'll see my team at this stage...I'm at a lost for words...I feel like the Red Bulls already won MLS Cup lol

[Curtis Spiteri]

Unreal. Totally unreal.

As a Chicago Fire fan/season ticket holder I'm not very happy because the best teams aren't playing in the Cup. However, I'm not a RBNY hater, so congrats to you folks - quite possibly the most tortured fans in MLS.

I'm still pulling for the Crew but I will say this, JCO > Hamlett.

Congrats again Red Bulls fans (make sure to keep Angel).

[TCompton]

I think the best thing about the Red Bulls is that the first trophey in their case is the WESTERN CONFERENCE Final. Classic MLS!

Good luck in the final. If you win... Well, I won't say anything to avoid curses, but good luck.

[Mastrino]

Danny Cepero and the good play defense did the work.....Good luck next Sunday...hope Win big.
Please "coach" JC Osorio keep your prayers, that still working in your favor.

[Bobbie B]

This more than anything proves what an absolute joke the MLS playoff format is. Metrobulls lost more than they won, luck into a playoff spot in the west and this is the result. No more than 4 teams should make the playoffs at all. Go Crew.

[lou]

I just want to say as a life long fan of the red bulls, that is about time something good happens to this club and we fully deserved it. It doesn't matter how many times the ball hits the post, it didn't go in and there is nothing anyone could have done there so don't go blaming it on the bulls. The ref i believed called a fair game, and if there was any bias at all it would have to be in favor of real salt lake. Any one who says that red bulls don't deserve to be in the championship, are absolutly crazy. Tim the red bulls did much more than just play well in the games that counted, they played their hearts out with a bunch of no name players. They worked better together than any other team in the league. There are no more deserving people on this earth than the fans of this team and the players. I also don't understand how don gaber could have possible have payed off the refs, were was he when the red bulls recieved call after call against them, and defeat after deafeat in the playoffs in years prior to this one. Jason your comments shouldn't even be addressed, shut up and stop whining. COME ON YOU BULLS we only need 90 more minutes to get to the promised land.

[Jason]

Congrats to NYRB on reaching the final for the first time in 13 years, as a Crew fan, I know exactly how you feel.

Hey, you went up 1-0 and basically bunkered in, and they couldn't finish.

I must say based on regular season form, we must be favored.

However, Angel is the best target man in the league (the battle with Marshall should be fantastic), and the wing play of Van den Bergh and Richards always scares me.

[Shawn Smith]

After 13 long seasons of torture, I am proud of this team and how they've handled the adversity this season and made their way to the club's first title game.

Yes, there was a lot of luck involved with the posts and RSL's inability to finish, but the team worked hard and earned this. If Danny Cepero didn't lock down a starting gig in this league the last month or so, there is no justice.

We're still missing a strong midfielder and center defender to lock this team up a bit, but this is a great result and I look forward to a spirited game.

[Tom R]

Nice job Red Bulls. I had that feeling they would pull it off. I am looking forward to a good entertaining match. It is going to hard to stop Rogers and Padula on the left and Gaven is now feeling his oats.

http://crewonespot.blogspot.com/2008/09/keys-to-victory-against-nyrb.html

[MetroTard]

Okay that makes sense. The league waits 13 years to fix it for us cuz they need the big market win. Did you guys figure out who shot JFK yet?

[chupacabra]

To all the MLS conspiracy theorists: if MLS was favoring the Red Bulls then why would they have sold one of the team's best players, Jozy Altidore, in the middle of the season?

To all those bitching about the playoff format: where were you when Portsmouth and Cardiff City faced off in the FA Cup or when Tottenham beat Chelsea in the Carling Cup?

[JL]

As a fan of neither team last night, I have to say its an absolute crime that NY won that game. They were outplayed the entire 90 mins and did nothing but sit in a shell and defend. If thats the type of team you as fans want, thats fair. It got the win. However, as a a fan of the game, there was no justice last night. Worse yet is that a team with a losing record can make the playoffs much less the Finals. Oh well, you play the cards as they are dealt. I will have to support Columbus, as they at least play entertaining and good soccer. BTW that Cepero kid is an impressive keeper. How was he not starting over Conway all season? He seems to have much better ability to react to shots and the athleticism to get to them.

[lou]

Jl, i can't understand how peoplelike you can say that it is a crime new york won. The key word is WON, we won, who the hell cares how we did it, we won, not salt lake, ny won. Can you understnd that, if we won and so therefore were able to convert on our chances than how can idiots like you possibly think that red bull did not deserve it. And another thing, we deserve to be in the playoffs because dc united did not win, so we had the most points, can you understand that one. Who cares what are record was, the fact is we got in, and we played our hearts out. Keep crying about, but i wont be able to hear your moaning and crying over the cheers when we get that trophy.

[Mario in SJ]

Congrats NYRB!!!!
There was luck in it but 13 years of no luck means no one can complain either way.
Also the ref was NOT biased against NYRB. As a matter of fact it seemed that he was a RSL supporter.
It may have been ugly but it was effective!

