Khano Smith, whom the New York Red Bulls acquired from Seattle Sounders FC today is certainly a solid player and very worthy professional who, in the words of sporting director Jeff Agoos adds “depth and athleticism to the left side of our midfield.” Red Bulls fans hope that is all he is meant to supply this team. Because Smith happens to play the same position (well, one of them) as Dave van den Bergh, who was traded to Dallas last month. But Smith, for all his charms, is no Dave van den Bergh, who was by far New York’s best player last season. And if he is meant to replace the lanky Dutchman on New York’s left side, then Red Bulls fans can be forgiven for thinking it is going to be another long season at the Swamp.

Smith will be starting his fifth season in MLS, after spending four seasons with the New England Revolution. Last year, Smith played in 23 games, started in 18, and scored two goals and three assists. The left-sided midfielder’s breakout season came in 2007, when he set career highs in games played (29), games started (26), assists (6) and shots (36). No matter how much Red Bull PR tries to dress this up, those are journeymen numbers. Which again is fine if Smith is just supposed to supply depth to the bench. But with the team notoriously slow on its feet when it comes to transfers (perhaps not all the team’s fault, as MLS bureaucracy surely doesn’t help matters) it is more than likely Smith will be the starting left mid when the season opens next month.

“One of our priorities before the start of the season was to add depth and athleticism to the left side of our midfield and we feel that we have accomplished this goal by acquiring Khano,” said Sporting Director Jeff Agoos. “We think that Khano’s pace, athleticism and experience will immediately help our club as we enter the new MLS season.”

On the international level, Smith has earned 24 caps for the Bermuda national team. If Bermuda were Brazil, Belgium or even Bulgaria, that would be pretty impressive. But what is Bermuda’s population? Does Smith even have any realistic competition for that spot?

Color us skeptical on this one.

Player Fact file: Khano Smith

Pronunciation: KAHN-noh
Position: Midfielder
Height: 6-3
Weight: 190
Born: Jan. 10, 1981
Hometown: Paget, Bermuda
Previous Professional Club: Seattle Sounders FC (MLS)
How Acquired: Acquired from Seattle Sounders FC in exchange for allocation money on Feb. 12, 2009

Red Bull New York announced today that midfielder Dave van den Bergh has been traded to FC Dallas in exchange for forward Dominic Oduro and a second round (18th overall) selection in Thursday’s 2009 MLS SuperDraft.

In addition, the Red Bulls and FC Dallas have swapped first round picks in 2009. The Red Bulls will now select 11th overall, and FC Dallas will select 14th. Per MLS and club policy, specific terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“During the past two years with New York, Dave has been a key component to our success; we hoped to bring him back for 2009 but he expressed a desire to be traded to Dallas,” said Red Bull New York Sporting Director Jeff Agoos. “In making this trade, we were able to acquire a player in Dominic who we expect to plug into our starting lineup immediately and we are in better position to strengthen the team in the draft.

“This was not an easy decision for us to make,” Agoos continued. “Our discussions with Dave over the past six months have been very positive about keeping him with the Red Bulls, but it was clear that the best thing for both parties was to grant Dave’s trade request. We wish him and his family all the best with FC Dallas.”

Oduro, 23, joins the Red Bulls from FC Dallas where he scored a career-high five goals and two assists in 25 games played – nine of which were starts. The speedy forward from Pramso, Ghana, was originally drafted by FC Dallas in the second round (22nd overall) of the 2006 SuperDraft from Virginia Commonwealth University. In his rookie season, Oduro made 16 appearances and three starts, scoring one goal. In 2007, Oduro led FC Dallas with 29 games played, finding the back of the net three times while chipping in two assists.

Van den Bergh was originally acquired from the Kansas City Wizards on Jan. 11, 2007 in exchange for a 2007 third round MLS Supplemental Draft pick.

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The New York Red Bulls’ improbable postseason run took an all-too familiar end, with the team losing a hard-fought 3-1 game to the Columbus Crew at Home Depot Center Sunday afternoon. Newly-crowned MLS MVP Guillermo Barros Schelotto assisted on all three Columbus goals, making him the easy choice for MVP of the game. Chad Marshall scored the game winner in the 53rd minute off a corner kick that came just 87 seconds after John Wolyniec had leveled the game.

