| Full name | New York Red Bulls | ||
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| Nickname(s) | Red Bulls, Metros | ||
| Founded | 1995 (as NY/NJ MetroStars) | ||
| Stadium | Red Bull Arena Harrison, New Jersey (Capacity: 25,189) |
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| Owner | Red Bull GmbH | ||
| Sporting Director | Erik Solér | ||
| Head Coach | Hans Backe | ||
| League | Major League Soccer | ||
| 2011 | Eastern Conference: 5th Overall: 10th Playoffs: Quarterfinals |
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| Website | Club home page | ||
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| Current season | |||
The New York Red Bulls are an American professional soccer team based in Harrison, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The team competes in the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS), the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having competed in the league since its inception.
The team was a founding member of MLS (1996), but has gone through several name changes. The team was originally known as the New York/New Jersey MetroStars through 1997. From the 1998 season through the 2005 season, the team was known as simply the MetroStars. On March 9, 2006, the team was sold to Red Bull GmbH, leading to the team's current name.
They are the only original MLS franchise to have not won any significant trophy (be it regular season, playoffs, or knockout competition) since inception. The team's best result in MLS play was the MLS Cup final in 2008. In the US Open Cup, the MetroStars reached three semifinals (1997, 1998, 2000), before finally reaching their first final in 2003, losing 1–0 to the Chicago Fire. On August 26, 2000, the Metros' Clint Mathis set an MLS record by scoring five goals in a game against the Dallas Burn.
Some well-known players that have played for the team have been Roberto Donadoni, Lothar Matthäus, Adolfo Valencia, Youri Djorkaeff, Amado Guevara, Juan Pablo Angel, Thierry Henry, and Rafael Márquez. The team has had its share of well-known coaches as well, including Carlos Queiroz, Carlos Alberto Parreira, Bora Milutinović, as well as Bob Bradley, Mo Johnston, and Bruce Arena.[1][2] American stars Tony Meola, Tab Ramos, Tim Howard, Alexi Lalas (who was also the team's General Manager, for a brief time), Clint Mathis, Jozy Altidore, Michael Bradley, Claudio Reyna and Eddie Pope have all played for the team.
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The club's original name was Empire Soccer Club, which gave birth to the name of the team's largest supporters' group, Empire Supporters Club. Team owners John Kluge and Stuart Subotnick were executives at the company Metromedia, leading to the inclusion of "Metro" as part of the soccer team's name. Nike wanted the full name to be MetroFlash, but MetroStars was selected.
Tab Ramos, the first player to sign with MLS, became the first MetroStar, and was soon joined by 1994 FIFA World Cup teammate Tony Meola and AC Milan star midfielder Roberto Donadoni. 1990 World Cup player Peter Vermes was named the first team captain, but it was the previously unknown Venezuelan Giovanni Savarese who became the Metros' first breakthrough star. The team's first coach was Eddie Firmani of New York Cosmos fame.[3]
In 1996, the MetroStars made news when they selected Juninho and Túlio in the 1996 MLS Supplemental Draft.[4] This report set off an immediately positive reaction which was quickly crushed after the MetroStars revealed that they had not actually drafted Juninho and Tulio.[5] The MetroStars waived both on March 25, 1996.[6] While the identity of "Juninho" was later discovered, the true name and club history of "Tulio" remains unknown. This bizarre episode has entered MetroStars folk lore.[7]
When the league began play in 1996, it was expected that the MetroStars would quickly become the league's dominant team. This expectation never materialized. Despite famous players and high-profile coach, the team never seemed to click together. In the team's first home game against the New England Revolution, former Juventus defender Nicola Caricola inadvertently flipped a cross into his own net in the dying minutes to hand New England a 1–0 win in front of 46,000 fans.[8][9] The resulting play would later be dubbed the "Curse of Caricola" by fans to explain the team's inability to come through with a domestic trophy in their history.[10] Firmani left after eight games (3–5) and was replaced by former Portugal coach Carlos Queiróz, who did no better than even (12–12) the rest of the season. The team made it into the playoffs, only to lose to eventual champions D.C. United.[11]
Starting in 1998, the team stopped referring to itself NY/NJ, but it took a few years for the media and fans to catch up. The team went by just MetroStars, with no city or state attached to it, a rarity in American sports.
