The New York Red Bulls were away to the Chicago Fire this weekend in a match that was perhaps seen by many as a way for the team to redeem themselves after an underwhelming result against Orlando City FC two weekends ago.

With the return of the likes of Kaku, Aaron Long, Kemar Lawrence and Michael Murillo, the Red Bulls had a full strength defensive line and their star creative player back in the line-up. Despite this however, the result did not go in favor of last year’s winners of the Supporters Shield. Chicago pressed the out of form New York team and managed to pry all 3 points in their favor, courtesy of a Tim Parker own goal, making this the second 1-0 loss the Red Bulls have suffered in a row. Let’s take a look at some of the key takeaways from this game.  

Fire Beat Red Bulls 1-0

Despite reinforcements, defensive woes continue

Last week against Orlando City, it was easy to pin the blame of defensive errors on the fact that the back line was missing some of its essential pieces, namely Long and Lawrence. This week, however, it wouldn’t be far-fetched to say that the Red Bulls put on an even more tepid display, with the likes of Nemanja Nikolić and Przemysław Frankowski cutting through the defense with ease on a multitude of occasions. The first of these saw the two former Polish Ekstraklasa players link up beautifully, with Frankowski’s pass through the center of the box to Nikolić completely evading  Lawrence and Co. which left Nikolić one-on-one with Luis Robles, but the former Legia Warszawa frontman failed to convert his golden opportunity. 

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Nikolić would receive opportunity after opportunity to put Chicago in front, another quality chance coming in the 37th minute after a headed ball in midfield found its way to his feet. The former Hungarian international found himself between Long and Parker, but his shot was poked just wide of the near post. 

Fans would have to wait until the second half for the first and only breakthrough of the game, and curiously enough, despite the creativity shown by Chicago throughout the match, the only goal of the game result in scrappy play within New York’s penalty box. A ball sent in by Chicago’s Marcelo dos Santos Ferreira (Marcelo) found its way to Nikolić, whose effort bounced off of the post. The rebounding ball would then hit an onrushing Parker, who admittedly would have found it very difficult to clear. The deflection off of Parker sent the ball over the line and Chicago took the lead. 

While many will look at the own goal by Parker as one of the key moments in the game, it’s important to note here that this was only one of many instances where the Red Bulls defense failed to do their job. As mentioned earlier, both Frankowski and Nikolić had a plethora of opportunities on goal in this match, and all of it resulted from fairly simple play. Nikolić, for example, was able to send it low, driving balls to his teammates on a number of occasion in the exact same fashion, which was a very troubling thing to watch. To have the defense cut open on multiple occasions by the same move should be something head coach Chris Armas will surely be furious about and looking to remedy for the next game.

Having seen the lackluster performances of certain players in the defensive line, it makes me wonder whether or not it might not be a good idea to have Amro Tarek start at the back for the next game alongside Long. Tarek had a solid performance against Orlando City despite the loss, so it may be in Chris Armas’ interest to give the player another run out while in form. 

Muyl and Robles continue to perform, Schweinsteiger a center back?:

Despite the lackluster team performance, both Alex Muyl and Luis Robles continued to be bright spots for the Red Bulls as the New York side struggles to find its form. Muyl put in another workhorse-like performance that delineates his value to the team. Muyl showed his skills with a very intelligent dummy for Bradley Wright-Phillips in the 37th minute and provided a few good crosses that could have been more effective had the team been more on point in the match.  Muyl also linked well with Daniel Royer and Murillo on a couple occasions, which is worth noting. Robles on the other hand made sure that his leaky defense didn’t concede more than one goal in the match, stopping shots from Nikolić, Frankowski and a Bastian Schweinsteiger rocket in the 50th minute.

Perhaps the most interesting facet of this game for me, however, was watching Schweinsteiger play as a center back. The former Bayern Munich man and German international has always been well-known for his midfield prowess, spending most of his career as a dominant force at the center of the park for Bayern, but to see him play at the back so well showed once again how much class the man possesses, and despite my Schwarzgelben loyalties, it would be wrong to not credit the “Basti” for a very good performance.  

