The New York Red Bulls and first year head coach Hans Backe take their first trip of the season up to the Mile High City, to take on the Colorado Rapids at Dicks Sporting Goods Park.

The Red Bulls have an overall record of 13-15-3 (Wins, losses, ties) against the Colorado Rapids in MLS play, with four losses in a row and five losses out of their last six games played.

Last season, the Rapids beat the Red Bulls both times they met; in Giants Stadium 3-2 (COL: Casey(25,48) Ballouchy (60);NY: Angel (45) Borman), and in Dicks Sporting Good’s Park 4-0 (COL: Peterson (5) Noonan (47) LaBrocca (61) Ballouchy(67)).

The Red Bulls earlier this season hosted the Rapids at the brand new Red Bull Arena for a U.S. Open Cup qualifying match, where a reserve laden Red Bull squad beat the Rapids 3-0, with two first-half goals from John Wolyniec and a goal from rookie Conor Chinn.

So far head coach Gary Smith has the Rapids in third place in the Western Conference, and fifth place in the overall MLS table with 21 points. U.S. National Team member Conor Casey leads the team with six goals and two assists in 12 games this season. Mehdi Ballouchy is second on the team with two goals and three assists in 11 games played. When those two players are on their game, they are the two of the best in MLS, but knowing when they will play well has been a mystery to the staff and fans.

In their last game, on June 26, Colorado visited the Houston Dynamo and played to a 2-2 draw. Colorado scored through Conor Casey in the 45th minute, and an own goal in the 71st minute off of Dynamo defender Lovel Palmer.

Meanwhile, the Red Bulls came off their World Cup break with a very solid 3-0 win over the Kansas City Wizards, with man of the match Juan Pablo Angel scoring two goals late in the match to give New York their eighth win of the season.

Though the Red Bulls lost on Tuesday 1-0 in extra-time in U.S. Open Cup action against the Harrisburg City Islanders, they were given a boost in that midfielder Brian Nielsen, wing back Roy Miller, and midfielder Austin Da Luz all returned to the field from injuries.

However New York will still miss the services of midfielder Carl Robinson, forward Mac Kandji, and defender Kevin Goldthwaite. Midfielder Dane Richards was left off the weekly injury list, meaning he should be available to play this weekend, most likely off the bench.

The Rapids have some injury issues as well, with defender Julien Baudet, midfielder Ciaren O’Brien, and forward Ross Schunk all out for the 4th of July matchup. Defender Kosuke Kimura has been listed as probable.

An interesting point to make is that at the U.S. Open Cup match on Tuesday, coach Backe decided to make a few lineup changes, playing Jeremy Hall in the center of the midfield (usually he is a wide midfielder), Juan Agudelo on the left side of midfield (usually he is a forward), and towards the end of the match, played Andrew Boyens at center forward (usually he is a central defender).

Backe is not likely to make any changes from the lineup that beat Kansas City last Saturday, unless Dane Richards makes the starting 11, which is doubtful since he hasn’t played in almost a month. Juan Pablo Angel, Sinisa Ubiparipovic, and Joel Lindpere should be ready to lead the Red Bulls attack this weekend in the thin air in Colorado.

The New York Red Bulls defeated Chivas USA 1-0 in the last MLS match before the World Cup break for both teams. It was a lethargic affair from two very tired teams, punctuated only by Seth Stammler’s highlight goal, occasional roughhousing and questionable refereeing decisions (or non-decisions). Here ASN’s player rankings for the victorious Red Bulls:

Bouna Condoul: 5
Caught badly out of position on an early chance by Chivas but was bailed out by the cross bar. Speaking of which, he still does not appear to have a clue about playing the position of goalkeeper. It didn’t cost the team this time, because Chivas were anemic, but it’s a major stretch to say he’s making any improvements in this glaring weakness in his game.

Chris Albright: 7
Held his ground very well at right back, shutting down whatever activity there was on that side of the field. Was vocal directing the younger players in front of him and helping the team keep its shape–a vital factor against a possession team like Chivas. Also did a decent job of crossing the ball into the box, though a few of his long balls were taken in haste when he might have had better options. Had a few promising overlapping runs. Generally ran a lot. It’s great to see him this active and spry.

Carlos Mendes: 9
If it weren’t for a certain game-winning goal, he would be man of the match, hands down. As is his rating is one of if not the highest any Red Bulls player has received this season. Not only played his position perfectly, but also had the wherewithal to cover for others’ mistakes (most notably Tim Ream’s). His tackles ended several Chivas attacks. Excellent performance. His career may have legs after all. Have to consider him the starter at this position at this point.