Despite the loss, New York head coach Juan Carlos Osorio was satisfied with his team’s efforts. “In general I think we gave a good account of ourselves,” he said in the post game press conference. “I told the guys that they played with passion and pride and that’s the only thing I ask for.” Still, Osorio could not hide his disappointment at the second Columbus goal in particular. “We emphasize not conceding goals five minutes after we score,” he said. “The most disappointing thing is, although I don’t like to single anybody out, I think we conceded an easy corner kick. I was very, very upset with that.”

Television broadcasts of the game were replaying Wolyniec’s equalizer and missed Marshall’s goal and the event that led to it. If anybody remembers what happens please post it via comment or email us.

The goal clearly broke New York’s back, a sentiment that was shared in the Red Bulls locker room after the game. “From my point of view a very cheap goal,” said Juan Pablo Angel. “After that it was obviously all uphill for us.” Osorio agreed “it was very difficult for the team to recover after that,” he said. “They kind of put a dagger into us for like 15-20 minutes,” said Dave van den Bergh. “It was such a blow, right after we scored […] if we can keep the momentum of scoring the goal, I thought we were the better team.”

New York dominated the game for most of the first half and was unlucky to yield the first goal of the game in the 31st minute. Schelotto appeared to give van den Bergh a shove to move him off the ball, which then seemed to cross over the touchline. “I thought it was out of bounds,” said van den Bergh. Schelotto played the ball down the line to Alejandro Moreno, who shot it past Danny Cepero and off the right post.

After some opening jitters the Red Bulls clearly took control of the game. “We matched them very well,” said Osorio. “We had a lot of the ball, better possession, we played better football–I think we were the better team.” Wolyniec agreed. “We definitely caused them some problems,” he recalled. “They paid a lot of attention to Juan Pablo [Angel] so I was able to get some space underneath and hold the ball up for us.” Unfortunately for New York, none of the chances resulted in shots on goal, much less the elusive first goal that would have changed the entire context of the game.

Still, the Red Bulls have a lot to be proud of and some of the team’s veteran leaders went to lengths to enunciate that in the locker room after the game. “I’m really proud of what we achieved this year, considering all the circumstances,” said Angel. “That doesn’t necessarily mean I’m happy we lost but we went to a stage that we weren’t expecting.” Sporting Director Jeff Agoos said the first half was “one of the best halves we played this year” and that there were “huge amount of positives” to come from the team’s postseason run. “We’ve got a lot to be proud of. Nobody outside this locker room gave this group a chance to get here and compete for the cup. They really raised the bar.”

mls cup match facts

New York Red Bulls vs. Columbus Crew
November 23, 2008 — Home Depot Center

Scoring Summary:
Columbus – Alejandro Moreno (Guillermo Barros Schelotto), 31st minute
RBNY – John Wolyniec 2 (Dane Richards), 51st minute
Columbus – Chad Marshall (Schelotto), 53rd minute.
Columbus – Frankie Hejduk (Schelotto, Eddie Gaven), 82nd minute.

Lineups:
Columbus Crew — William Hesmer, Frankie Hejduk, Chad Marshall, Danny O’Rourke, Gino Padula, Eddie Gaven (Steven Lenhart, 93’+), Brian Carroll, Brad Evans, Robbie Rogers, Guillermo Barros Schelotto (Andy Iro, 91’+), Alejandro Moreno.

Substitutes Not Used: Andy Gruenenaum, Emmanuel Ekpo, Ezra Hendrickson, Stefani Miglioranzi, Pat Noonan.

New York Red Bulls — Danny Cepero, Carlos Mendes, Chris Leitch, Kevin Goldthwaite, Diego Jimenez, Dane Richards, Luke Sassano (Jorge Rojas, 78′), Sinisa Ubiparipovic, Dave van den Bergh, John Wolyniec (Macoumba Kanji, 82′), Juan Pablo Angel.

Substitutes Not Used: Caleb Patterson-Sewell, Andrew Boyens, Gabriel Cichero, Mike Magee, Juan Pietravallo.

