It is one hell of a night for a stadium finale.
The New York Red Bulls are playing host to Toronto FC tonight in the regular season finale for both and the final soccer game at Giants Stadium. New York fans might feel some sense of nostalgia as this long-time home for soccer closes, but TFC fans only care about one thing. Seeing their team make the playoffs for the first time.
Mother Nature isn't exactly cooperating, as heavy rains and thunderstorms pelt the area. Tonight's kickoff has already been pushed back to 7:55pm.
I will be providing commentary throughout the match so please feel free to follow along here. As always, please feel free to share your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below.
Enjoy the action (Commentary is after the jump):
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FINAL- That's all for me tonight. Thanks for following along tonight and please feel free to share your thoughts on tonight's match in the comments section below. Good night.
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FINAL- There are a ton of people still here, watching the ceremony. You can tell that a lot of people came tonight to say goodbye to the stadium.
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FINAL- The Red Bulls are honoring Juan Pablo Angel, Mike Petke and Albert Celades in a post-match ceremony. Angel has really cemented himself as the best player in team history this year. Consider that right now he has 12 goals for the season, good for a tie for third in MLS. That's incredible considering the nightmare season the club has had, and considering he missed five games due to a concussion and back issues. He will go into 2010 with 45 career goals.
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FINAL- Real Salt Lake is leading Colorado, 2-0, which is a result that would eliminate Toronto FC from the playoffs if it holds up.
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FINAL- Red Bulls 5, Toronto FC 0. What a thrashing by the Red Bulls against a TFC team that came in needing a win to help its playoff push. Now, Toronto FC will have to pray that D.C. United, New England, FC Dallas and Real Salt Lake all lose in order to make the playoffs.
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94th minute- Matthew Mbuta scores the penalty and becomes the last player to score a goal at Giants Stadium. Not who most would have expected for that distinction. Red Bulls 5, Toronto FC 0.
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93rd minute- PENALTY. Serioux takes down Kandji. Matthew Mbuta will take it.
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92nd minute- Albert Celades is taken out of the match to a nice round of applause. He is retiring after tonight's match.
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91st minute- Three minutes left in Giants Stadium soccer history (And possibly TFC's season).
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90th minute- Juan Pablo Angel comes off the field to a nice applause. Nice move by Richie Williams.
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88th minute- It's starting to sink in for me that this is my last game here at Giants Stadium. After covering more than 200 games here I have to say I'm going to miss this place, miss my seat at midfield in the press box what seems like a mile away from the field. This place was a terrible place to play soccer, but it was still home for so many years.
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84th minute- Tonight's attendance is 21,305. Now there aren't that many people here, but there's a bigger crowd here than you would expect on such an ugly night. It was nice of the Red Bulls to deliver a performance like this for these loyal fans.
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79th minute- Dwayne DeRosario is playing tonight for those wondering. I know I haven't mentioned him, but he's here.
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75th minute- That fourth goal by the Red Bulls just helped them break a tie with the 2007 Toronto FC for fewest goals in a season in MLS history. I have a feeling the Red Bulls knew they needed four tonight.
SAVE COUNDOUL!!! Another nice diving save by the Senegalese shot-stopper.
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74th minute- I'll say this much, of this performance, and the Red Bulls overall improved play under Richie Williams isn't enough to earn him the Red Bulls job permanently, I wonder if TFC will consider hiring Williams. He was Mo Johnston's assistant when Johnston was head coach of the Red Bulls in 2006.
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72nd minute- You have to feel for the TFC fans who made this trip. To see the team lay an egg like this is truly embarrassing.
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71st minute- GOAL RED BULLS!!! Mac Kandji runs onto a poor back-pass from TFC's Sam Cronin, beats Edwards to the pass, and taps into an empty net. Red Bulls 4, Toronto FC 0. WOW
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70th minute- Here is an interesting thought. Before the season began the front six most thought the Red Bulls would wind up starting for the majority of the season was Angel, Kandji, Hall, Celades, Richards and Stammler. That front six never played a single match together as a front six until tonight, and tonight we're seeing an offense that is moving the ball well and pressing all over the field.
Adding a stud central defender and a top-flight playmaker are certainly at the top of the Red Bulls' things to do list this off-season, along with finding a head coach and general manager of course.
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64th minute- Pablo Vitti comes in for Emmanuel Gomez. That would be the TFC kitchen sink. I wonder i Chris Cummins has realized that this is probably his last game as a coach in MLS.
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63rd minute- Jeremy Hall isn't looking too bad on the left flank today. That assist is the first of his career.
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62nd minute- GOAL RED BULLS!!!!!!!!!!! Juan Pablo Angel with the nice finish off a great layoff pass from Jeremy Hall. Red Bulls 3, TFC 0.
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61st minute- In other league news. KC is leading D.C. United, 1-0, on a Kei Kamara goal. That's good news for Toronto FC.