Tim Ream: 5
Was badly beaten on two occasions in the first half, both likely would have led to shots on goal (if not goals themselves) had Mendes not astutely covered him. Was not very good at distributing the ball either. But recovered nicely at the end of the first half (terrific tackle on Justin Braun in what could have been a Chivas break in minute 39) and in the second half to earn an even grade.

Danleigh Borman: 6
Worked hard and with effect. Several nice tackles disrupted Chivas’ game, or what passed for one. Did an excellent job dispossessing Justin Braun on a first-half chance by Chivas. On the other side of the ball, too many of his passes were not well-placed and led to turnovers. Otherwise he could have had a higher grade.

Sinisa Ubiparipovic (off 12′): N/A
What he showed before his first half injury was very promising; some terrific dribbles into the Chivas defensive third and nice passes into space. Among Bulls players who were on the team before this year, he may be the most pleasant surprise.

Tony Tchani: 7
Appeared more comfortable at left wing, where he created all kind of havoc before moving over to take Ubiparipovic’ spot on the right. Either that or he just ran himself ragged in the opening minutes. But with a 1-0 lead he didn’t need to run as hard or seek to create as many chances as he did in a tied game. Did very well with the balls that were sent his way, playing clever passes into space and hardly (never?) turning the ball over.

Seth Stammler: 8
His superb goal obviously carries a lot of weight in this rating, but Stammler played an all-around strong game. Was active on both sides of the pitch. Distributed the ball well. His few turnovers were caused by pressure more than lackadaisical play.

Roy Miller (on 12′): 6
More active than he has been, with a few nicely-timed tackles and good runs. But still need to see a lot more of him. Lent a measure of stability to the team. Perhaps better as a left back?

Joel Lindpere: 6
The Estonian Express has clearly been running on fumes the past couple of weeks. Part of that is no doubt due to the weather, which he has said to dislike. That said, there were a few nice runs in the first half. On one of these Angel didn’t have the legs to run onto a perfectly-placed pass into space. How Angel managed to find blame in Lindpere for this is beyond me, but that’s exactly what happened, if facial expressions are to be believed. Did well on free kicks in the second. Too bad he ran out of steam.

John Wolyniec: 4
The Staten Island Ronaldinho was largely invisible other than to trip up or demonstrate just how out of tune he was with his teammates. Okay there was also a golden opportunity he had in the first half that was deflected by an astute Martin Trujillo.

Juan Pablo Angel: 3
More of what we’ve come to expect: bickering at teammates, drifting back into midfield, not making runs in the attacking end, a weak first touch, zero mobility, turning the ball over virtually every time he touched it. Other than that he was great. As long as he continues to bail out the team with injury time freekicks we can kind of justify a spot for him in the starting 11. And oh yeah, he was offside on that late goal that was called off.

Salou Ibrahim (on 66′): 3
Did more to hinder the team’s attack than support it. Sure it isn’t easy coming into a game as a substitute but this was pretty weak.

Mike Petke (on 89′): N/A
In the postgame press conference (links to audio recording), Hans Backe said he held Petke out because of fatigue, not performance. This would be more believable if he weren’t the only starter to be given a rest of this type.

The Red Bulls pulled off quite the dramatic win last night. After missing several opportunities to seal the game, and nearly letting their dominance of the Dynamo slip through the cracks on Brian Ching’s game tying goal, they were able to regroup and find a way to their sixth win of the season on the leg of their team Captain, Juan Pablo Angel. Click here for the initial match report). But the fact is, the game could have been sealed and delivered long before that strike found its way to the back of the net. And a closer look at the individuals involved brings that to light.

Here are last night’s player ratings:

BOUNA COUNDOUL: 7.5

Bouna wasn’t forced to make any dramatic saves. Even so, he was solid in the air, using his hands to secure and deflect dangerous crosses throughout the match. His positioning was some of the best the team has seen of him this season, and he provided a steady basis for the defenders to work off of.

CHRIS ALBRIGHT: 8

Playing his first 90 minutes all season, Albright immediately showed his worth on the right side. He played a solid game, subduing Houston’s biggest threats in Brad Davis and Brian Mullan throughout the night. His greatest contribution? An alert strike back in the box from a deflected set piece that found the leg of Sinisa Ubiparipovic for the games first strike.

