This week started with a whisper, as Red Bulls fans came to grips with the idea that their squad had just come from behind to beat the league leading Real Salt Lake. It was just then, that the View from South Ward got busy.
RBNY announced earlier in the week that Tim Cahill will miss 3-4 weeks with a torn PCL he sustained in the 4th minute of the RSL match on a dangerous challenge by Yordany Alvarez. Alvarez received not even so much as a foul during the match, but should have been booked. That’s not just my opinion, but one shared by pretty much everyone who saw the play. By the way, the MLS Disciplinary Committee agrees, as well, and suspended Alvarez for 3 games. Anyone else have any doubts?
During half time at the MLS All Star Game, ESPN had built up this Don Garber announcement to be something amazing and incredible. Unfortunately, it was information we already knew. Commissioner Garber is spearheading an expansion to 24 clubs before the end of the decade. He’s been talking about it for months. With that said, let’s take a quick look at possible locations.
First, Orlando is a lock. The mayor of Orlando, Florida, has been very MLS friendly since his election. Second, Miami, although they have been less friendly to MLS, has been tagged for a team by David Beckham. Third, Phoenix – Even though Phoenix mishandled their NHL franchise, footy could do much better there, and makes a bit more sense, considering the climate. Finally, and I’m aware that this is a long shot, I could see the MLS doing very well in Las Vegas. Time will tell where the MLS expands to, but there will be two Florida teams for sure.
Some time on Thursday there was an unthinkable sighting in a Seattle Airport that lit up American footy fans on twitter like little Christmas trees. US born mid-fielder Clint Dempsey was spotted entering the country. Transfer rumors swirled. Was Dempsey really returning like the prodigal son, to Major League Soccer after years of saying that he would never do that? It turns out that all the speculation was right. Clint Dempsey returned to the league that he left in the cold many years before, signing on with the Seattle Sounders in the prime of his career.
The move may signal the coming of age for the MLS. For more on that, see my column on the state of the MLS here.
Before we get into the biggest RBNY match of the season, let’s give a nod to the New York Cosmos, who played their first professional match in 29 years. The club, originally captained by soccer legend Pele, won their comeback match against the Fort Lauderdale Strikers in NASL play. Reportedly, the match was a sellout. Welcome back to the world, Cosmos!
With their emotional comeback victory against Real Salt Lake behind the Red Bulls, MLS pundits accused the Harrison, NJ, squad of being “mentally soft.” It’s not an unfounded accusation, since the Red Bulls have been in the habit of putting up amazing games, but can’t seem to beat a bottom feeder like Toronto FC. Dax McCarty took the accusations personally, and said he and his teammates are determined to prove their critics wrong, starting with Saturday’s match against Eastern Conference leading Sporting Kansas City.
Without Cahill, the Red Bulls put up a disciplined match against a Kansas City side that can punish you for any slip up on the pitch. The Red Bulls went up 1-0 on a beautiful Jonny Steele goal, but lost the lead, despite an amazing Luis Robles stop, collected and netted by MLS villain Kamara, right before the half. The second half opened up, and Fabian Espindola took a pass from Lloyd Sam, in for Eric Alexander, to put the away side back up. Here’s the thing. The official missed an offside call, however Espindola beat Aurelien Collin cleanly. Collin slid into Espindola after his shot cleats out, and didn’t receive any discipline for it. When did it become OK to perform a cleats out challenge in any league anywhere?
Despite that, the Red Bulls ended up going up on a Lloyd Sam goal in the 69th minute. They even provided all of us with a bit of a scare, allowing Dominic Dwyer to score in stoppage time. But, the Red Bulls pulled out a victory, which put them in sole possession of first place in the Eastern Conference, and tied in points with RSL for the Supporters Shield race. Coach Petke finally managed a game well from beginning to end, although he was ejected from the match during stoppage time. Why? Red Bulls mid fielder Kosuke Kimura was left prostrate on the pitch after a collision with a SKC player. He suffered a concussion and left the field on a stretcher.
No story in sports for any team is bereft of drama, and the Red Bulls are no different. This victory could signal a change in Red Bulls’ mentality and perception. It wasn’t a perfect victory, SKC put loads of pressure on, earning 27 attempts at goal in comparison to New York’s 5. The New York Red Bulls have a pretty easy schedule for the rest of the season, playing matches against Toronto, Chivas USA, and DC United. They have a few challenges, but with today’s victory, and provided that RBNY continues playing top tier footy, the Red Bulls could be in a position to do something very special this season. Next up is Columbus. And that’s just about as far as Thierry Henry and company can afford to look.
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