Looking Forward:

The New York Red Bulls will face Minnesota United at home this coming weekend. The fairly young MLS franchise has had a similarly rocky start to their season, having lost their last two games to the LA Galaxy and New England Revolution despite picking up six points in the first two match days. With the home advantage to their benefit, the Red Bulls should get back to winning ways in this game, and fans will surely be hoping to see improvements to the recent defensive frailties that are perhaps becoming a bit of a trend. 

The New York Red Bulls hosted Orlando City FC at the Red Bull Arena this weekend in their third MLS game of the season. The two sides played out a very gritty game filled with more fouls than goals, each team doing their best to stifle the others buildup by putting in hard tackles and attempting to capitalize on mistakes.

Despite the constant shift in momentum between the two sides, it was former Red Bulls captain Sacha Kljestan that broke the deadlock late in the second half. Kljestan came back to haunt his former side with the only goal of the game, sealing the win for Orlando. Let’s take a look at some of the key takeaways from this weekends matchup.

Orlando City FC Vs. Red Bulls Recap

Defensive mistakes prove costly:

The New York Red Bulls had their fair share of defensive blunders to clean up throughout this game, and it didn’t help that many key squad components were missing. With defensive stalwarts Aaron Long and Michael Amir Murillo missing because of international duty, The Red Bulls played a makeshift back line that saw Tim Parker line up at the center with new signing Amro Tarek, while Connor Lade and Kyle Duncan played wide of the central pairing to complete a back four.

The Red Bulls played their usual high line despite missing key pieces and playing others out of position, and this proved to be a problem as Orlando succeeded in tearing through the back four on multiple occasions. Curiously enough,it would be Tarek, rather than Parker, who would impress at central defense. Tarek put in a solid shift in spite of being played out of position, cutting out passes and stopping dangerous attacks. Tarek made a few good blocks in and around the box, notably stopping a dangerous cross by Kljestan in the 42nd minute and intercepting a cutting pass outside the Red Bull box 12 minutes later. 

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Parker, on the other hand, would have a game to forget as the Hicksville born center back looked uneasy from the first whistle. Orlando’s players often found it much too easy to get past Parker, who was responsible for failing to clear the cross that led to Kljestan’s goal. Similarly, in the 92nd minute, Parker lost the ball right outside of the box to an onrushing Dom Dwyer. Parker would go on to recover the ball a few moments later, but his defensive frailty in this match was a key reason as to why the Red Bulls failed to come away with a single point in this game.

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A Tale of Two Keepers – Robles and Rowe Impress:

While fans may be disappointed there weren’t a few more goals in this game, it can’t be said that the fixture was without its heart-stopping moments. It’s just that in this case, these moments were provided by the keepers, who were both in stellar form on the evening. Both Luis Robles and Orlando City’s Brian Rowe proved difficult to beat for the opposing side. Rowe was responsible for some spectacular saves, the first of which came five minutes into the game as Alex Muyl sent a strong header in after an ensuing Red Bulls corner. This would be the first of many stellar saves that would prove crucial to Orlando, which ended up coming away with all three points.

Robles also had a fantastic night, despite not coming away from the match with a clean sheet. The game could have easily ended with New York going down 3 or 4 goals had it not been for New York’s captain and his commanding presence in the penalty box. His punches were key to breaking up chances Orlando created, but the most stellar save in my book came in the 51st minute. Kljestan managed to find Orlando’s Ruan Teixeira with a ball out to the left. Ruan, unmarked, would find himself in space and one-on-one with Robles, who came up big to stop the Brazilian from putting Orlando ahead. If the Red Bulls can take any comfort from this game, it is that Robles is as spry and lively as ever, and still able to save blushes for his back line.  

Muyl and Rzatkowski show determination as Red Bull offense misfires: 

While the defense dealt with its own problems, the midfield and offense also seemed out of sorts throughout the game against Orlando. The Red Bulls were without the creative presence of Alejandro Sebastián Romero Gamarra (Kaku) as the winger is away on international duty with Paraguay. Often one of the main driving forces in the attacking half for New York, his absence was very telling, especially as fans were forced to watch Bradley Wright-Phillips come back into the midfield to try and help with the buildup.