[Hincha Tim]

Hey NYRB fans who think you have a great defense because the team didn't allow any goals the last two games: I hope Osorio thinks the same way and hold pat for next year so you guys won't come close to making the playoffs. The fact that Houston and RSL didn't score has nothing to do with the NYRB defense. The defense was totally porous in both games (look at shots at goal) but only luck and lack of finishing a myriad of clear chances by Houston and RSL prevented NYRB from being blown off the field 5-1 in both games, not the defense (with the exception of the NYRB goalkeeper who did have two great games). The NYRB defense continuously let Houston and RSL into prime scoring opportunities. The fact that they were not converted had nothing to do with the NYRB defense.
However, I credit the NYRB attackers. They had very few chances in both games, but their efficiency at converting their few chances into goals was very impressive. Vandenberg and JPA are those type of players where they only need 1 or 2 opportunities and not 4 or 5 to score, and that is an invaluable asset to have in soccer. You better hope you don't lose JPA or Vanderberg or you won't win 4 games next year.

[Erik Abarca]

"After 13 mostly disappointing and sometimes painful years of existence" You got that right Ives. I'm so proud of my boys. Vamos METROS CARAJO!!!!

[Ceez]

Oye Erik Abarca!! Wus good primo! We're out to LA!! Let's go!!

[ag nigrin]

Posted this elsewhere:

When was the last time the Bulls won two games in a row on the road in the playoffs?
When was the last time the Bulls weren't screwed by refs like Toledo and Marrufo?
When was the last time the post and good goalkeeping saved our asses multiple times?

The answer to these questions... Never!

Here are my player ratings:

Cepero 8+ Conway who? Honestly Cepero has played huge the last 3 games...
Leitch 8 Keeps growing on me...hustled like he belonged out there...
Mendes 7 Filled in admirably for Boyens... made some strange clearances but held his own against RSL's attackers
Jimenez 9 MOTM for me ... he cleared almost all the long over head balls out of danger... my only gripe is that his distribution could be better
Goldy 7 The weak link in the D this game but still played with fire and brimstone
Richards 7 Not as effective this game as Russell did a good job keeping him in check but Dane almost scored on a breakaway despite this...
Sinisa 6 Obviously the left calf injury slowed him down...subbed early for Rojas
Sassano 8+ This kid has found a home as a d-mid...not missing Stammy so much
VDB 8+ One heck of a tap in goal...probably the biggest goal in RBNY history
only bigger one would be next Sunday's game winner
Angel 8 Tracked back on D when needed and kept the boys in the game with superior positioning...Angel will be huge next Sunday...he loves HDC!
Woly 8+ Did not stop working the whole game and gave a great cross for the goal

Subs:
Rojas 7 OK job filling in for Sinisa... gave us some control in the mid-field when needed
P-Val Not on long enough

Just one more victory and we are the MLS Champs...oh and by the way the Bulls are in the CCC next year...woo hoo!

[Sinter]

You know, this just seems so familiar to another playoff run a New York team made. They said we couldn't beat a team from Texas. We smacked them in the mouth. They said we had no shot in the conference championship and we came out victorious. Now, against the best team in the league they give us no chance again. Well, we know how that turned out.

New York Giants, New York Red Bulls... champs in 08! Vamos Metro, been long overdue.

[ag nigrin]

I love Hincha Tim...

NOT!!!!!!!!!!

[Hincha Tim]

Look, I'll put it this way: It's a shame that a team like the NYRBs who have a greater population to draw fans (and thus income), have probably the biggest payroll at the beginning of the season (except for maybe LA) has to have a team that resorts to cynical negative soccer to just get by. It does soccer no good in America to have a team like the NYRB in it's largest market playing the type of soccer that it does. No wonder people in NY would rather stay home and watch the Mexican league or European football on TV. NY should at least try to have a team that plays attractive football. I do miss the Cosmos! With all the resources that NYRB have at their disposal, having to resort to that type of soccer is pathetic.
And no, while you need a good defense to win, you don't need to play defensive soccer. Who's won the most World Cups? Brazil. Who just won Euro 2000? Spain. What type of teams have won the VAST majority of Euro's? Teams that play attacking soccer. Who has won the majority of MLS cups? Houston, LA and DCU. Were those teams playing defensive or attacking soccer? Winners of the EPL and La Liga the last decade? Attacking soccer or defensive soccer? Who's won the most European Champions League CUps? Real Madrid who plays attacking football. So you're dead wrong confusing having a good defense with playing defensive tactically.
If the MLS wants to survive, grow and gain a fan base, it had better hope that it does not have more teams like the NYRBs or people will stay home andc continue to watch other leagues on TV.

[dave]

Watching the game last night, I thought only Real Salt Lake looked like worthy winners. NY took their one good chance and then dug in for the rest of the game. It was not pretty and does not bode well for the final from a neutral's perspective.

I also worry about attendance for the game. RSL would have probably brought a reasonable fan base. I suspect that is not the case with NY.

Columbus must now be favorites, but so were Houston and RSL, so you never know.

[Eugene]

For everyone complaining -- waaaahhhh! Get lost. Try suffering for 13 years like the Red Bulls diehards have done.