MIKE PETKE: 7

Petke did a fantastic job of shadowing Brian Ching throughout the game, but was nowhere to be found on the forwards lone goal. It can be argued that the big Hawaiin was offsides, but leaving a man of his repertoire unmarked is a recipe for disaster. Still, Petke helped shut down the forwards with his physical play, and was an enforcer when Angel was brutally tackled and retaliation was needed. Unfortunately, that retaliation lead to yet another yellow for Petke, causing an immediate expulsion for the Chivas game (hence the lower rating).

TIM REAM: 7

Ream played the finesse role to Petke’s tough man act. He was calm and confident on the ball, which has become his MO throughout his young career, and was excellent in setting up the first pass in the build up to counter attacks. But, as with Petke, he was nowhere to be found on that Brian Ching goal, and that is what cost him.

DANLEIGH BORMAN: 7

Borman continues to impress with a new found patience and confidence on the ball. His tackles were perfectly timed, and his ability to set up breaking passes on the attack yielded results.

DANE RICHARDS: N/A

Richards lone highlight was a near perfect cross to Angel that was barely cleared out by Eddie Robinson in the box. Minutes later, he pulled up lame with a strained hamstring. Dane came into the game with a knock, and Backe was wary of risking further in injury to his speedy winger.

SETH STAMMLER: 5

Starting once again on the left hand side, Stammler looked completely lost. And had it not been for a transition in mid game back to the central defensive midfield slot, his rating may have shot down even lower. Backe was clearly frustrated with his wing play, calling on Stammler on various occasions to the sideline to bark instructions at the out of place midfielder. His shots were errant, flying wide from absurd distances, and his distribution caused various turnovers. He only settled down when he was back in his natural defensive midfield position, where he played the heavy on many Dynamo attacks (which is his bread and butter).

SINISA UBIPARIPOVIC: 8

After so much hard work put in all season long, Sinisa found the back of the net in a well deserved goal (his first of the season). His growth, whether at the midfield slot or on the far right, has been outstanding, with his patience on the ball, dribbling ability and overall confidence permeating through his game. Another solid performance.

JOEL LINDPERE: 5

Clearly, Joel was not at 100%. Even so, Lindpere drove the ball well earlyand distributed well in the midfield slot. His crosses proved very effective early on, and his set piece deliveries in particular were strong, but once he suffered the leg contusion, Backe made the decision to pull him in the 47th.

JOHN WOLYNIEC: 7

Wolyniec is a hustler, and deserved a goal. As a matter of fact, his cross bar clanking shot was all on the back of his hard work and relentlessness. He was even able to beat his defender on various occasions to create dangerous opportunities up, top so much so that he was continuously hacked throughout the game. A prototypical Wolyniec performance on his 100th MLS start.

JUAN PABLO ANGEL: 8

What a difference 2 seconds can make. Up to that set piece game winner, Juan Pablo Angel was clearly wearing the goat horns. He could not beat Pat Onstad on two separate one on one situations, wasted various plays with poor distribution to attacking forwards and midfielders, was stoic early on in his play, and stiff in his deliveries. But all of that is erased with one shot on goal. Make no mistake about it; only Juan Pablo Angel can bury a shot like that. And a shot like that can overshadow all the bad that came before it.

SUBS:

CONOR CHINN: N/A (but encouraging)

Chinn came into the game at the 83rd minute, and almost immediately found himself on the end of a beautiful set piece cross that he was perfectly positioned to act upon. Conor has a natural ability to predict the path of a dangerous ball and put himself into position to make something happen. Of course, he didn’t do much in the waning minutes, but it is always encouraging to see a rookie have that kind of presence of mind.

TONY TCHANI: 7

Tonight, the Bulls saw a side of Tony Tchani they haven’t seen since his acquisition to the team; offensive threat. With Dane Richards down and Joel Lindpere falling to a leg contusion, Backe gave Tchani the green light to put high pressure and go on the attack. His deceptive speed and distributors touch lead to many a dangerous opportunity for the team, and helped keep the Dynamo on their heels.

JEREMY HALL: 6

Though he was able to cover on the left hand side, Hall wasted away plenty of possession opportunities late in the game with wild clearances up field instead of trying to hold on to the ball and look for the open man. He was effective, and at times, was able to push the ball forward, but his inability to patiently handle the ball when the team needed possession could have cost him.

