Bring on 2012! See the Union’s schedule below or head here.

A couple notes:

The Union will feature on national television 14 times, ending the season on NBC proper at PPL Park as they host the New York Red Bulls.

Some former players will come on back to Philly. Justin Mapp and Montreal will visit July 14th. Shea Salinas and San Jose, April 28th.

The Union will get a double glimpse of Houston’s new home – BBVA Compass Stadium – on June 30th.

It’s a little odd that we get the upper hand in rivalries – New York, DC United, and New England will visit PPL Park twice and only away once. That could be why we have a challenging away line-up vs. most Western Conference squads: Los Angeles, Portland, FC Dallas, Seattle. Surprisingly, the scheduling committee decided to not allow the defending champion Galaxy into the Northeast Corridor this year – no games at all at New England, New York, Philadelphia, or DC. Don’t really get that though that should mean that Los Angeles will have a brutal time in the Northeast come 2013.

The last week of the season should be interesting to say the least. Three games in a week – two away vs. Houston and Kansas City respectively and then back home to take on New York. Hmm.

Big gap from May 26th to June 16th. Insert international friendly here?

This will be the longest season yet for the Union. Starting March 12th and hopefully ending December 1st (MLS Cup). That’s 265 days of Union! More if you count preseason. It’s startling and awesome all rolled into one.

Which dates are you circling? Planning any road trips?

GK Faryd Mondragon (6.5)- Faced with rebounding following the first goal conceded and first loss of his MLS career then a PK loss in the Open Cup on Wednesday, the captain was a little more fired up than usual against New York.  Given that his default setting is “uber intense”, referee Alex Prus and his assistants were in for a long night.  All in all, a solid outing for Mondragon, as he caught a couple of breaks but did what was asked of him throughout.  Neither of Juan Agudelo’s near misses, the shot in transition in the 21^st minute that hit the left post and the strike in alone against Faryd that struck the crossbar in the 31^st minute, would have been soft by any stretch had they found the back of the net.  Other than those, there was not a whole lot of action for Mondragon, who only faced 1 shot on goal and recorded 1 save and was never seriously tested once the Union went up.

LB Jordan Harvey (7)- Not a lot of opportunity for Harvey to get forward in this match, but for good reason: Harvey was tasked with handling the blazingly fast Dane Richards, which he did with excellent results.  Richards never even sniffed the goal and rare was the occasion where Harvey needed help in keeping him covered, which could have created openings elsewhere.  Jordan was given one job against New York, and he performed it successfully.

CB Danny Califf (6.5)- Another solid game for the former captain.  Nothing spectacular, but he did his job with little drama.  It is becoming apparent that, paired with the quicker, flashier Valdes, Danny will play the role of stabilizer in front of goal, which certainly seems to suit him well.  Califf did have the only major defensive lapse of the night, allowing Juan Agudelo to shrug him off and then lose his mark before seeing his strike hit the crossbar in the 31^st minute.  No points off for missing on a scoring opportunity in the 17^th minute when Justin Mapp’s free kick found its way through to his feet, although it was comical.  Perhaps Danny thought that since he had scored in the opener off of his left foot, that was his strong side.  Our humble advice is to use the right boot next time, sir.

CB Carlos Valdes (8 *ASN PHILLY MAN OF THE MATCH*)- The gatekeeper to the penalty area was stingy with entry against New York, as Valdes played ballhawk in the Union’s final third, refusing to let anything get over his head.  Further, when tested directly, Carlos dispossessed his man straight up several times.  Some may say that Thierry Henry had a down game, but that is downplaying the job Carlos did to make that the case. Valdes was the most important factor in ensuring that the Union’s goal remained untouched for a 3^rd time in 4 games.

RB Sheanon Williams (6.5)- A complete effort from Sheanon on Saturday, as he contributed in his usual manner by pushing forward effectively and also helped to put the clamps down on Dwayne DeRosario defensively.  Sent several crosses in that created scoring opportunities, most notably in the 17^th minute when his cross resulted in the Roy Miller handball that led to Justin Mapp’s dangerous free kick and in the 81^st minute when the ball he sent in was deflected out to Stefani Miglioranzi, who one-timed the ball high over the bar.  His performance against New York proved what a weapon he can be when firing on all cylinders.

MID Justin Mapp (5.5)- A welcome sight back in the first XI, Mapp provided the stability that the team has come to depend upon on the wing, linking as well as joining the attack on a consistent basis.  His timing may have been a touch off, as he missed Le Toux on an easy through ball to send Seba in alone against the keeper in the 34^th minute.   Still, a good first game back and a relief for Union supporters to see him getting after it and not showing any obvious effects of a lingering injury. Came off for Danny Mwanga in the 59^th minute.