In 2000, MetroStars dropped a bombshell by acquiring German international player Lothar Matthäus from Bayern Munich. Matthäus played in only 16 MLS games during the season and his tenure in the U.S. is considered a disappointment.
Despite their poor domestic record, the MetroStars became the first (and at this point, only) MLS team to win a trophy outside of North American soil, a 2004 victory in La Manga Cup.[12] The MetroStars defeated Ukraine's Dynamo Kyiv 3–2 in the semi-finals before edging Norway's Viking FK 1–0 in the final.
Late in 2005, after the firing of Bob Bradley, assistant Mo Johnston was named interim head coach and guided the team to seven points in its last three games, with wins at D.C. United and then at Chivas USA; the MetroStars made it to the playoffs.[13] Unfortunately, it was just another season to end in disappointment after they were knocked out of the playoffs with a 3–2 loss to the New England Revolution.
When Red Bull purchased the MetroStars in 2006,[14][15] it decided to completely re-brand the franchise, changing the name, colors, and logo.
In 2006, the Red Bulls managed to defeat German powerhouse Bayern Munich 4–2 in a friendly game in Giants Stadium, which was a sign of progress. Also in 2006, the Red Bulls had a friendly against FC Barcelona but lost 4–1 in front of a sold out crowd of over 79,000 fans at Giants Stadium.[16] Also, on August 18, 2007, the N.Y.-Los Angeles Galaxy match debut of David Beckham drew 66,238 fans to Giants stadium, an all time league record for a non-double header league match.
After a disappointing World Cup run, Bruce Arena immediately helped the new Red Bulls. They made it to the playoffs and after a late goal by Jozy Altidore seemed they could go further. Unfortunately, a late goal was scored by D.C. United, ending the playoff run and dreams of players and fans.
On November 5, 2007, Arena resigned as coach of the Red Bulls.[17] The move came two days after the team was eliminated from the 2007 MLS playoffs by the New England Revolution.
Former Chicago Fire and Millonarios coach Juan Carlos Osorio was announced as the new coach of the Red Bulls. He had wanted to come back to New York because of his family and friends located in the city. "This is without a doubt one of the most proud moments for me, to be back in New York with all my family and friends," Osorio said. "Since 2001, when I left for Manchester City, I always made it my goal to come back to MLS as head coach of the New York Red Bulls. Today, I've been given that opportunity, and I'm extremely proud and extremely pleased."
Juan Carlos Osorio led the Red Bulls to a good start in the 2008 season, despite some injuries to his squad. South African midfielder Danleigh Borman made an early push for Rookie of the Year after scoring two goals in two games. Borman was drafted in the first round of the 2008 MLS Supplemental Draft. Jeff Parke led the defense in Osorio's 3–5–2 formation.
Superstar forward Jozy Altidore left the Red Bulls to sign a six year deal with La Liga club Villarreal CF for a record $10 million transfer fee, the highest for any American soccer player. On July 14, American soccer star Claudio Reyna retired from the team. His departure left an opening for some of the Red Bulls' recent additions, including Jorge Rojas, who already had three assists under his belt, Juan Pietravallo,[18] Diego Jiménez,[19] and Gabriel Cichero. Over 47,000 tickets were sold to the July 19 game versus the Los Angeles Galaxy, which was the team's and league's season record attendance. The game ended in a 2–2 draw with goals from Dave van den Bergh and Juan Pablo Ángel.[20] The Red Bulls held the lead for most of the match, but Landon Donovan tied the game late into injury time. New signing Rojas had two assists in the game. Pietravallo also made his Red Bull debut as a substitute in the 89th minute.