What New York lacked in creativity, however, they made up with verve and determination ,as both Marc Rzatkowski and Alex Muyl put in solid shifts, doing much of the running for the Red Bulls. Rzatkowski did his best to create chances for New York, lobbing the ball in over the Orlando defense on numerous occasions and standing over a couple decent free kicks.

Muyl was a workhorse for the entirely of the game as well, running up and down the pitch attempting to create and finish chances at every opportunity. Muyl went into tackles hard, attempting to win every ball and even put in a solid shift at the back as well, covering in places New York’s defenders could not. It was no wonder Muyl was so disappointed at the end of the game, his face a telling reflection of how most of the team must have felt: “we can do better.” 

Final thoughts and comments:

Despite the disappointing nature of the loss, The New York Red Bulls thankfully have all season to make up for it. The result itself was in part the effect of a poor performance, but also due to the team missing key figures through injury and international duty. The return of Long, Kaku and Murillo should lift the team in their next game, which happens to be away to the Chicago Fire. The Fire hold an identical record to the Red Bulls this season, with both teams sporting a win, a loss and a draw so far. One can only hope that come next weekend, Red Bulls fans have three points to cheer about and the team can put this loss aside as a blip in what still very much has the potential to be a solid season.  

Soccer is quickly becoming a serious sport in the United States. While at one point, Major League Soccer teams were often housed in other sports teams arenas, the league has flourished into a reputable goal for young athletes.

The New York Red Bulls were founded in 1996 and today stand out as one of the two New York teams in the MLS. Just because the league is young, don’t think that the Red Bulls haven’t had success. Three times in their short history, they’ve won the Supporters’ Shield, which is given to the team with the best MLS record according to their point system.

New York Red Bulls 2019 Tickets Available

Throughout its history, the team has always fielded great players, from Juan Pablo Angel to Giovanni Savarese to Tim Howard. This year the team will turn to new faces after homegrown talent Tyler Adams joined Bundesliga. Assistant coach Chris Armas will lead the team this year following the departure of Jesse Marsch after three and a half years at the helm of the team.

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While they may not be a flashy team, they’ve picked up a road draw this week. Doing so with a lineup of reserves and some deep reserves shows composure under pressure. Because of this analysts ,have ranked the Red Bulls high in power rankings at the start of the season. Don’t be surprised if it’s an exciting season to watch, because Armas shakes up his lineups.

Season tickets for the 2019 season start at only $685 on StubHub.com. This includes every regular-season home game that New York plays this year. If individual games are more your thing, then look no further. On March 16, the Red Bulls take on the San Jose Earthquakes. Tickets start at $17. A week later, on March 23, Orlando City SC will come to New York. Tickets for that matchup range from $16.34 to $122. All prices are from StubHub.com.

Attention, soccer fans: tickets for the New York Red Bulls’ summer and fall game are now on sale!

New York Red Bulls 2018 Tickets

Tickets can be found at www.ticketmaster.com for games beginning May 26 at Red Bull Arena vs. the Philadelphia Union and ending with another home matchup on October 28 against Orlando City SC. Tickets for some games vs. New York City FC at Yankee Stadium are also on sale.

The Red Bulls have signed several players to big contracts in recent weeks. The team re-signed midfielder Daniel Royer to a multi-year deal last month, and also signed defender Ethan Kutler, the 39th overall pick in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft.

Tyler Adams, Aaron Long, Vincent Bezecourt and Stefano Bonomo have also all been signed to the Red Bulls from their USL club.

There is an overall eight-ticket limit to most Red Bulls games. For more details, visit TicketMaster or call the box office.

Bradley Wright-Phillips scored twice on Tuesday night to propel the New York Red Bulls into the US Open Cup Final with a 3-2 extra-time victory over FC Cincinnati.