MID Stefani Miglioranzi (4.5)- For the 2^nd straight game, Migs took something off the table.  Coupled with a couple of questionable angles at tackle attempts was Stefani’s inability to avoid telegraphing every single pass he made.  Compared to last season, when Miglioranzi received mostly high marks, the problem is most likely not that he has become any worse himself, just that everyone around him has flourished and improved while he has remained the same.  We wondered here if Eduardo Coudet was redundant playing in the same midfield as Migs; now the question is whether Migs is redundant in a midfield that already has Brian Carroll.

MID Brian Carroll (N/A)- Strained his right hamstring trying to explode for the ball early and had to come off for Amobi Okugo in just the 6^th minute.  According to Carroll post-match, the injury is not expected to be an issue going forward.

MID Keon Daniel (6)- Having earned a start in regular season play after his excellent showing in the 2^nd half against Los Angeles, Daniel had another effective outing, if not as visibly stellar as his debut.  However, in addition to playing up the wing, Keon proved valuable in tracking back to help out defensively on the vast speed of New York’s attack, particularly Dane Richards and Jan Gunnar Solli, who was perpetually pushing forward.

FWD Sebastien Le Toux (6)- The return of Justin Mapp and Keon Daniel’s inclusion in the starting XI allowed Le Toux to start the match up front.  And this would have worked wonders, as Seba was able to receive the ball in dangerous positions numerous times.  However, there was one problem: Le Toux had apparently managed to leave his first touch on the training ground.  Time after time, Sebastien was left with one man to take on between him and the goalkeeper, but he could never find his way around.  Still, it is clear that Seba needs to play up front in order to maximize his impact on the game and, not to sound like a broken record, but the effort he puts forth every single game is, in most cases, going to overcome any deficiencies in his game on a particular night.

FWD Carlos Ruiz (6.5)- Began the match with a keen sense of the team’s need for offense (or at least offensive opportunities), and tested Bouna Coundoul from distance twice, catching him off his line the first time and seriously challenging him the second.  When the team sputtered in the midfield in the middle of the match, Ruiz went out and got himself the touches he wasn’t getting through the normal run of play.  He even managed to intercept a pass and would have found himself on a one-man breakaway but for an unlucky bounce of the ball backward and over his head.  As has been the case throughout this young season, Carlos also did his job getting under the skin of the New York defense, drawing a yellow card on speedster Dane Richards for a reckless challenge in the 29^th minute.   Came off for Roger Torres in the 67^th minute.

MID Amobi Okugo (6.5)- Came on for an injured Brian Carroll in the 6^th minute and was able to assert himself into the action.  Perhaps it was an uptick in confidence following his highly positive campaign with the national team U-20’s, perhaps just a continuation of the development Amobi had already begun to exhibit during the preseason, but we anticipate Okugo will make a real push for inclusion in the first XI going forward this season.  He showed that he has the ability to be the engine in the middle and more than hold his own defensively.  Depending on what Piotr Nowak and the coaching staff want to do with the formation in the middle, look for Okugo to replace Miglioranzi on a regular basis if current trends continue.

FWD Danny Mwanga (6)– Came on for Justin Mapp in the 59^th minute as part of a short-lived three-attacker look from the Union.  This match was tailor-made for Danny, with its wide-open spaces and room down the flanks to operate.  He used the space to draw fouls and keep possession in the New York defensive area.  Mwanga’s efforts to disrupt initiation of New York’s build from the back found the ultimate reward in the 68^th minute when he deftly intercepted an attempted outlet by Tim Ream and fed Roger Torres for the match’s sole tally.

MID Roger Torres (7.5)- Came on for Carlos Ruiz in the 67^th minute.  Waited all of 30 seconds to change the game (we were actually able to time it at 13 seconds from the time the restart occurred to the time the ball hit the back of the net), barely staying onside on a breakaway with Danny Mwanga off of a turnover, receiving the ball and calmly putting it past Bouna Coundoul into the bottom right hand corner of the goal.  For the rest of his time on the pitch, Torres was an unquestionably positive influence on the match for the Union.  Torres got into space, kept possession and switched fields effectively, all of which wasted precious seconds and served to prevent the Red Bulls from ever mounting a serious challenge to the Philadelphia goal in the waning moments.  Most importantly, he turned the atmosphere from a healthy buzz to simply electric, whipping the supporters into a frenzy with his goal and then keeping them on the edge of their seats every time he touched the ball.  Easily the performance of the year thus far for young Torres.