The Red Bulls again played Spanish powerhouse FC Barcelona in a friendly match on August 6 before about 40,000 fans. They lost 6–2, with their goals scored by Rojas and Seth Stammler.[21] Gabriel Cichero made his debut that night.[22] On August 11, the Red Bulls defeated bitter rival D.C. United in a convincing 4–1 win with goals from star striker Juan Pablo Ángel, Mike Magee, and Siniša Ubiparipović. This crucial win kept the Red Bulls in the tight Eastern Conference playoff race, though United did maintain the Atlantic Cup for another year.[23]
Though being the last team to qualify for the playoffs in the 2008 season, the Red Bulls made an impressive playoff run, defeating two-time defending champions Houston Dynamo 4–1 on aggregate. The next week, they played Real Salt Lake in the Western Conference final at Rio Tinto Stadium in Utah. Dave van den Bergh put the Red Bulls ahead in the 28th minute. The Red Bulls stubbornly defended for the rest of the game and although Real Salt Lake hit the post three times, they couldn't find the equalizing goal. This win put the Red Bulls into the 2008 MLS Cup final in Los Angeles against MLS Supporters' Shield winners, the Columbus Crew. The Red Bulls lost 3–1, with their lone goal coming from veteran John Wolyniec in the 51st minute.
On March 19, 2009, at Qwest Field, the New York Red Bulls started the season against Seattle Sounders FC in Seattle's first ever MLS game. However, Seattle won the game 3–0, with goals coming from Freddy Montero and Brad Evans. The official attendance of the game was 32,523. The tremendous run to the 2008 MLS Cup Final also brought another competition for the 2009 schedule, the CONCACAF Champions League 2009–10. The New York Red Bulls took part in the tournament's second edition, starting in the qualifying round against Trinidad and Tobago side W Connection. The first leg of the round was held July 28, and the second leg was held August 4. But the 2009 season was the same season that the team endured in 1999. They went on a 16 game winless streak which lasted from May 8 to August 23. They also endured a 23 game winless streak on the road which dated back to May 10, 2008 in a 2–1 win over the Los Angeles Galaxy, in which they finish the season at 0–17–3 on the road. In the preliminary round of the Champions League the Red Bulls played to a 2–2 draw against W Connection. However in the second round the Red Bulls were eliminated from group play losing 2–1 at Giants Stadium. After the preliminary exit from the Champions League fans were disappointed of the team's lack of play in which some came with paper bags over their heads, others wanted the firing of then-Sporting Director Jeff Agoos. On August 21, 2009, head coach Juan Carlos Osorio resigned from his position. Assistant coach Richie Williams took over as interim coach. In his second stint as interim, Williams led the Red Bulls to a 3–2–3 record despite finishing with a league worst record of 5–6–19 (21 pts).
The 2010 season brought about a new stadium, a new head coach, and a new group of players to the Red Bulls, who hoped to dramatically improve from their disappointing 2009 season. On January 7, 2010, the Red Bulls confirmed the signing of new Head Coach Hans Backe. Not long after Hans Backe was confirmed as coach, he started to purge Juan Carlos Osorio's old signings that caused the team's 2009 season. Early on he cut Jorge Rojas from the squad, and, in one movement, goalkeeper Danny Cepero, defender (and red card record-holder) Carlos Johnson, and defender Walter Garcia were all cut from the squad while midfielder Matthew Mbuta's contract was not picked up for the 2010 season. Backe began a new approach by signing more European players (mainly Scandinavian or Eastern European) instead of the South American and Central American players that are usually sought after in MLS.
With Backe as head coach, the Red Bulls went undefeated in their 2010 preseason including the first ever match at Red Bull Arena against Santos FC of Brazil, which the Red Bulls won by a score of 3–1. In this preseason game, newly signed midfielder Joel Lindpere became the first player to score a goal in Red Bull Arena. The Red Bulls carried this form into the first MLS match at Red Bull Arena against the Chicago Fire by winning 1–0 with the lone goal coming from Joel Lindpere. A week later, the Red Bulls defeated the Seattle Sounders 1–0 at Qwest Field in Seattle, breaking a 27 game road winless streak.
Former French international Thierry Henry signed with the Red Bulls on July 14 as a designated player.[24] Upon arrival in New York, Henry announced his retirement from international football. On August 2, the Red Bulls signed their third designated player, Mexican international Rafael Márquez. The signing of Márquez established the Red Bulls as the first MLS team to have three designated players. With these new additions, the Red Bulls improved further and clinched first place in the Eastern Conference for the first time since 2000. New York also set an MLS record for best one season improvement, finishing with 51 points after having just 21 points the previous year. Despite the impressive turnaround, the season ended in disappointment for the Red Bulls. The Eastern Conference Semi-Finals saw the Red Bulls fall to the San Jose Earthquakes. The season's Most Valuable Player was named Joel Lindpere.[25]
Prior to the 2011 season the Red Bulls strengthened their roster with two signings from their academy, three foreign transfer signings, and the drafting of six players. The Red Bulls played their first pre-season match against Atlante F.C. in February 2011. Hans Backe then announced that Thierry Henry would be the captain for the 2011 season, and Rafael Marquez would play center defense with Tim Ream.