The New York Red Bulls outplayed the Columbus Crew at Red Bull Arena Thursday but at the end of the night had nothing to show for it. After dominating the first 35 minutes of possession, Frankie Hejduk combined with former MetroStar Eddie Gaven to give the Crew a 1-0 lead before Andy Iro doubled it off a corner four minutes later. The Red Bulls had most of the match in the second half as well and appeared to seize the momentum when Tony Tchani scored his first professional goal nine minutes from time. But a miscommunication between Tim Ream and Mike Petke led to a third Columbus goal in the 83rd minute and Red Bull never recovered.

“It’s a defeat that hurts, that’s for sure,” Red Bulls head coach Hans Backe said in the postgame press conference, which can be listened to in its entirety here.

“Credit to them tonight,” Petke said of the Crew. “I don’t think they deserved it, but you gotta do what you gotta do.”
Petke described the mix-up on the third goal as “bad miscommunication” between him and Tim Ream. “I’ll take the blame,” he added.

It was not a memorable 300th game in Major League Soccer for the Babylon, N.Y., native. “I feel like I played 300 games in the last week,” he said.

Player ratings are out and be sure to check out the photo gallery!

Match Facts

New York Red Bulls 1, Columbus Crew 3
May 20, 2010 – Red Bull Arena; Harrison, NJ
Attendance: 11,940

Scoring Summary:
CLB: Eddie Gaven 2 (Frankie Hejduk 2) 35’
CLB: Andy Iro 2 (Eddie Gaven 2) 39’
NY: Tony Tchani 1 (Carlos Mendes 1) 81’
CLB: Emilio Renteria 1 (unassisted) 83’

Disciplinary Summary:
CLB: Adam Moffat (caution) 52’
CLB: Andy Iro (caution) 60’
NY: Seth Stammler (caution) 75’
NY: Tim Ream (caution) 85’

Lineups:
New York Red Bulls (5-4-0, 15 pts.) – Bouna Coundoul (GK), Danleigh Borman, Tim Ream, Mike Petke, Chris Albright (Carlos Mendes 71’), Jeremy Hall (John Wolyniec 68’), Roy Miller, Seth Stammler, Sinisa Ubiparipovic (Tony Tchani 65’), Dane Richards, Juan Pablo Angel

Substitutes Not Used: Greg Sutton, Conor Chinn, Luke Sassano, Irving Garcia

Columbus Crew (5-0-2, 17 pts.) – William Hesmer, Frankie Hejduk, Eric Brunner, Andy Iro, Danny O’Rourke, Brian Carroll, Adam Moffat (Jed Zayner 57’), Eddie Gaven, Emmanuel Ekpo (Emilio Renteria 68’), Steven Lenhart, Jason Garey (Duncan Oughton 89’)

Substitutes Not Used: Andy Gruenebaum, Gino Padula, Dilly Duka, Sergio Herrera

Officials:
Referee: Baldomero Toledo
Referee’s Assistants: C.J. Morgante, Peter Manikowki
4th Referee: Jorge Gonzalez

We already knew Salou Ibrahim and Carl Robinson would not be available for Thursday night’s nationally-televised clash with the Columbus Crew at Red Bull Arena. Now add Joel Lindpere and Brian Nielsen to the list.

So says the New York Post’s Dylan Butler. His report adds that Ibrahim will be out at least another week, to be replaced Thursday night by Dane Richards. Roy Miller, Seth Stammler, Tony Tchani and Sinisa Ubiparipovic (from left to right) are expected to form the midfield.

At first glance it’s hard to tell where the offense will come from with that lineup. But Miller has showed some dribbling, passing and crossing skills and Tchani played a dominating attacking midfield role in the team’s 2-1 U.S. Open Cup defeat of Philadelphia Union.

That leaves Ubiparipovic, who has played well at times as a central midfielder but really doesn’t have the skillset to play right wing. One would think Jeremy Hall might be the more compelling option at that position.

As it is Hall is due to start on the bench, because Chris Albright is fully healthy and expected to make his first MLS start for the Red Bulls. If Roy Miller starts at left midfield, expect Danleigh Borman to start at left back.

…neither will Salou Ibrahim or Carl Robinson. Or for that matter Austin da Luz, who will miss six weeks with a “Jones fracture” on his left foot. This information courtesy of the New York Red Bulls official Twitter account.

So where does that leave us?

With very few options in attack, for one. Juan Pablo Angel will almost certainly start. Not that there was any doubt before. But who will be paired with him on the front line? John Wolyniec? Perhaps the most realistic alternative. Brian Nielsen? That experiment didn’t exactly go well against the Sounders. Conor Chinn? He’s behind the aforementioned on Hans Backe’s depth chart. Dane Richards? Don’t laugh, it could happen.