In front of a PPL Park record crowd, a rivalry and intensity continues to build between the Union and the Red Bulls. The rivalry between both team’s supporters, however, feels like it has been around for years. The supporters of both the Union and the Red Bulls were in full voice for a nationally televised I-95 derby earlier tonight creating an atmosphere that was borderline deafening  as well as a back and forth, game-long supporters standoff that was complemented by an exciting, free-flowing, attack-oriented 90+ minutes of play.

Not even the atmosphere, however, could change the fact that the Union were still searching for that gamechanger. A role Le Toux played last year but Seba had yet to put his mark on a game this season. Enter Danny Mwanga and Roger Torres, both second half substitutes. After a wide open affair for the brunt of the game, in which each team took turns launching counterattacks, a New York defensive mistake left the door wide open for the Union. Mwanga and Torres just walked right in, made themselves at home with Mwanga doing the dirty work and Torres supplying the gamewinner, his first goal in a Union . The result sent New York, and a listless Thierry Henry and Dwayne DeRosario, back to Red Bull Arena with their first loss.

Philadelphia Union Starting XI

———————————Mondragon———————————

Williams————-Califf——————–Valdes————–Harvey

———————-Carroll——————Miglioranzi——————

Mapp—————————————————————-K. Daniel

———————–Le Toux—————–Ruiz—————————

Red Bull New York Starting XI

————————————Coundoul———————————-

Solli——————Ream——————-Marquez—————Miller

————————————Tainio————————————–

Richards———————–De Rosario————————Lindpere

———————–Agudelo—————-T. Henry———————-

Scoring Summary:

PHI — Roger Torres 1 (Danny Mwanga 1) 68

Misconduct Summary:

NY — Rafael Marquez (caution; Dissent) 14
NY — Dane Richards (caution; Reckless Tackle) 29
PHI — Danny Mwanga (caution; Reckless Tackle) 77
NY — Roy Miller (caution; Reckless Tackle) 82

Referee: Alex Prus

Referee’s Assistants: Rob Fereday; Corey Parker
4th Official: Mark Kadlecik
Attendance: 19,027
Time of Game: 1:50
Weather: Cloudy and 62 degrees

Much more to come…including an extended game report, photos, player ratings, and player quotes/video.

The Turnpike derby looms and Union fans are ravenous for a rivalry win. A little over 100 miles separate the two teams and in less than two years, even if the on the field product hasn’t matched it yet, the supporters have fueled a rivalry that will deepen and intensify as the years progress. The Union are coming off a tough midweek loss that saw potential starters put in 120 minutes of work and now, in regular season play, look to jumpstart their offense before the Red Bulls figure out how to jumpstart theirs.

Philadelphia Union (2-1-0) vs. New York Red Bulls (1-0-2)
Saturday, April 9, 2011, 7:00PM, ESPN2
PPL Park, Chester, PA

Philadelphia Union Probable Starting XI

————————Mondragon———————–

Williams——Califf————–Valdes——–Harvey

—————Carroll———–Miglioranzi————-

Nakazawa——————————————-Mapp

—————Ruiz—————-Le Toux—————

OUT: MF Gabriel Farfan (R little toe sublux); PROBABLE: DF Danny Califf (L knee meniscus); SUSPENDED: Jack McInerney (through April 10)

New York Red Bulls Probable Starting XI

————————-Coundoul————————-

Solli———–Ream————–Marquez——–Miller

————————–Tainio—————————–

Richards————–De Rosario————–Lindpere

—————–Henry————-Agudelo—————-

OUT: DF Chris Albright (knee surgery recovery); GK Greg Sutton (concussion)

Game Notes:

The Red Bulls are coming off a 1-1 tie with Houston in a game where scoring chances were abundant for Thierry Henry and company. After a week of training, new acquisition Dwayne DeRosario could start for a team that has been in clear need of a #10 (according to head coach Hans Backe). He had an immediate impact after his high profile trade from hometown team Toronto FC to the Red Bulls, setting up Dane Richards to open up the scoring in last Saturday’s tie. Houston came roaring back, however, with a beautiful chip from Cam Weaver to lock things at one.

The Union’s reserve squad will play their first game of the season on Sunday. Piotr Nowak and reserve squad coach, Brendan Burke, have come out and said and it’ll be about 10 of the senior squad members along with roughly 7 or 8 academy players. Burke, the head coach of affiliate team Reading United AC, will guide the first ever Union reserve squad in the newly relaunched reserve league (a necessity in our opinion). If you’re interested, the Union reserve will play the Red Bull reserves at 10:00AM at their Practice Fields, Bob Urban Field of Dreams in Houston Park.