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60th minute- O'Brien White with a yellow card.
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56th minute- TFC fans are trying to cheer their team on, or at the very least wake it up. There are 34 minutes left in Toronto's season (barring a major run of results going their way around the league).
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53rd minute- New York still with more of the ball as TFC looks a bit lost right now.
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52nd minute- Boyens heads a dangerous cross away. TFC corner.
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50th minute- Kandji and Celades have looked especially sharp tonight for New York.
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48th minute- No subs at the half. New York is still controlling the game right now.
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47th minute- And we're back.
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HALFTIME- Red Bulls 2, Toronto FC 0. The Red Bulls haven't exactly controlled play, but made two beautiful plays to finish off both its quality chances.
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45th minute- One minute of stoppage time.
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44th minute- Walter Garcia deserves some credit. He's held up well since coming in for Petke. There are still 46 minutes to go though.
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43rd minute- Toronto is pressing, pulling a goal back before the half would be major. Clock is ticking.
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37th minute- Guevara misses wide on the free kick. Golden chance wasted.
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36th minute- Kandji assisted on Angel's goal. Nice to see that combo working well together. You have to wonder what the season might have been like if Kandji had been healthy all year. Ah, the Red Bulls are probably still in the East basement (though probably with more than four wins).
TFC free kick 22 yards from goal.
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35th minute- Toronto is stunned. So what now? If Toronto loses tonight, it needs D.C., New England, FC Dallas and Real Salt Lake to all lose in order to reach the playoffs. Not exactly good odds on that happening.
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33rd minute- GOAL RED BULLS!!!! Juan Pablo Angel with a beautiful finish. Red Bulls 2, TFC 0. Angel just torched Serioux on that play.
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31st minute- The Red Bulls are buzzing around tonight, putting pressure on every ball. Don't tell them this game means nothing.
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30th minute- Cronin with a good cross in but nobody can get a head on it. Here comes NY on the counter.
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28th minute- A member of the TFC staff pointed out that Toronto FC's crucial Canada Cup victory against Montreal to earn a place in the CONCACAF Champions League came on a night similar to this one, so maybe TFC fans shouldn't give up hope just yet.
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26th minute- Guevara needs to take control of this game. Both he and DeGuzman needs to start winning the possession battle if Toronto is going to create enough chances today.
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24th minute- Toronto can not afford to settle for a tie tonight, and a loss would mean TFC would need D.C., Dallas, New England and Real Salt Lake to all lose to make the playoffs.
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20th minute- Toronto FC's midfield has yet to impose its will in a match-up you would figure it would have the edge in.
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18th minute- Coundoul runs out and beats Chad Barrett to a ball 30 yards from goal. Barrett is injured.
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15th minute- Mike Petke's injury is a right quad strain.
Did I mention that it is absolutely pouring? Kudos to the 300 Toronto FC fans in attendance.
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13th minute- SAVE COUNDOUL!! Amado Guevara with a long-range shot that forces a tough diving save.
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12th minute- Toronto FC works a corner kick into a back-post header that goes wide. There are literally puddles in the Red Bulls goal-mouth.
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11th minute- Coundoul pounces on a loose ball in front of goal. Toronto is starting to wake up.
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9th minute- Mike Petke had to come out and in comes Walter Garcia, who is making his first appearance. There's no way Toronto doesn't burn Garcia for at least one goal (for those not keeping track, the reason Garcia hasn't played yet is because of fitness issues).
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9th minute- Here is TOronto FC's lineup:
------------Barrett-------White--------------
DeRosario------------------------------Cronin
-------------Guevara----DeGuzman-----------
Brennan-----Gomez---Attakora------Serioux
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Sam Cronin is out with a broken finger. Marvell Wynne is out with a quad injury.
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6th minute- Toronto starting very slowly as New York controls the early possession.
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5th minute- Here is New York's lineup tonight:
-------------Angel-----------Kandji---------------
----------------------Celades----------------------
Hall----------------------------------------Richards
----------------------Stammler--------------------
Borman-----Petke----------------Boyens----Johnson
-----------------------Coundoul-----------------------
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4th minute- Devastating start for Toronto, which needs a win tonight.
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2nd Minute- GOAL RED BULLS!!
MAC Kandji with the finish off a nice pass from Celades. Kandji beat both Emmanuel Gomez and Nana Attakora on that finish.
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1st Minute- And we're off.
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PRE-GAME- Even though the match means nothing in the standings to them, there is a nice contingent of Red Bulls fans in the Empire Supporter's Club section. They are here to say good riddance to Giants Stadium.
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PRE-GAME- Toronto FC needs to win tonight to have a chance to make the playoffs. New York need a win to avoid finishing with the fewest wins in league history.
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PRE-GAME- The teams are taking the field.