Red Bulls vs. FC Cincinnati US Open Cup Semifinal score

The Red Bulls have reached their first Open Cup Final since 2003. They will visit Sporting Kansas City for the championship game on Sept. 20 and hope to win their first USOC trophy. Kansas City defeated the San Jose Earthquakes 5-4 on penalties on Aug. 9 after tying 1-1 in regulation.

Cincinnati’s Corben Bone and Austin Berry opened scoring for the hosts on Tuesday night in the 31st and 62nd minutes respectively, but the Red Bulls’ Argentine attacking midfielder Gonzalo Veron made it 2-1 in the 75th minute with a shot from close range after coming on as a substitute. Three minutes after that, Wright-Phillips scored the equalizer by leveling off Tyler Adams’ cross. The British forward then struck a looping header off Sal Zizzo’s cross inside goalkeeper Mitch Hildebrandt’s far post 11 minutes into extra time.

The crowd of 33,250 at Cincinnati’s Nippert Stadium on Tuesday set a non-final Open Cup record. U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati and MLS commissioner Don Garber both attended the game.

“A second-division team in the semifinal of the Open Cup—that’s awesome,” New York captain Sacha Kljestan said. “This is so huge for soccer in our country, big for the club and big for the fans too. This is what the Open Cup is all about.”

Wright-Philipps — a two-time MLS Golden Boot winner who has scored eight goals in 17 MLS games and five in his last three contests — was ecstatic about Tuesday’s victory, even if he hadn’t quite hit the standards he had set for himself this season.

“It’s the furthest we’ve been [in the Open Cup] and no disrespect to Cincinnati—we have to turn up in that game and be ready for the atmosphere—but we should win that game,’’ Wright-Phillips told the New York Post. “Don’t mistake this for being cocky, but with the quality we’ve got, if we lose this it’ll be on us. We would be the only people to blame for that.”

The Red Bulls will visit the Portland Timbers on Friday for their next league game.

HARRISON, NJ – APRIL 15: Bradley Wright-Phillips #99 of New York Red Bulls takes a shot in the first half against the D.C. United at Red Bull Arena on April 15, 2017 in Harrison, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Attention, all Major League Soccer fans! Tickets for the New York Red Bulls‘ home matchup against the Montreal Impact on Saturday, July 29 are now on sale!

The game will begin at 7:30 pm EST at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey.

The Red Bulls have won two of their four regular-season games thus far this summer. They previously lost to the Impact — their Eastern Conference rival in MLS — 1-0 on June 3. Led by manager Jesse Marsch and head coaches Marsch and Carlos Alberto Parreira, the Red Bulls also defeated the New England Revolution 1-0 in the U.S. Open Cup quarter-finals on July 13.

Tickets begin at $16 on Ticketmaster, and there is an eight-ticket limit per household.

HARRISON, NJ – MARCH 6: Sacha Kljestan #16 of New York Red Bulls dribbles past Steven Beitashour #33 of Toronto FC during their match at Red Bull Arena on March 6, 2016 in Harrison, New Jersey. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)

FC Cincinnati continued stellar run in the 2017 U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday night with a 3-1 penalty shootout home victory over the Chicago Fire in a Round of 16 matchup.

FC Cincinnati Beat Red Bulls 3-1 On Penalties After 0-0 Tie in Round of 16

The shootout came after the teams were tied 0-0 after 120 minutes of play (regulation and overtime). Cincinnati, which defeated another MLS team (Columbus Crew) in the previous round, defeated the Fire before a roaring crowd of 32,287 at their own Nippert Stadium.

The hosts had a goal controversially disallowed due to offside late in the second half, and Cincinnati’s goalkeeper Mitch Hildebrandt made several key saves to deny the Fire’s German star Bastian Schweinsteiger and the rest of his teammates. Schweinsteiger transferred to Chicago from Manchester United — with whom he had played two seasons — in March on a one-year deal.

Hildebrandt was also spectacular in the shootout, as he stopped shots from MLS leading scorer and Serbian-born Hungarian forward Nemanja Nikolic as well as Arturo Alvarez and Juninho.