The Red Bulls opened the 2011 season with a 1–0 win against the Seattle Sounders followed by two draws with the Columbus Crew and the Houston Dynamo, respectively. The second win of the season came against the San Jose Earthquakes in which newcomer Luke Rodgers contributed two goals and Thierry Henry opened his 2011 scoring account after a 690 minute long goal drought.[26] The following week the Red Bulls dominated arch-rivals DC United in a 4–0 win with Thierry Henry finally proving that he is still an efficient goal scorer after being heavily criticized by fans prior to the San Jose match.[27] The Red Bulls won a 5-0 match against Toronto FC; one of the only wins among a slew of draws and losses in two months of play.[28] The Red Bulls exited the US Open Cup in the quarterfinals with a 4-0 loss against the Chicago Fire.[29] The loss drew much attention due to head coach Hans Backe's absence and his decision to send a reserve squad with assistant coach Mike Petke. This resulted in a protest by the supporters groups of the South Ward during the Red Bulls draw against FC Dallas.[30] On July 16 the Red Bulls signed veteran goalkeeper Frank Rost to a designated player contract, making him the 3rd DP on the team and potentially ending the Red Bulls' goalkeeping woes.[31] The Red Bulls participated in the 2011 Emirates Cup in London on July 30 and the 31st. They beat Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 with a goal by the Estonian midfielder Joel Lindpere.[32] The following day the Red Bulls played Arsenal FC to a 1-1 draw, giving them enough points to win the tournament. The Red Bulls are the first MLS team to participate and are only the third individual team to win the Emirates Cup after Hamburger SV and Arsenal FC.[33]
During the team's first seasons, the MetroStars had solid black or solid white jerseys, before switching to a home jerseys featuring red and black vertical stripes (similar to those worn by Milan). Since the Red Bull takeover, the team has worn a predominantly white jersey with red trim, and a prominent Red Bull logo.
The team plays its home games in Red Bull Arena, in Harrison, New Jersey, which opened for the 2010 MLS season. Previously the team played at Giants Stadium, where they had played their home matches from 1996 until the end of the 2009 season. The stadium was located in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority (NJSEA) owned Giants Stadium along with the Izod Center and manages New Meadowlands Stadium. The team's headquarters are located in Harrison, New Jersey.[34]
On November 16, 2007, Red Bull announced that it had purchased full ownership of the project of building a new stadium for the club in Harrison. Red Bull built the stadium without taxpayer money. The team moved to the new soccer-specific stadium, Red Bull Arena, in Harrison located directly across the Passaic River from Newark, New Jersey for the 2010 season. The new stadium has a 25,189 seating capacity.
On March 20, 2010 the Red Bull team played an exhibition game against Santos FC in a 3–1 inaugural win. The first MLS league game took place in the new venue on March 27, 2010 with a 1–0 win over the Chicago Fire, the lone goal coming from Estonian international Joel Lindpere.
New York had plans to build a permanent training center in Hanover, New Jersey[35] The team currently trains at Montclair State University.[36]
A variety of supporters clubs and groups have grown around the team since its inaugural year. The first of these was formed in 1995, prior to the inception of the team itself, as the Empire Supporters Club. In February 2005 a second supporters' group took the name MetroNation. After the purchase and rebranding of the team by Red Bull in 2006, MetroNation renamed itself the Raging Bull Nation as a sign of its continued support for the club. The same year saw the creation of the New Jersey based Garden State Supporters. The groundbreaking for Red Bull Arena in 2007 saw the birth the Kearny Army, a supporters group from the surrounding neighborhoods. The 2010 season's influx of personnel with a Scandinavian background led to the creation of the Viking Army Supporters Club. Among remaining lesser known supporters clubs are the Cobra Kai Metro Firm, Sparta Metro Firm, The Cheeky Booshmen, Hub City Hooligans, and The First Row Idiots.