Statistical Summary:
RBNY / Columbus
Total Shots 8 11
Shots on Goal 1 6
Fouls 11 13
Offsides 1 4
Corner Kicks 4 6
Saves 3 0

Misconduct Summary:
RBNY — Chris Leitch (caution; reckless tackle) 4th minute
Columbus – Gino Padula (caution, reckless tackle) 68th minute

Referee: Baldomero Toledo
Referee’s Assistants: Greg Barkey, Kermit Quisenberry
4th official: Mark Geiger
Attendance: 27,000
Weather: Cloudy and 68 degrees
Time of Game: 1:52

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Red Bull New York announced today that midfielder Dave van den Bergh will undergo surgery in Munich, Germany, on Friday, Sept. 19 to repair a sports hernia. Dr. Ulrike Muschaweck, the surgeon, will perform a Minimal Repair Technique, which is a procedure developed and performed exclusively by Muschaweck.

Van den Bergh will travel to Munich on Wednesday and is expected to miss up to three weeks.

The Dutchman is currently second in the team in goals with six and most recently scored the game-winner in New York’s come-from-behind 2-1 win against Real Salt Lake on Sept. 13 at Giants Stadium and has arguably been the best Red Bulls player over the course of this season.

Timely finishing and a bit of luck were enough to separate the Red Bulls from visiting Real Salt Lake Saturday night, as two second half goals propelled the hosts to a 2-1 victory.

Juan Pablo Angel and Dave van den Bergh each tallied contentious goals after the break as New York came back from a halftime deficit for the first time this season. The victory, their fourth straight at Giants Stadium, takes them past DC United into fourth place in the Eastern Conference.

“I’m extremely pleased with the effort,” said New York Head Coach Juan Carlos Osorio. “I think all the guys showed we really are becoming a better team.”

New York showed off their newfound possession game, and it paid off with several early chances. With Angel and his strike partner John Wolyniec drawing most of the attention, van den Bergh continually found space down the left to fire in cross after cross, and his 18th minute cross left Mike Magee to pick a corner, but was headed over.

“I thought we started the game very well,” Osorio. “We didn’t convert the chances we had.”

Despite conceding possession, RSL carved out nearly as many chances as their opponents with their direct counter-attacking style. Robbie Findley and Yura Movsisyan continually found a way behind the Red Bulls backline, and they should have given their side the lead in the 24th minute when Findley sidefooted wide from eight yards away after being set up by his strike parker.

“I will take the blame for (being vulnerable to the counterattack) because I wanted to hold a very high line,” said Osorio. “I didn’t want it to be them stretching the middle. I wanted to take the game to them.”

Sure enough, RSL’s style paid off before the half was over, as Findley flicked on a long ball to Movsisyan in stride, who slotted past a hesitant Jon Conway.

“It was difficult to take,” said Osorio of the halftime deficit. “But we had a little chat at halftime and the adjustments that we made paid off.”

Whatever adjustments that Osorio made at the half, a stroke of good fortune for the Red Bulls quickly changed the game early in the second half. Angel chased down a hopeful ball in the corner on the heels of RSL defender Jamison Olave. As Angel jostled to try and get to the ball, Olave fell to the turf, leaving the ball at Angel’s feet and Nick Rimando stranded off his line with no chance.

Even the crowd seemed stunned as Referee Kevin Stott allowed the goal to the disbelief of the visitors.
“I got a touch on the ball and he (Olave) was pretty much out of the play, so it was an easy finish for me,” Angel recalled.

Not everyone had such a benign opinion of the play however. “Jamison Olave is a big fellow,” said Real Salt Lake manager Jason Kreis, “and I haven’t seen him fall down too easily before.”

“I don’t think it was a foul,” countered Osorio. “I know that player (Olave) very well and I know he takes his chances.”

Differing opinions aside, the goal set RSL firmly on their heels, as a second half that promised a bounty of counterattacking chances now looked to being playing back into the hands of the hosts. Dane Richards began to find space down the right side, and unable to beat his defender one-on-one, he cut inside to set up a blazing drive by Angel to win a corner in the 63rd minute.

Wolyniec ensuing header was saved and cleared to the top of the 18, where Richards drove the ball weakly back into the area. The ball fell to the feet of van den Bergh, and as the entire RSL defense looked in vain at the linesman, he moved the ball on to his left foot and put the Red Bulls in front from close range.

“I thought it was offsides to be honest with you,” said van den Bergh. “But you know what – there’s no whistle, there’s no reason to stop.”

If Real seemed stunned by the first goal, they were completely demoralized by the second turn in their fortunes.

