Richie Williams must be doing something right in NY, as in just 2 games, the Red Bulls interim coach has managed to double the teams win total for the season, avoid the record for worst team in MLS history, and upset the defending MLS Cup champs (with Sunday night's 1-0 win over Columbus at Giants Stadium). All credit for the goal has to go Dane Richards (with a little help from Seth Stammler), who picked up a loose ball off of a Columbus corner kick (a ball that was loose thanks to a block by Stammler), raced it a full 50 yards, and made Brian Carroll look like a fool with a couple of nifty shifts at the top of the box, before slotting home past Crew goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum. Check out the goal---a Goal of the Week nominee---from MLSnet.com: http://redbull.newyork.mlsnet.com/media/video.jsp?content_id=6385179&team_id=t107&topic_id=t107
For the second consecutive week, the Red Bulls came out aggressive (both offensively and defensively) and really pushed the play to their opponents. While John Wolyniec was a workhorse once again up top, the inclusion of Mac Kandji in the second half really made a difference, as the young Senegalese striker and wiley veteran hooked up almost immediately after Kandji stepped on the field, Kandji setting up Wolyniec for a rocket off the post.
On a side note, Gruenebaum---Columbus' backup 'keeper---must absolutely dread playing in Giants Stadium. Last year, it was Gruenebaum who gave up the only goal a goalkeeper has scored in the MLS...scored by Danny Cepero at Giants Stadium:
Sunday, Gruenebaum didn't manage to record a single save en route to his 2nd loss of the season---only the 4th of the season for the Crew, and snapping the team's 16-game league unbeaten streak.
On one final Red Bulls note, SoccerJunkie has gotten his date for seat selection in the new Red Bull Arena---a reason to start getting excited for next year! You can check out the webcam of the new stadium, including an interior webcam showing the field installation here: http://www.earthcam.com/clients/redbullarena/
The summer transfer window has closed, and it certainly ended with a bang for Portsmouth... The south coast club, under the new ownership of Sulaiman al-Fahim (the man behind the takeover of Manchester City by the Abu Dhabi Group, though he has since split from them), brought in 3 new players on this final day: Watford centerback Mike Williamson (for around 3 million Pounds), Benfica midfielder Hassan Yebda (on a season-long loan), and their marquee signing, Manchester City centerback Tal Ben-Haim (for approx. 4 million Pounds). Just as these players were on their way in, equally as many were on their way out, including David Nugent (on a season-long loan to Burnley) and midfielder Niko Kranjcar to Tottenham. Kranjcar figures to fit right in as a replacement for his teammate on the Croatian National Team, Luca Modric, who was lost for 6 weeks to a broken leg in the weekend's win over Birmingham.
The move of the day has to go to Everton, who has signed Athletico Madrid (and as well Holland international) centerback Johnny Heitinga for 6.2 million Pounds (although the deal could rise as high as 7 million Pounds depending on performance). The oft-injured Heitinga will replace Joleon Lescott, who has sealed his move to Manchester City (thus freeing up Ben-Haim for his Pompey move)---even taking on Lescott's now-vacant #5 jersey. If Heitinga can remain healthy, this move (in addition to the purchase of Sylvan Distin from Portsmouth last week) should help Everton sure up what has been a horrendous defense so far this season.
The US returns to World Cup qualifying Saturday night, hosting El Salvador at Salt Lake's new Rio Tinto Stadium, before heading to Trinidad for a midweek match. While the top 4 teams in CONCACAF have begun to separate themselves, this next week could go a long way to boost---or hurt---the possibilities of automatic qualification for all 4 teams at the top of the CONCACAF hexagonal (the top 3 gain automatic entry to the World Cup, while the 4th-place finished plays the South American 5th-place finisher in a home-and-away aggregate playoff for a spot in South Africa). Heading into this week's games, here's how the teams currently sit:
Costa Rica 4-2-0 12 pts 0 goal differential
Honduras 3-2-1 10 pts +4 GD
United States 3-2-1 10 pts +3 GD
Mexico 3-3-0 9 pts -1 GD
El Salvador 1-3-2 5 pts -2 GD
Trinidad & Tobago 1-3-2 5 pts -4 GD
This week's matches feature:
Sept. 5th: El Salvador @ US, Trinidad @ Honduras, Mexico @ Costa Rica
Sept. 9th: US @ Trinidad, Costa Rica @ El Salvador, Honduras @ Mexico
The US, with by far the easiest schedule, needs to use these games to lock in a top 3 (more realistically a top 2 spot)...Mexico, which has the most difficult schedule, could see themselves fighting just for the playoff spot, though their recent form should make these some very interesting games.
Check back later in the week for SoccerJunkie's in-depth previews/analysis of the US matches!
No comments:
Post a Comment