Last year, the Union lost twice in a row to the Red Bulls in only a three day span. First was a regular season loss, 2-1, at Red Bull Arena. Several days later it was a blend of starters and reserves in an Open Cup qualifying match-up that ended with the same scoreline. At home in the season finale, however, the Union played well defeating New York and turning the tables on the scoreline thanks to early Fred and Michael Orozco-Fiscal goals. The Union have a chance to pull things even in the all-time series with a win tomorrow.

According to all of your comments regarding Keon Daniel’s follow up performance in Wednesday night’s Open Cup game, it doesn’t look like he’ll find his way into the starting lineup but Justin Mapp, going on three games missed now, is back and according to team officials, ready to go.

Both teams have issues with the attack. A first start for Dwayne DeRosario is highly likely for the Red Bulls and could prove the impetus for a less wasteful Thierry Henry. Let’s not forget he’s also got Juan Agudelo to feed as well. That’s a scary thought for all Union fans. The defense has played well, however, and kept Beckham, Donovan, and company in check at the Home Depot Center (save that damn set piece). The Union will need to play the aggressors and put the Red Bulls on their back foot early and often. That means however that both Danny Mwanga and Sebastien Le Toux need to sort things out. Having a healthy Justin Mapp in there should help dramatically.

It has been on a lot of peoples’ minds – is Le Toux 100% healthy? He puts that issue to rest in this piece on PhiladelphiaUnion.com.

Contrary to 2010, the Union were the LAST team to give up a goal this season. Their shutout streak ended at 213 minutes, the longest in club history.

Philly native Chris Albright, oft-injured unfortunately, is out recovering from knee surgery and will not play for the Red Bulls.

All spots have been filled for 2011’s Sueno MLS. The Union will be first time hosts and the local tryouts will take place April 23-24 at the YSC Sports Complex in Wayne, PA. Other teams hosting tryouts are the Chicago Fire and FC Dallas.

 Guess the scoreline:

[polldaddy poll=4864489]

The wait is over. Major League Soccer has finally released the 2011 schedule (after a long wait). For the full schedule, head here! For those looking for individual and group tickets, they will go on sale next Wednesday, February 16th, at 10:00AM.

The Union will start and end the season away again but the good news is – Union fans won’t have to wait a decade to see their team at home again after a home opener. It was obviously special circumstances but a more balanced schedule awaits. Aside from the Union’s opener vs. Houston on March 19th and the home opener at PPL Park vs. Vancouver on March 26th, there are some dates that undoubtedly stand out:

New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia Union (PPL)
Saturday, April 9th, 2011, 7:00PM

Nationally televised on ESPN2, Thierry Henry, Rafa Marquez, and Juan Agudelo will head down the Turnpike a week after the Union get back from the visiting Beckham and Donovan at the Home Depot Center.

Los Angeles vs. Philadelphia Union (PPL)
Wednesday, May 11th, 2011, 7:30PM

Surprisingly, a midweek run-in with Beckham, Juan Pablo Angel, and Landycakes is the first of 5 midweek regular season ties on the schedule.

Philadelphia Union vs. D.C. United (RFK)
Saturday, July 2nd, 2011, 7:30PM

If they aren’t Baltimore United yet, the Union will get to exact revenge (hopefully) on what was one of their most uninspired and disgusting away performances of last season, a 2-0 loss at hands of the worst of the league in 2010 D.C. United.

Other tidbits:

July will be a tough month for the Zolos. Trips to D.C., San Jose, New England, and Seattle await a week after each other before returning home to face the defending champs, Colorado, at PPL Park.

Moreno visits along with the rest of the Goats on June 25th. Chris Seitz and FC Dallas on August 13th. Whereas, former Crew member Brian Carroll revisits Crew Stadium and the Nordecke a week later on August 20th.

The last game of the year will bring a reverse of last year’s season finale – a visit to Red Bull Arena on October 20th.

There are 28 Saturday games out of 34 (82% of all regular season games). It will be a year of more midweek international friendlies. The re-established reserve league generally plays the day after the “main event”.

The Red Bulls will feature on ESPN2 a whopping 8 times. Both the Galaxy and Seattle are next 5 appearances a piece on the ESPN network.

Recap of nationally televised games:

3 – ESPN/ESPN2 (Sat, Apr 9 vs RBNY, Thurs, Sept 29 @ DCU, Thurs, Oct 20 @ RBNY)

2 – Galavision/Telefutura (Sat, May 21 vs CHI, Sun, Aug 28 vs. CHV)

Expect more dates to be announced as negotiations continue with other potential national broadcast partners continue. The Union’s local television broadcast schedule has yet to be released.

Which dates do you look most forward to? How about which road trip?