“That play starts with a free kick we had in their half. Then the next thing you know, it’s in our goal,” said RSL midfielder Kyle Beckerman. “Instead of being more mature about it, we showed some immaturity sometimes and it cost us tonight.”

The goal might cost RSL a lot more as both Chivas USA and Kansas City are breathing down their neck in the playoff race. The Red Bulls, on the other hand, are now in a favorable position heading to Columbus to test their revamped squad against the league’s top side.

“(Columbus) are red hot you know,” said van den Bergh “But I think it’s very possible that we can get a result out there.”

Match Facts

Real Salt Lake (8-9-7) vs. New York Red Bulls (9-7-8)
September 13, 2008 — Giants Stadium

Scoring Summary:
RSL — Yura Movsisyan 3 (Robbie Findley 5, Chris Wingert 3) 38
NY — Juan Pablo Angel 9 (Kevin Goldthwaite 2) 49
NY — Dave van den Bergh 6 (Dane Richards 5) 64

Lineups:
Real Salt Lake — Nick Rimando, Robbie Russell (Ian Joy 84), Chris Wingert, Nat Borchers, Jamison Olave, Kyle Beckerman, Javier Morales, Will Johnson, Andy Williams (Clint Mathis 59), Robbie Findley (Kenny Deuchar 78), Yura Movsisyan.

Substitutes Not Used: Kenny Cutler, David Horst, Tino Nunez, Chris Seitz

New York Red Bulls — Jon Conway, Jeff Parke (Chris Leitch 53), Gabriel Cichero, Kevin Goldthwaite, Dane Richards, Mike Magee (Carlos Mendes 67), Juan Pietravallo, Jorge Rojas, Dave van den Bergh, John Wolyniec, Juan Pablo Angel.

Substitutes Not Used: Danleigh Borman, Danny Cepero, Diego Jimenez, Luke Sassano, Sinisa Ubiparipovic

Statistics:
New York Red Bulls /Real Salt Lake
total shots: 15 (Dane Richards 5) / 19 (Yura Movsisyan 10)
shots on goal: 7 (Juan Pablo Angel 3) / 9 (Yura Movsisyan 5)
fouls: 14 (Gabriel Cichero 3, Juan Pietravallo 3) / 10 (4 tied with 2)
offsides: 4 (Angel 2,Richards 2) / 4 (Yura Movsisyan 2)
corner kicks: 5 (Dave van den Bergh 4) / 1 (Javier Morales 1)
saves: 8 (Jon Conway 8) / 5 (Nick Rimando 5)

Misconduct Summary:
RSL — Kyle Beckerman (caution; Reckless Foul) 19
RSL — Chris Wingert (caution; Tactical Foul) 21

referee: Kevin Stott
Referee’s Assistants: Emiliano Monje; Jose Corro
4th official: Andrew Chapin
time of game: 1:50
attendance: 11,692
weather: Showers -and- 78 degrees

A stoppage time ball off the foot of the L.A. Galaxy’s Landon Donovan floated into the penalty and appeared to miss all its targets, before bouncing off the Giants Stadium turf and into the Red Bulls net, tying the game at two goals each. A season-high 46,754 spectators saw the spectacle at sweltering Giants Stadium Saturday night–nearly 20,000 fewer than came to the “Beckham Game” last year, when the Red Bulls won a shootout 5-4. The home team was probably more deserving of the victory this time as well, but will rue having missed numerous chances to put the game on ice in the second half.

“It was a cross of course. But he kicked it so well that if Edson [Buddle] had touched it it would have been a goal also,” Galaxy head coach Ruud Gullit said of the play that tied the game. “It’s the quality of the play itself that made it difficult for the goalkeeper.”

The Galaxy even had a chance to steal all three points moments later. Donovan was again the key man, fighting himself loose at the edge of the Red Bulls’ penalty area. But his low shot bounded off the post.

“We showed a lot of character,” said Beckham after the game. “We kept on battling and it didn’t look as though we’d get the goal, but we did in the end and it shows character in the team. Overall both teams had chances so maybe a draw was fair tonight.”

The Galaxy opened scoring in the 29th minute. Beckham found Buddle on the left wing. Buddle was given far too much space by Jeff Parke and took full advantage by dribbling into the Red Bulls’ area and forcing Jon Conway to leave his line. Once Conway committed, Buddle crossed to Carlos Ruiz who headed the ball into an empty net.