As a NY fan, I'm the first to admit that last night's game was not pretty. In fact, I have no idea why NY decided to play it that way. However, it was Osorio's game plan and the team executed it.

I've seen this team play much better. Play attacking soccer, which is what they're geared to do with Angel, van den Bergh and Richards (not to mention Magee and Kandji on the bench). Having had the benefit of seeing the two games against RSL this season, I have also seen NY play RSL much better.

I don't know why they chose to bunker rather than just keep attacking and work for an insurance goal, but that's what happened and it was successful. I have seen this strategy fail so many times before that I can't believe it worked last night. But the fact is that NY was able to get the clean sheet, which is a different story than winning by one goal while giving up goals in the process. I think altitude was a big factor, the team was clearly trying to conserve energy and players were already cramping at the end of the game.

It's also a fact that the game plan against RSL was considerably different from the one against Houston in the 2nd leg -- which ended 3-0 and not 1-0.

How will NY play against Columbus? Who knows. I hope they don't bunker, but if they bunker and win, I'll take it.

I hear a lot of people bitching and moaning, but if it was your team here instead of NY, then all your complaints would suddenly vanish.

I should also mention that after the Kandji debacle, NY fans realized that the only way we'd get to this point was DESPITE the league execs, not because of them.

[metrostar 4 life]

Jason stop whining man if you honestly think the refs helped RBNY you don't know what soccer is. Maruffo was MORE than generous to them, they couldn't find the back of the net, deal with it

[WeatherManNX01]

Who are you, and what have you done with the real Red Bulls?

[Eugene]

Hincha

What the hell are you talking about? Did you just wake up and fall out of bed? There is a salary cap in this league that equalizes the teams so NY DOES NOT have a bigger budget than any other team. We chose to use our DP and we weren't the only ones. However, we also had a $350k cap hit from Reyna that was useless to us for half a season. We've had $500k of cap in Rojas, Pietravallo and Cichero that has largely been sitting on the bench in the playoffs. We sold Altidore for a league record transfer fee and only saw $500k of allocation money. We had a sell-on clause for Michael Bradley that should have netted another $500k of allocation money but we likely saw a fraction of that.

In fact, we are doing this on a fraction of salary cap. Danny Cepero gets paid league minimum $13k for a developmental player, as does Diego Jimenez. Sassano, Ubiparipovic, Richards get paid league minimum for senior roster players of their years.

Combined salary of the starting 11 last night including Angel? $2.26mm. Without Angel? $662k. Even if I add in Rojas and Pietravallo, the salary of players ex Angel was $948k and that's using the guaranteed comp numbers, not base salary.

So please point out again how this is a large market team with a bigger budget. Or why don't you just stop talking and stop coming to games? jackass

[doug]

All the haters who were saying things in the commentary last night about how so bad the game was to watch you guys can SYFPH!!! On the road, cold night, supporters outnumbered by 19,950 people, and you guys complain about the means to the endgame? You make no sense. Probably the same people who showed up to boo Eli Manning on draft day and now you want to get you picture taken with him and everything. I got one thing to say. KEEP IT UP!!! KEEP ON DRINKING THE HATERADE. Its the haters of the world, like you, that makes successful people so happy and that are partially fueling this team to the MLS CUP. 3 weeks ago you all wanted to fire JCO and half the squad. Now, youre probably on some website lookin to book tickets to LA and MLS Cup. If ya'll were real SUPPORTERS like me and many others who post here, you follow the first rule of team support. You can complain about how your team performs or how its run, but you never ever wish defeat on a team you claim to support becuase it wasnt "pleasing on the eye". It makes you not a SUPPORTER but a FAN. And as we all know, fans blow around air, like some on here last night.

[Chris]

Tim,

So if RSL win MLS cup it wouldn't have been unjust, given they had ONE more point that RBNY in the regular season? Makes no sense, you're just bitter.

[Chris]

Tim,

So if RSL ended up winning MLS cup it wouldn't have been unjust, given they had ONE more point than RBNY in the regular season? Makes no sense, you're just bitter.

[Haig]

There's an art to being a windup artist. It depends upon actually having plausible explanations and playing on insecurities. Tim, with his simpering style and infantile attention seeking, isn't anything but a clown.

Keep at it, Tim. We all enjoy laughing at you.

[Ceez]

Tim. Just stop hating. For real. Be gone.

[eric]

Point of clarification from someone who was cracking on the quality of the game while it was happening. It was a poorly played game that was HUGELY entertaining. Big difference between quality of soccer on display and entertainment value. Any fan of the game would be enthralled with the last 20 minutes, but Ruud Gullit could make that Exhibit A next time he trashes us for being a pub league, and the punchline would be that the winner just might be the champs. Sorry, but how many players from that game would have made the pitch in Chi-Col, maybe 6?

The idea that the league is pulling strings for NY is ridiculous. RSL lost because they couldn't finish.

I'll be pulling for Columbus since GBS is the man, but a NY win wouldn't bother me, this is my home for soccer and I've seen y'all suffer enough.

[lou]

Eugene ur a beast, way to shut that douche bag up.