Michael Orozco-Fiscal debuted his thumb-sucking celebration against Toronto...on Saturday night, it was back (Terry McLaughlin/ASN Philadelphia)

At home for the final time of their inaugural season in Major League Soccer, the Philadelphia Union looked to leave a positive lasting memory with their fans during the off-season.  The first campaign was definitely a success for the league’s newest franchise.  However, the  majority of the success was not particularly the play of the team, who will finish in the bottom half of the Eastern Conference and solidly out of the playoffs following their final game next Sunday in Columbus, but the success of the franchise as well as the city and region itself.  This year has shown that high-level soccer was badly needed in this area, with supporters showing that they are more than willing to snap up any soccer content offered.  A beautiful new stadium on the waterfront debuted to rave reviews and has been consistently filled near capacity throughout the season.  Philadelphia has launched a viable candidacy to host World Cup matches if and when the event returns to the United States.  All that needs to happen going forward is for the product on the field to match the setting and atmosphere surrounding it.

Early on, it was apparent that the Union came out wanting to put on a good show for the home crowd.  Manager Piotr Nowak set the tone with his lineup, putting his standard XI on the pitch, showing that he would not just be playing out the string on the season while experimenting with youth.  His corps rewarded him with an 8th minute goal off of a Sebastien Le Toux corner sent to the top of the 6-yard box that found the head of Alejandro Moreno.  Ale didn’t get much on it, but it fell to the goal mouth, where Fred cleaned it up, slamming into the back of the net for his 4th goal of the season.

Philadelphia continued to dominate the run of play and a lucky bounce sent them through for their 2nd goal in the 28th minute.  As the ball bounced free in front of New York’s penalty area, Seba raised his hand, calling for the ball.  However, Stefani Miglioranzi thought he saw a slight opening and attempted to fire a shot, which was blocked.  Fortunately for the Union, the ball bounded to Le Toux exactly where he had been signaling for a pass to come, and he easily slotted a pass towards the goal mouth and suddenly Red Bulls keeper Bouna Coundoul found himself staring at Michael Orozco-Fiscal and Danny Mwanga crashing the net unmarked.  It would be Orozco-Fiscal banging an easy one home, his second of the season, followed by his favored thumb-sucking celebration.

From there, it was just a matter of shutting up shop and taking home the win.  But that is not the style of this team nor this manager.  The Union continued to press for more goals, maintaining possession in the New York half for the better part of the 1st half.  The Red Bulls, for their part, seemed to follow the example of legendary French national and Arsenal striker Thierry Henry, who did not make the trip to Philadelphia.  Despite being locked in a battle for the top seed in the Eastern Conference with Columbus, New York did not show up at all in the first half and certainly paid for it.

Whatever manager Hans Backe said to his team at halftime paid immediate results.  A clean, efficient buildup saw the ball on the foot of striker Mehdi Ballouchy in the 48^th minute.  Sheanon Williams, who had been turned inside out by Dane Richards, was left lunging at Ballouchy as he laid the ball off to fullback Danleigh Borman just above the penalty area left of center.  Borman unleashed a pretty left-footer that snaked past a frozen Brad Knighton in the bottom right corner of his goal.

At that point, it was clear that Philadelphia had a game on their hands.  New York was buoyed by their early goal and remained active throughout the 2nd half.  They produced several more scoring chances, but their attack also left the door open for the Union counter-attack.  Neither side was able to punch one in, however, with Salou Ibrahim and Danny Mwanga trading near misses around the 70th minute.  As the game approached the final 10 minutes, the Red Bulls went into full on attack mode, searching for an equalizer.

Finally, in the 4th minute of stoppage time, they found one.  Following a second consecutive corner, Juan Agudelo slotted a loose ball earmarked for the bottom right corner of the goal.  By all rights, it was the equalizer and a fitting microcosm of the Union’s first season.  That’s when Fred intervened.  Stationed on the goal line at the post, the Brazilian’s lightning-quick reactions allowed him to clear the line and give the home fans the memory the team sought to provide.  The home debut and finale were braced by Sebastien Le Toux’s hat-trick and Fred’s game-saving clearance as time expired, two moments that will linger with supporters through the long off-season.  As the team gathered in the center of the field for a brief ceremony and fireworks display to show their appreciation for their stalwart fans, they offered the promise of an improved team commensurate with their stadium and supporters.  2010 was just the beginning.