It was Ruiz’ first start in many months. Gullit admitted he had been frustrated with the Guatemalan’s performance this season. “He hasn’t done nothing for us in six months,” lamented the Dutchman, who admitted to being “on the edge” about Ruiz and effectively threatening to trade him. “I told him…’if you continue like that I have to trade you,'” the coach recalled. “The good thing about him, he was aware of the fact that he wasn’t doing so well this season…at the same hand he showed also that he wanted to stay at the L.A. Galaxy. So he gave a commitment that was unbelievable.”

Ruiz’ two appearances after that–as a substitute against New England July 4 and in the SuperClasico July 10–were more encouraging and Gullit rewarded him with the start in tonight’s match. “I think he proved today that he’s the player that everybody knows,” said Gullit. “He’s taken my conversation with him very seriously and we have a better Ruiz. I’m very proud of him.”

Red Bull leveled the game in the 35th minute on a goal by Dave van den Bergh, assisted by recently-signed midfielder Jorge Rojas. The Venezuelan was playing in his first-ever MLS match only days after having his work visa approved. “I felt very comfortable coming into the game today and very confident,” Rojas said through an interpreter.

Dane Richards was forced to leave the game shortly after halftime. Richards went down, apparently without contact, with what appeared to be a hip injury. Hunter Freeman replaced him in right midfield. Later, Freeman moved back to his more natural defender position, with Rojas moving over to right mid. Van den Bergh, who had started at left back, moved into left midfield in his place.

In the 58th minute, Rojas had a golden chance to give his new team the lead. But he was unable to gain proper control of a waist high ball and sent it wide of the L.A. goal. The Venezuelan did better on his next chance 10 minutes later, heading a cross from van den Bergh off the plastic Giants Stadium turf and toward the corner of the net. But L.A. keeper Steve Cronin was up for the challenge and saved it cleanly.

Instead, it was Juan Pablo Angel who put the Red Bulls on top in the 71st minute. Rojas again got the assist, leading the Colombian with a pass out of midfield onto the edge of the penalty area. Angel beat Cronin with a cheeky grin after putting a great move on Greg Vanney that left the defender flatfooted. It was Angel’s first start since returning from injury. “I’m starting to feel better every day,” said Angel.

Rojas, the Red Bulls new #13, was front and center on the team’s next scoring chance two minutes later. Streaking down the right sideline this time, he squared a ball for Angel that the Colombian should have one-timed. Instead, Angel tried to control the ball but instead ended up losing it.

The Red Bulls missed another chance to put the game to bed in the 82nd minute when a rebound bounced to John Wolyniec. But Wolyniec only had a split second to react and ended up putting the ball narrowly over.

This set the stage for the last ditch Galaxy rally that ultimately led to Donovan’s fortunate goal. “It’s a very disappointed locker room,” said Red Bulls head coach Juan Carlos Osorio. “I think we created enough chances to win the game, but unfortunately that wasn’t the case.” Angel agreed. “We should have won the game today,” he said. “We gave ourselves the chance to but just gave up three points.”

Still, the Red Bulls can take encouragement from the performance of Rojas, who was almost certainly the best player on the pitch. The Venezuelan’s ability to create chances from the run of play–evidenced in his pass to Angel on the go-ahead goal–may prove invaluable as the season enters its crucial period. Perhaps Rojas will be the creative attacking midfielder Claudio Reyna never was? Time will tell.

“Jorge had a lot of quality balls tonight and was able to break the [Galaxy] down,” said Osorio. “I’m sure [he] will score valuable goals for us in the future.”

Match Facts

Los Angeles Galaxy (6-6-5) vs. New York Red Bulls (5-6-6)
July 19, 2008 — Giants Stadium

Scoring Summary:
LA — Carlos Ruiz 1 (Edson Buddle 2) 29
NY — Dave van den Bergh 5 (Jorge Rojas 1, Seth Stammler 1) 35
NY — Juan Pablo Angel 4 (Jorge Rojas 2) 71
LA — Landon Donovan 12 (unassisted) 92+

Lineups:
Los Angeles Galaxy — Steve Cronin, Chris Klein, Troy Roberts, Greg Vanney (Alan Gordon 78), Ante Jazic, Landon Donovan, David Beckham, Peter Vagenas, Alvaro Pires, Carlos Ruiz, Edson Buddle.