Of course the choice of a striker partner for Angel depends in no small part on the midfield lineup. Hopefully Backe has had enough of the Seth Stammler at left midfield experiment. Regardless, Stammler is more urgently needed to fill Robinson’s spot of holding midfielder at this point. Does that mean Nielsen starts at left mid? One would expect so given his “deer in the headlights” performance at forward on Saturday.

Stammler is by no means a shoe-in to start at holding midfielder, however. Tony Tchani has played well in the role recently, especially in his one start at San Jose. This one is an open question and I don’t suspect Backe himself has decided on it at this point.

What about right mid? From Dane Richards’ early substitution from the Sounders match it would appear that Backe is finally on to his (numerous) shortcomings. Whether that translates into a benching is an entirely different matter of course.

I think one can reasonably expect Backe to roll the dice with Jeremy Hall in right midfield, for the following reasons:

• Hall has been a good soldier and deserves his chance to start at his preferred position
• He played effectively at the position in last week’s U.S. Open Cup win over New England
• An element of surprise or unpredictability is needed against the Columbus Crew. Hall provides a spark at the position that other options (Sinisa Ubiparipovic, Dane Richards) do not.

That would leave Wolyniec or perhaps Richards as Angel’s striker partner. But if Backe doesn’t like what he’s seeing from Richards at right midfield it is doubtful he would want him as a forward. Wolyniec is old reliable. You know exactly what you’re going to get. And he and Angel have trained and played together for more than three years.

Don’t expect Bouna Condoul to sit either, even though he probably should. Conor Chinn will likely make the bench along with Ubiparipovic, Stammler (if he doesn’t start), Tchani (if Stammler does), Carlos Mendes and perhaps Irving Garcia.

A visibly dejected Mike Petke did not sugarcoat his feelings after the New York Red Bulls’ 1-0 loss to the Seattle Sounders. Never one to mince his words, the centerback said his team were hard done by the result, their first loss at Red Bull Arena. “It’s a game we shouldn’t have lost, I can tell you that,” he said. “If anything, worst case scenario we should have walked out with a tie and still be pissed off like we are right now. We shouldn’t have even tied the game.”

The visiting Sounders were “a team that we were better than, that we should have put away,” Petke added. “We didn’t and they ended up walking out of here with a positive result for themselves.”

Still, the Babylon, N.Y., native found plenty to criticize about his own side. “It was too much in spurts tonight…instead of putting our will on them starting from the opening whistle.”

The decisive play of the game came off a freekick around the midfield line. Brad Evans played a long ball over Petke onto the foot of Fredy Montero, who did the rest, leaving Bouna Condoul little chance in depositing the ball into the short corner of the goal.

“Noone reacted right,” Petke said of the play. “Immediately there should have been someone in front of that wall and us four should have reacted–obviously–a little better.”

How much do the Red Bulls need a playmaking midfielder? “It’s hard to answer that question,” he said. “If we get a superstar that could help us…that’s gonna help us. I think Joel [Lindpere] is capable.”

Ultimately the addition of players like Thierry Henry or Ze Roberto mattered little if the team’s core could not produce.

“It doesn’t matter who we have. Getting players like that will improve us always…We have to right these things ourselves. one or two players doesn’t make a team.”

Petke knows things do not get any easier from here for the Bulls. A short week awaits, followed by a visit by the undefeated Columbus Crew on Thursday night. With a loss to the two-time defending Supporters Shield champions, the Red Bulls drop out of first place in the Eastern Conference.

“We’re playing Thursday against a very good team, Columbus. Man up and put our balls to the wall,” was how Petke assessed the situation.

A packed schedule of five games in two weeks will then lead the team into the two-week World Cup break. The Red Bulls visit New England May 29, a place they have not won in years. A tough Houston Dynamo squad visit Red Bull Arena June 2 before the pre-World Cup schedule concludes with a visit from Chivas USA June 5.

More ASN coverage of the match

Hans Backe’s postgame press conference audio

Player ratings

Red Bull New York statement re: PATH station

Discuss the game on our forum, where you can also share your stories from the PATH fiasco.

Carl Robinson will start today’s match against the Seattle Sounders, ASN has learned. The Welchman will take the position in central field that he last occupied in the May 1 victory at DC United. Tony Tchani started in Robinson’s place against San Jose on May 8 and in the U.S. Open Cup victory over New England on May 12.