Philadelphia Union Starting XI

———————————–Knighton—————————————

Williams———-Califf——————–Orozco Fiscal————-Harvey

—————-Coudet————–Miglioranzi———————————–

Le Toux———————————————————————–Fred

———————-Moreno———————-Mwanga———————

New York Red Bulls Starting XI

———————————Coundoul————————————-

Albright————Mendes————-Ream———————-Borman

Richards——–Marquez———–Tchani———————Lindpere

—–Ballouchy———————–Angel—————-

Scoring Summary:

PHI – Fred 4 (Alejandro Moreno 6) 8′

Michael Orozco-Fiscal 2 (Sebastien Le Toux 11) 28′

NY- Danleigh Borman 1 (Mehdi Ballouchy 1) 48′

Philadelphia Union — Brad Knighton, Jordan Harvey, Danny Califf, Michael Orozco Fiscal, Sheanon Williams, Fred, Stefani Miglioranzi, Eduardo Coudet (Andrew Jacobson 66) , Sebastien Le Toux, Alejandro Moreno (Justin Mapp 62), Danny Mwanga (Shea Salinas 84)

Substitutes Not Used: Chris Seitz, Juan Diego Gonzalez,  Roger Torres, Nick Zimmerman

New York Red Bulls – Bouna Coundoul, Chris Albright (Jeremy Hall 79), Carlos Mendes, Tim Ream, Danleigh Borman, Dane Richards, Rafael Marquez (Juan Agudelo 79), Tony Tchani (Salou Ibrahim 45), Joel Lindpere, Juan Pablo Angel, Mehdi Ballouchy

Substitutes Not Used:  Greg Sutton, Austin Da Luz, Carl Robinson, Sinisa Ubiparipovic

Misconduct Summary: NY- Danleigh Borman (caution, Reckless Tackle) 18′

NY- Juan Pablo Angel (caution, Reckless Tackle), 55’

PHI- Fred (caution, Tactical Foul), 68′

Referee: Paul Ward

Referee’s Assistants: – Philippe Briere, Cameron Blair

4th Official: Terry Vaughn

Time of Game: 1:58

Real Salt Lake tied the longest home-undefeated streak in Major League Soccer history on Saturday night as they dispatched the newly upgraded New York Red Bulls 1-0. Heading into the match one would assume that it would be a high-powered offensive affair due to New York’s striker tandem of Juan Pablo Angel and newly acquired Thierry Henry against RSL’s league-leading offense that has tallied 35 goals this season. In the end, however, it was the defenses of both teams that stole the show, with the lone goal coming early in the match off of a Fabian Espíndola slow roller past onrushing keeper Greg Sutton in the 4th minute.

With the victory RSL not only equaled the undefeated home record, but they also set a new team record for single-season points (43), wins (12), and shutouts (11), with 7 league matches still remaining this season. Additionally, RSL now sit only 3 points behind the LA Galaxy and 1 point behind the Columbus Crew in the race for the Supporters’ Shield. Coach Jason Kreis echoed the teams focus on breaking records and continuing to win at home. “I think in our next match we will be gangbusters going to break the record. It is important to us.”

Despite missing newly acquired DP Rafael Marquez, New York still posed a frightening attack with Angel, Henry, and newcomer of the year candidate Joel Lindpere feeding from the wings. However, it appeared throughout the match that the New York needed Marquez more than they realized as their midfield struggled to connect passes to their forwards, essentially nullifying Henry’s impact on the match. Noted Henry after the match: “I don’t know if you saw in the first half, but we played long ball, which is not the way the game should be played. You saw the way that Salt Lake, they pass the ball on the ground. I think Rafa not being here was a bit difficult for us because he has a great vision and can calm people down, so we definitely missed him today.”

While RSL deserved the victory, it did take the stellar play of keeper Nick Rimando, stout defense from RSL’s entire back line, and some luck thanks to some clearances off of the goal line from Kyle Beckerman & Andy Williams. Seeing that New York has perpetually been a thorn in RSL’s side, particularly at Ro Tinto Stadium, it is certain that the players and coaches would be happy to escape with a 1-0 victory and continue their push to the post season.

REAL SALT LAKE (12-4-7, 43 pts.) v. NEW YORK RED BULLS (11-8-4, 37 pts.)
SATURDAY, SEPT. 4, 2010 – RIO TINTO STADIUM

Scoring Summary:
RSL — Fabian Espíndola 6 (Kyle Beckerman 3, Javier Morales 7) 4

Misconduct Summary:
NY — Tony Tchani (caution; Tactical Foul) 18
NY — Danleigh Borman (caution; Tactical Foul) 38
RSL — Jamison Olave (caution; Tactical Foul) 39
NY — Seth Stammler (caution; Tactical Foul) 74

New York Red Bulls — Greg Sutton, Chris Albright (Salou Ibrahim 86), Carlos Mendes, Tim Ream, Danleigh Borman, Macoumba Kandji (Sinisa Ubiparipovic 76), Seth Stammler, Tony Tchani, Joel Lindpere, Thierry Henry, Juan Pablo Angel.