Substitutes Not Used: Ely Allen, Eduardo Dominguez, Joe Franchino, Mike Randolph, Josh Tudela, Josh Wicks

New York Red Bulls — Jon Conway, Andrew Boyens, Kevin Goldthwaite, Jeff Parke, Dave van den Bergh (Juan Pietravallo 89), Dane Richards (Hunter Freeman 50), Carlos Mendes, Jorge Rojas, Seth Stammler, Oscar Echeverry (John Wolyniec 63), Juan Pablo Angel.

Substitutes Not Used: Chris Leitch, Mike Magee, Zach Thornton, Sinisa Ubiparipovic

Misconduct Summary:
LA — Chris Klein (caution; Pushing, Holding) 2
NY — Jon Conway (caution; Dissent) 64
LA — Peter Vagenas (caution; Dissent) 72

Referee: Baldomero Toledo
Referee’s Assistants: Rob Fereday; Bill Dittmar
4th official: Lee Suckle
time of game: 1:52
attendance: 46,754
weather: Sunny -and- 94 degrees

An inexcusable pass into no-man’s land by Kevin Goldwaithe led to Chivas USA’s equalizer in first half stoppage time, right when it appeared the Red Bulls would escape into the dressing room with the lead. The 1-1 score held up thanks largely to the heroics of Jon Conway, who twice saved what appeared to be certain goals by the home side. The Red Bulls ended up withstanding a ferocious onslaught by Chivas and hanging on for a deserved point at Carson City, Calif.

New York had a solid start to the game, picking up right where they left off in the 2-1 victory over Dallas last week. These efforts were rewarded on 26 minutes when Dave van den Bergh’s free kick floated into the far corner of Brad Guzan’s goal untouched. Guzan inexplicably chose to put three men in the wall, even though it was taken from the side of the penalty box. The situation typically calls for a two man wall, with the third defender saved for marking duties.

“It was a training ground move,” said van den Bergh, who added that he was not trying to shoot. “We practice this a lot. We know that if somebody gets a head on it, it’s always on target, and it’s hard for the goalie, and if it skips, especially on a fast field, then we try to aim for the second post. It did skip, and a great goalie even like Guzan couldn’t handle that.”

The Red Bulls dodged a series of bullets shortly thereafter. Goldthwaite cleared a ball off the line and twice in short succession New York appeared to handle the ball in their penalty area. The referee’s whistle stayed silent, however. Unjustly so, replays showed.

Just when Juan Carlos Osorio’s men seemed to be in the clear, Goldthwaite gifted Chivas the game-tieing goal on the stroke of halftime. Alone with the ball on the left side of the field and nearing the touchline, Goldthwaite suddenly decided to turn on a dime and send the ball squarely into the center of the field–ostensibly toward Jeff Parke, who had turned and was headed upfield, unaware the ball was being played in his direction. Former Metro Ante Razov dutifully picked up the errant ball and easily slid it past an onrushing Conway.

“It was just a miscommunication in the back,” Dane Richards explained. “Goldthwaite was just trying to play to Parke and he was going up the field and Razov was sharp enough to pounce on it and he scored.”

“We really let them off the hook […] by basically giving them that goal to equalize the game, and after that it was just a very sloppy game,” said Osorio. The Red Bulls’ head coach suggested his team should have scored a second goal as well. “We could have made better decisions in our counter attacks,” he said.

Some of the team’s players were more disappointed. “Happy with a point away from home, but can see the players faces: very disappointed,” said Richards.

“You go up 1-0 and you have a chance to carry that on to the second half and you give up a childish goal,” said van den Bergh. “I’m disappointed that the game ends like that.”

The Red Bulls return to the East Coast and face Crystal Palace Baltimore in a U.S. Open Cup match Tuesday evening.