“We have an MLS-quality team, we have an MLS-quality stadium, we have MLS-quality fans,” Hildebrandt said following the victory. “Everyone here, the city deserves this.”

Cincinnati won the game after Hildebrandt dove to his left to block Juninho’s low penalty kick, the Fire’s fourth shot that came after missing two others.

Cincinnati will next face Miami FC in the quarter-finals on July 12. Miami — led by World Cup-winning Italian coach Alessandro Nesta — edged Atlanta United 3-2 on Wednesday thanks to a 93rd-minute goal from Kwadwo Poku. Atlanta are playing their first MLS season.

Meanwhile, the New York Red Bulls also won in a penalty shootout at home on Wednesday. The team defeated the Philadelphia Union 5-3 after tying 1-1 at the end of overtime. The victory served as revenge for the Red Bulls, who were eliminated by Philadelphia in the previous two US Open Cups — including a 2015 shootout at Red Bull Arena.

New York seemed to have secured a victory until the 86th minute, when the Union’s Dutch midfielder Roland Alberg equalized by firing a shot past Red Bulls goalie Ryan Meara after taking a long lob pass from Jack Elliott behind the back-line.

The Red Bulls scored shortly before halftime. In the 42nd minute, Philadelphia turned over the ball, Sacha Kljestan took an assist from Bradley Wright-Phillips and beat Union goalie John McCarthy. 

Brazilian midfielder Felipe, 26, scored the game-winning penalty kick for New York with a low shot to the right that McCarthy incorrectly guessed.

The Red Bulls will next face the New England Revolution — who beat DC United — in the quarterfinals on July 13. The other two quarterfinal will see the San Jose Earthquakes take on the LA Galaxy on July 10 and Sporting KC play FC Dallas on July 11.

HARRISON, NJ – APRIL 15: Luis Robles #31 of New York Red Bulls stops a shot in the second half against the D.C. United at Red Bull Arena on April 15, 2017 in Harrison, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

The New York Red Bulls will be hosting the New England Revolution for a highly-anticipated Major League Soccer matchup on Saturday, May 27 and tickets are available now!

> BUT Tickets for Red Bulls vs. Revolution (MLS)

The game will be held at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey and will begin at 7:30 pm EST.

Tickets are very affordable: they start at $15 and the best seats are priced at $209. All of the details can be viewed at ticketmaster.com.

There is an 8-ticket limit per household. Audi Club ticket price includes all-inclusive food and non-alcoholic beverages.

The game is sure to be an exciting matchup that will attract MLS fans from all over the Northeast during Memorial Day Weekend 2017.

For more information regarding discounted group tickets for 15 or more people, you can call 1-877-727-6223.

HARRISON, NJ – MARCH 6: Sacha Kljestan #16 of New York Red Bulls dribbles past Steven Beitashour #33 of Toronto FC during their match at Red Bull Arena on March 6, 2016 in Harrison, New Jersey. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)

After gaining a two-goal lead thanks to Sacha Kljestan, the New York Red Bulls collapsed and let the Philadelphia Union score two second-half goals on route to a 2-2 draw at Talen Energy Stadium in Chester, Pennsylvania on Sunday night.

Red Bulls Blow Lead To Tie Union 2-2, Say Game “Feels Like A Loss”

Red Bulls forward Mike Grella ignited his team’s play when he threw Philadelphia midfielder Tranquillo Barnetta to the ground early in the first half. However, New York eased up on their rough playing after that.

Kljestan, a midfielder who was selected to the 2016 MLS All-Star Game earlier on Sunday, scored his first goal of the game off an assist from forward Bradley Wright-Phillips in the 27th minute.

Kljestan scored his second goal in the final minutes of the first half, but his team seemed to fall apart after the break.

Union midfielder Chris Pontius was taken down in the box by New York midfielder Sal Zizzo, which led forward C.J. Sapong to score on a penalty kick in the 67th minute to put the score at 2-1. Pontius then tied up the game with a goal of his own a minute later on a cross from Fabian Herbers. 