Real Salt Lake — Nick Rimando; Robbie Russell, Jamison Olave, Nat Borchers, Chris Wingert; Andy Williams, Kyle Beckerman, Javier Morales, Ned Grabavoy; Robbie Findley (Nelson Gonzalez 75), Fabian Espíndola (Pablo Campos 50).

Referee: Ricardo Salazar?
Referee’s Assistants: Kermit Quisenberry; Eric Boria?
4th Official: Paul Ward?
Attendance: 19,115 / Weather: Clear and 91 degrees

After four draws and one loss since their last victory, the Red Bulls finally played a full 90 and were able to hold onto a lead till the end.

And in front of the home fans for the first time since beating Man. City 2-1 on July 25, the Red Bulls gave their fans a much needed win.

With Toronto F.C. breathing down New York’s back in the standings, last nights game was important from the onset.

Toronto came out of the gates strong, pressing the Red Bulls, and really controlling possession for the first 15 minutes or so.

But in the 23rd minute, just seconds after a no-call on what seemed to be a trip in the box on Thierry Henry, Joel Lindpere scored his second goal of the season and gave the Red Bulls the 1-0 lead.

Despite not getting the penalty call, Henry, with the ball just outside the box, showed some classy skills to get around three defenders before laying the ball off to teammate Seth Stammler. Stammler took a touch, and then looped a beautiful pass right over the defensive line, and into the run of Lindpere. Lindpere side-volleyed the shot on his first touch into the net, and sent the crowd of 19,035 into cheers.

As the game wore on, the game became more and more chippy, especially when Toronto D.P. Miguel Mista was substituted into the match for the injured Chad Barrett in the 33rd minute.

Mista and Albright got into a bit of a shoving match, as did Tim Ream and Toronto F.C. captain Dwayne DeRosario. But referee Ricardo Salazar did a good job to keep emotions in check all night.

Starting his first match of the season due to Bouna Coundoul being away on international duty, Greg Sutton got a clean sheet against his former club. He did well to save the few chances he had, but the defensive tandom of Tim Ream and Carlos Mendes were fantastic against Mista and DeRosario all night, defending well, and passing out of the back to start Red Bull attacks whenever they could.

In the second half, Toronto F.C. head coach Preki brought in two more forwards into the match to try and find a goal. O’Brian White and Fuad Ibrahim were stopped by the strong Red Bull defense whenever they attacked, and despite a few nervy moments at the end, the Red Bulls kept their cool and kept the clean sheet for the victory and three points.

With the win, the Red Bulls stay in second place in the Eastern Conference, five points ahead of Toronto, and six points behind first place Columbus.

The Red Bulls are set to face the first place Los Angeles Galaxy and Landon Donovan this Saturday night at Red Bull Arena.

Match Facts:

Toronto FC 0, at New York Red Bulls 1

Red Bull Arena

Attendance: 19,035

Toronto FC (7-7-5)

New York Red Bulls (9-6-4)

Scoring Summary:

NY — Joel Lindpere 2 (Seth Stammler 1, Thierry Henry 3) 23

Misconduct Summary:

TOR — Julian de Guzman (caution; Reckless Foul) 56
TOR — Mista (caution; Dissent) 94+

Toronto FC — Stefan Frei, Maksim Usanov, Nana Attakora, Adrian Cann, Nick Garcia, Jacob Peterson (O’Brian White 65), Joseph Nane (Fuad Ibrahim 76), Julian de Guzman, Nick LaBrocca, Dwayne De Rosario, Chad Barrett (Mista 33).
Substitutes Not Used: Gabe Gala, Ty Harden, Raivis Hscanovics, Jon Conway.

New York Red Bulls — Greg Sutton, Chris Albright, Carlos Mendes, Tim Ream, Danleigh Borman, Macoumba Kandji (Salou Ibrahim 81), Tony Tchani, Joel Lindpere, Seth Stammler, Juan Pablo Angel (Carl Robinson 89), Thierry Henry (Sinisa Ubiparipovic 46).
Substitutes Not Used: Andrew Boyens, Austin Da Luz, Mike Petke, Chris Sharpe.