Match Facts

New York Red Bulls (5-4-5) vs. Chivas USA (5-6-3)
June 28, 2008 — The Home Depot Center

Scoring Summary:
NY — Dave van den Bergh 4 (unassisted) 26
CHV — Ante Razov 2 (unassisted) 49+

Lineups:
New York Red Bulls — Jon Conway, Hunter Freeman, Jeff Parke, Andrew Boyens, Kevin Goldthwaite, Carlos Mendes, Dane Richards, Seth Stammler (Luke Sassano 80), Dave van den Bergh, Sinisa Ubiparipovic (Mike Magee 60), John Wolyniec (Oscar Echeverry 54),

Substitutes Not Used: Danleigh Borman, Chris Leitch, Chris Megaloudis, Zach Thornton

Chivas USA — Brad Guzan, Bobby Burling, Claudio Suarez, Jonathan Bornstein (Jorge Flores 68), Jim Curtin (Atiba Harris 46), Carey Talley, Sacha Kljestan, Jesse Marsch, Francisco Mendoza, Justin Braun (Anthony Hamilton 88), Ante Razov,

Substitutes Not Used: Dan Kennedy, Daniel Paladini, Keith Savage, Shavar Thomas

Misconduct Summary:
CHV — Sacha Kljestan (caution; Tackle from Behind) 12
CHV — Jonathan Bornstein (caution; Professional Foul) 23
NY — Seth Stammler (caution; Tackle from Behind) 51
NY — Kevin Goldthwaite (caution; Reckless Foul) 62
NY — Luke Sassano (caution; Pushing, Holding) 87
CHV — Ante Razov (caution; Game Disrepute) 91+

Referee: Mauricio Navarro
Referee’s Assistants: Fabio Tovar; David Bragg
4th official: Yader Reyes
time of game: 1:59
attendance: 16,379
weather: Clear -and- 66 degrees

Defensive lapses cost the New York Red Bulls three first half goals and an otherwise decent effort was wasted in a 4-1 loss at RFK Stadium Saturday night. Chris Leitch, starting his seventh game this season, was the goat on two goals, but he was by no means the only culprit among the team’s back four.

Kevin Goldthwaite failed to anticipate a telegraphed pass on the first goal, a mistake that was compounded by Leitch leaving eventual goal scorer Luciano Emilio unmarked and Boyens getting lost in no-mans land. On DC’s second goal, 26 minutes into the game, the defense appeared to suffer a collective bout of narcolepsy, as Clyde Simms walked in unchallenged to the edge of the penalty area to tee up a shot from about 20 yards that beat Jon Conway in the Red Bulls’ goal. On the stroke of halftime, DC got another, this time on a breakaway. Conway did well to fend off an initial shot but Emilio was lurking (again, unchallenged) to put in the rebound.

Dave van den Bergh, probably New York’s best player on the night, clawed one back for the visitors and the Red Bulls had a period of pressure on Zach Wells’ goal to briefly make things interesting. But this predictably left New York exposed at the back and sure enough it was Emilio again, completing his hat trick on the 59 minute mark to put the game out of reach.

Juan Carlos Osorio’s men do not have much time to regroup. The team faces New England at Foxboro, Mass., on Wednesday night. The Revolution, it bears noting, have the best record in the league and have not lost a game to New York since before the franchise belonged to the Austrian energy drink maker.

Toronto FC started their third straight home match on Thursday night in the same style as they finished the last two, scoring early through Marco Vélez but conceding a first-half free kick that levelled the scores at 1-1. As the rain fell and the plastic pitch at BMO Field became more difficult to play on, each side looked increasingly content to play out the draw.

Red Bulls fans vote here.

With the home fans slowly streaming into the stadium to make the 7 PM kick off, made worse by the conditions and the resulting traffic around Toronto’s Exhibition Place, both sides struggled to assert themselves in the early stages.

The game came to life in the 20th minute when Jim Brennan was fouled on the left side of the penalty area. With Amado Guevara and Laurent Robert hovering, the New York defense looked unsure how to defend it. Robert sent in a curling cross, and Marco Vélez popped up at the far post unmarked to power a header past Red Bulls keeper Jon Conway.

His first Major League Soccer goal was proudly celebrated by Vélez, who faced criticism early in the season but has since shown signs that he can be a proven MLS defender in Toronto. The Puerto Rican has experience in USL-1 but has at times struggled to keep up to the pace of the opposition so far in his first season at the highest level.