Elsewhere, Brian Nielsen is not likely to start at left midfield after playing 90 minutes in the U.S. Open Cup match. Expect Seth Stammler or Sinisa Ubiparipovic to get the nod at that position. The big question is who will start at right back. Jeremy Hall also played 90 minutes Wednesday and Chris Albright, who is recuperating from injury, went 62. The only other player with experience at that position, Luke Sassano, is banned after receiving a red card in the Sounders match.

Stammler, who could be another option at right back, did not practice at that position in training this week, according to ASN sources.

Mike Petke has been through a lot in 13 years in Major League Soccer. He has tasted success, though mainly for teams other than the New York/New Jersey MLS franchise. Perhaps key among these was the 2004 MLS Cup he won with DC United, the very team the Red Bulls defeated at RFK Stadium Saturday afternoon.

But now Petke is riding high with his hometown club, which is off to its best start in franchise history and finds itself atop the Eastern Conference standings seven points clear of second-placed Columbus. “To be honest with you I just can’t get over the fact that we’re five and one,” he said after the team’s win over DC. “Maybe if I sit down tonight over a beer or tomorrow and think about that it will give me more satisfaction, but to be five-and-one in our first six games, to really put ourselves in a good situation after the first quarter of the season is–unbelievable.”

Asked how he felt about the team’s first victory at RFK since 2005, Petke said “it feels awesome.” The Babylon, N.Y. native was not with the team when it last won in the nation’s capital, though he did score a goal in its April 22, 2000 win at RFK, a 3-2 decision. The then-MetroStars also won in the District of Columbia on Aug. 15, 2001 and on a certain individual’s 30th birthday, July 5, 2003 (preceding information courtesy of MetroFanatic.com).

Petke admitted the sun and the heat (temperatures were above 90 degrees at game time) played a big role for both teams, particularly in the first half. But this was a game New York knew it should win. “They’re a team that has their backs against the wall,” Petke said of DC. “We knew it coming in; they were going to be aggressive and try to get that win. We weathered the storm a bit, had our opportunities as well. In the second half we came out and smelled the blood in the water and just went after it. They pushed more guys forward at the end and we dealt with it.

This is a game that to be quite honest with you we should have won. Going into it we knew that and we got it done–unlike a couple of weeks ago against Chivas, same type of game we should have won. We knew it going in and we didn’t get it done.”

More coverage of the match:

More coverage of the match:

Initial report and reaction
Hans Backe’s postgame press conference

Player ratings
Photo gallery

Discuss the match in the new forum! No registration necessary! Your Facebook/Twitter/Gmail/Yahoo or other account gets you in!

ASN spoke severeal Red Bulls players after Tuesday’s US Open Cup win over Philadelphia Union. Here are their reactions:

Chris Albright
On his injury status: “This was sort of my litmus test, so to speak, to see where I’m at. I felt pretty good.”

On the Bulls “JV” team defeating a Union side made up mainly of first-teamers:
“I was talking to one of the guys on New England today who I’m friends with and I was telling him the lineup. He said ‘you know there’s six, seven, eight guys that would be starters on other teams right now.’ So I think that kind of speaks for our depth. The way this league is set up with so many games and open cups and friendlies and stuff, you need to have guys ready to step in and spell the first team guys and push the first team guys. So it’s a good situation.”

Tony Tchani
On his pre-match prediction that the Red Bulls would defeat the Union five times out of five if it came to that:
“I didn’t say I was sure. I said ‘I think’. If we played them five times, we would win five times. I didn’t say ‘I was sure.'”

Did he still think so?
“I think so. I think.”

Juan Agudelo:
“I felt I did pretty well but as a forward I feel like I had to score…I was making the runs but I wasn’t given that chance. Sometimes you have to get lucky some games and I understand that.”

“In practice I had like an incident where the goalie, 50/50, and the goalie knee’d my stomach and I went to the hospital this morning to check if anything was serious but it wasn’t that serious, just really bad bruising.”

“I think we could have scored about six. You gotta get lucky some times. I had a shot and it was going in but out of nowhere some defender from Philadelphia blocked it. I was sure it was going in but it was just a matter of luck sometimes.”

Conor Chinn:
“We all have a good understanding of how we play because we’ve played a good amount of reserve games. We play in practice, we play with the first team. It’s not like segregated or anything like that.”

“I scored two goals which is good but I had numerous opportunities that I should have put…the team got the win, which I’m very happy about.”

“Coulda, shoulda, woulda. I’m just happy with my two [goals] right now but you gotta keep pushing for more every game.”

“It feels good to score in front of the fans. I think they’ve been waiting to see me so it’s good that I was able to have a good performance tonight.”