Referee: Ricardo Salazar

Referee’s Assistants: -Thomas Supple; Bill Dittmar

4th Official: Andrew Chapin

Time of Game: 1:53

Weather: Cloudy-and-80-degrees

This past week, with the spotlight on Texas, the Red Bull’s players put on a show. In the 2010 MLS All Star Game last Wednesday, Juan Pablo Angel had a solid 45 minutes in the first half before being substituted, and Thierry Henry made his MLS debut last Saturday in the match against the Houston Dynamo. In this 13th edition of the column, we will focus on the 2-2 draw with Houston, as well as the recent signing of Rafael Marquez.

The Good: With Thierry Henry and Juan Pablo Angel finally together, the Red Bull’s attack was more dangerous than seen in quite some time. Henry assisted on both of Angel’s goals, and should have had two of his own, though his finishing was off all day. Expect to see plenty of goals with these two playing as strikers and providers for each other and their teammates. Also, the Red Bulls signed an unprecedented third designated player, Mexico captain Rafa Marquez, to a three and a half year contract, through the 2013 season. Marquez will shore up any potential chinks in the back line, and will most likely be played by coach Hans Backe in a defensive midfield role.

The Bad: Despite being up a man for the whole second half of the match against Houston, the Red Bulls were unable to hold their lead, or add to it. Juan Pablo Angel’s goal was a fantastic strike, but after that, despite close chances, the Red Bulls were unable to put any away, and they missed out on picking up more points on the Eastern Conference leading Columbus Crew, who lost over the weekend to Chivas USA. The Red Bulls are currently in second place, down seven points from the Crew, with a game in hand.

The Red: Before I wrote this article, I was going to say that the backline, and defensive focus was a big issue recently, but I think that Rafa Marquez will help shore that up. His leadership should help raise the games of his teammates, and hopefully he will provide the squad with plenty of possession. Hopefully this is also the end of the Carl Robinson experiment. He has been oft injured, and when playing, not looking very good on offense or defense. He is usually invisible during matches.

The Dead: Clint Mathis today announced his retirement today, saying that this weekend’s game between his Los Angeles Galaxy and Real Madrid will be his final match. Mathis was one of the first American super star soccer players, and his career in New York was nothing short of superb. Mathis played five seasons with the Metrostars/Red Bulls, finishing with 45 goals in all competitions, including five in one game against the Dallas Burn in 2000. The Red Bulls have announced they plan to make a tribute to his career.

A three goal first half by the Chicago Fire sparked the visiting team to a 3-2 victory over the struggling LA Galaxy on Sunday night. It was the highest number of goals the Fire have scored all season. Recent designated player signing Freddie Ljungberg replaced Marco Pappa in the 57th minute, but didn’t make much of an impact as the Fire decided to absorb the Galaxy’s pressure and relied on the counter-attack.

Since returning from the World Cup break, the Galaxy have hit a wall of sorts. Los Angeles is 2-2-2 in its last six MLS matches and has been bounced out of the US Open Cup and is in danger of sealing a similar fate in the CONCACAF Champions League Tournament. Los Angeles, which had only allowed four goals in its first 15 games, has conceded nine goals in its last three matches. “It’s a concern,” Galaxy defender Gregg Berhalter told ASN’s Ivan Yeo. “We have to take a look at it and get back to the basics.”

Jeff Tobin has the happier recap from Chicago.

Ljungberg’s old team, the Seattle Sounders, also had a successful weekend, defeating the San Jose Earthquakes Saturday 1-0 in a game greatly disappointing Quakes fans. It was the kind of poor showing that had Yallop publicly criticizing his team and Quakes fans talking about wishing they had not come. Eric Pederson reports from San Jose, Calif.

The New England Revolution and the Philadelphia Union fought to a 1-1 draw Saturday afternoo. Sebastien Le Toux continued his MVP form with a wonderfully-taken goal in the first half but the Revs hit back through the red-hot Marko Perovic, his fourth league goal this season.

The Revs picked up a much-needed road point to continue their league resurgence. Steven Stoehr provides the New England reaction. But the Union feel hard-done by the result, as Breton Bonnette reports from Philadelphia.

Despite holding the lead twice, being up a man for the final 47 minutes of the game, not to mention having Thierry Henry at their disposal, the New York Red Bulls only managed a meager point away to the Houston Dynamo. Daniel Karell has the RBNY reaction.

FC Dallas went up a Mile High and came down with a point. The boys from north Texas remained unbeaten for the eighth straight game, leaving Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, CO with a 1-1 draw versus the Colorado Rapids Saturday afternoon. Philip Woodruff recaps the match from an FC Dallas viewpoint.

Speaking of excursions to altitude, in Utah Real Salt Lake dismantled DC United 3-1. Patrick McShane has the blow-by-blow of that match, while from the nation’s capital, Steve Long writes that DC United are still poised to exceed the mediocre record they have established for themselves. Though the playoffs still won’t happen.