Red Bull New York has designated some sections of Red Bull Arena as supporter specific. These included sections 101 for the Empire Supporters Club, 102 for the Viking Army, 105 for the Kearny Army and section 133 for the Garden State Supporters. Sections 133, 101, and 102 are collectively known as the "South Ward."[37]
The Red Bulls' main rival is D.C. United, against whom they compete for the Atlantic Cup. The New England Revolution and the Philadelphia Union are also rivals of the Red Bulls. These rivalries arise out of geographic proximity and as a reflection of longstanding rivalries between New York-area teams and other teams in Washington D.C., Boston, and Philadelphia. The Red Bulls also have a burgeoning rivalry with the Los Angeles Galaxy which has heated-up in recent years, including a post-match brawl between the players after a playoff match.
Red Bulls matches are televised by MSG and MSG Plus. Some matches will also be telecast by Fox Soccer Channel, and ESPN2 (and ESPN2HD). Joe Tolleson (play-by-play) and Tommy Smyth (analyst) were the original announcers. Derek Rae and JP Dellacamera followed as play-by-play announcers. As of 2010, Steve Cangialosi (play-by-play) and Shep Messing (analyst) are the MSG/MSG Plus announcers.
All matches are broadcast in Spanish on WADO or WQBU radio announced by Ernesto Motta and Robert Sierra.
As of January 3, 2012.[38]
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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This list shows players who played for the team in official 2011 MLS Reserve Division games, but are not part of the senior roster. Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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This list of former players includes those who received international caps while playing for the team, made significant contributions to the team in terms of appearances or goals while playing for the team, or who made significant contributions to the sport either before they played for the team, or after they left. It is clearly not yet complete and all inclusive, and additions and refinements will continue to be made over time.
| Year | Reg. Season | Playoffs | Open Cup | CONCACAF Champions League |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 3rd, East | Quarter-Finals | Did not enter | Did not qualify |
| 1997 | 5th, East | Did not qualify | Semi-Finals | Did not qualify |
| 1998 | 3rd, East | Quarter-Finals | Semi-Finals | Did not qualify |
| 1999 | 6th, East | Did not qualify | Round of 16 | Did not qualify |
| 2000 | 1st, East | Semi-Finals | Semi-Finals | Did not qualify |
| 2001 | 2nd, East | Quarter-Finals | Round of 32 | Not held |
| 2002 | 4th, East | Did not qualify | Quarter-Finals | Did not qualify |
| 2003 | 3rd, East | Quarter-Finals | Final | Did not qualify |
| 2004 | 3rd, East | Quarter-Finals | Round of 16 | Did not qualify |
| 2005 | 4th, East | Quarter-Finals | Round of 16 | Did not qualify |
| 2006 | 4th, East | Quarter-Finals | Quarter-Finals | Did not qualify |
| 2007 | 3rd, East | Quarter-Finals | Did not qualify | Did not qualify |
| 2008 | 5th, East* | Final | Round of 16 | Did not qualify |
| 2009 | 7th, East | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Lost in Preliminary Round |
| 2010 | 1st, East | Quarter-Finals | Round of 16 | Did not qualify |
| 2011 | 5th, East | Quarter-Finals | Quarter-Finals | Did not qualify |
* – Qualified for MLS Cup playoffs as wild card in Western Conference playoff bracket.
MLS regular season only, through 4 November 2011
| Year | Reg. Season | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 23,898 | 14,416 |
| 1997 | 16,899 | N/A |
| 1998 | 16,520 | 11,686 |
| 1999 | 14,706 | N/A |
| 2000 | 17,621 | 15,172 |
| 2001 | 20,806 | 12,817 |
| 2002 | 18,148 | N/A |
| 2003 | 15,822 | 10,211 |
| 2004 | 17,194 | 11,161 |
| 2005 | 15,077 | 10,003 |
| 2006 | 14,570 | 14,570 |
| 2007 | 16,530 | 14,165 |
| 2008 | 16,967 | 11,578 |
| 2009 | 12,229 | N/A |
| 2010 | 18,441 | 22,839 |
| 2011 | 19,691 | 22,663 |
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