Red Bulls head coach Jesse Marsch then blamed his own defenders as much ore more than he credited Pontius, who scored two similar goals from the left wing against New York in Philly’s come-from-behind 2-1 US Open Cup victory on June 29th. Marsch seemed particularly upset because his team allowed two goals even after Brazilian Union midfielder Ilsinho was ejected in the 72nd minute for elbowing Red Bulls defender Connor Lade. 

“Frankly, it’s not doing well on the back side,” Marsch said. “It’s partly Chris Pontius but it’s also just that whoever plays right back for us doesn’t do the job. If they do the job, then it doesn’t trouble us because they were late and asleep and don’t see that Chris is running. And all of a sudden, Chris has tap-ins. I mean, it’s as easy as can be for him. All he has to do is run down the field and tap the ball into the goal four times.”

Philadelphia then continuously fired shots at the net and Marsch was forced to put in a fifth defender late in the game.

The Red Bulls coach wasn’t disappointed with every aspect of his team’s performance, however, adding that, unlike in the Open Cup defeat, “the start of the first was good” with the Red Bulls threatening to score the third goal.

The Red Bulls have now fallen to 1-7-3 on the road. New York goalkeeper Luis Robles, who finished with six saves, felt better about the result, but was also disappointed that the team didn’t capitalize on the man advantage in the last 20 minutes of the game.

“We are a man up and there’s a point in the hand so at the very worst we finish with a point,” the New York goalkeeper said. “But then there’s still got to be this idea of how do we push the game and how do we maintain possession and how do we create some chances, whether it’s off the counter attack or off set pieces. And I think therein lies the frustration that we were a man up and we had to go to five at the back because we couldn’t seem to get control of the game.”

The Red Bulls will next face New York City F.C. at home on Sunday, and will then hit the road to face the Chicago Fire on July 31.

The Union will next play the New England Revolution in the US Open Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday.

HARRISON, NJ – MARCH 6: Sacha Kljestan #16 of New York Red Bulls dribbles past Steven Beitashour #33 of Toronto FC during their match at Red Bull Arena on March 6, 2016 in Harrison, New Jersey. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)

After two straight losses, the New York Red Bulls secured a 1-0 home victory over the Chicago Fire on Wednesday.

Red Bulls End Two-Game Losing Streak With 1-0 Win

The Red Bulls dropped to 3-7-1 after last week’s road loss against D.C. United. However, midfielder Mike Grella helped his team get back on track by scoring his fourth goal of the season. Grella fired a shot past Fire goalkeeper Sean Johnson 13 minutes into the second half. Lloyd Sam provided the assist on the goal after receiving a back-heel pass from Bradley Wright-Phillips. New York dominated possession for most of the game.

The win moved the Red Bulls level on 13 points with United and the New England Revolution in the Eastern Conference as the Fire (1-5-4) stayed at the bottom of the table.

Meanwhile, Toronto FC fought back to tie 1-1 against Eastern Conference leader New York City FC at BMO Field in Toronto. Following a 2-1 victory over the Portland Timbers on Sunday, NYCFC rested its star players, including David Villa and Andrea Pirlo.

Even with those two as substitutes, the New York City FC was still able to take a 1-0 lead in the 16th minute thanks to a stunning goal from 24-year-old Ghanaian midfielder Kwadwo Poku from the edge of the penalty area.

Toronto answered three minutes before halftime with a goal from midfielder Will Johnson, who was on hand to side-foot the equalizer from close range.

The NYCFC leads the East by one point after a five-game winning streak, and is now 4-3-5. They will next face the Red Bulls at Yankee Stadium on Saturday. Toronto is now 4-4-3 and will next host Columbus Crew SC on Saturday.

PHOTO: HARRISON, NJ – NOVEMBER 29: Mike Grella #13 of New York Red Bulls controls the all in front of Harrison Afful #25 of Columbus Crew during their match at Red Bull Arena on November 29, 2015 in Harrison, New Jersey. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)