Just as Toronto were beginning to play some free-flowing football in spite of the worsening conditions, New York struck. Reds defender Tyrone Marshall was adjudged to have handled just outside the box, with the visitors lining up the resulting free kick. As Guevara stepped in to help line up his defensive wall, Red Bulls fans may have felt a tinge of nostalgia at seeing the Honduran standing over a New York set piece.

All sentiment aside, Dave van den Bergh sent a left-footed strike into the only gap the Reds had left open. Greg Sutton was unable to stretch far enough to keep the low strike out of the back of the net.

Both sides pressed for a go-ahead goal in the first half, but the slick field made passing more and more difficult. Adding to that, New York lost their talismanic midfielder Claudio Reyna through a leg injury at half-time, replacing the former Rangers and Manchester City man with Sinisa Ubiparovic.

After the break, the most exciting moment of the second half came when Laurent Robert shoved Hunter Freeman to the ground after being fouled by Jozy Altidore. The French winger received a booking from referee Abbey Okulaja but was lucky to stay on the field.

As the match neared completion, it became apparent that New York were largely satisfied with a point and Toronto were increasingly powerless to stop them. Amado Guevara brought the home fans to their feet with a late volley after forcing a turnover from the Red Bulls defence, but the dipping strike fell right into the hands of Conway.

One positive from the performance for Toronto was their ability to contain the highly-touted strike force of Altidore and Juan Pablo Angel.

New York boss Juan Carlos Osorio was as vocal as ever in directing his players, but was unable to force much of an attacking impetus as the match went on. The Colombian’s side were the first to so much as score at BMO Field this summer, ending the home side’s 100% home record but leaving their unbeaten status intact.

Toronto will enjoy a two week break from action until May 17th, a home tie against Columbus Crew that will signify the start of five games in 14 days, including a trip to Montreal Impact on May 27th for the inaugural tie in the Canada Cup. Along with Vancouver Whitecaps, TFC and l’Impact will be hoping to secure the 2008 trophy and a resulting spot in the CONCACAF Champions League.

A Dave van den Bergh freekick made it through the Toronto FC wall on 39 minutes to bring the New York Red Bulls level with TFC on Thursday night at BMO Field. Puerto Rican international Marco Velez had put Toronto ahead 17 minutes earlier.

Juan Carlos Osorio made four changes from the lineup that defeated San Jose on April 27. Defender Hunter Freeman made his 2008 debut after being sidelined with an ankle injury, while Mike Magee was handed his first start of the season, in an attacking midfield role. Dane Richards made his season debut as well, coming on in the 55th minute for Danleigh Borman. Unfortunately for New York, the news was not all positive on the injury front, as Claudio Reyna left the game at halftime with what has been described as a lower left leg injury. Reyna was replaced by Sinisa Ubiparipovic.

Match Facts

New York Red Bulls (2-1-2) vs. Toronto FC (3-2-1)
May 01, 2008 — BMO Field

Scoring Summary:
TOR — Marco Velez 1 (Laurent Robert 2) 22
NY — Dave van den Bergh 2 (unassisted) 39

New York Red Bulls — Jon Conway, Kevin Goldthwaite, Jeff Parke, Hunter Freeman, Danleigh Borman (Dane Richards 55), Mike Magee, Claudio Reyna (Sinisa Ubiparipovic 46), Seth Stammler, Dave van den Bergh, Jozy Altidore (John Wolyniec 91+), Juan Pablo Angel.

Substitutes Not Used: Eric Brunner, Chris Megaloudis, Luke Sassano, Zach Thornton

Toronto FC — Greg Sutton, Marvell Wynne, Tyrone Marshall, Marco Velez, Jim Brennan, Rohan Ricketts (Jarrod Smith 74), Maurice Edu, Carl Robinson, Laurent Robert, Amado Guevara, Danny Dichio (Jeff Cunningham 83).

Substitutes Not Used: Todd Dunivant, Brian Edwards, Kevin Harmse, Julius James, Olivier Tebily

Misconduct Summary:
TOR — Laurent Robert (caution; Pushing, Holding) 49
TOR — Amado Guevara (caution; Reckless Foul) 51
NY — Sinisa Ubiparipovic (caution; Reckless Foul) 70

Referee: Abiodun Okulaja
Referee’s Assistants: Thomas Supple; Daniel Belleau
4th official: Mauricio Navarro
time of game: 1:51
attendance: 19,816
weather: Cloudy -and- 50 degrees