When: Saturday 15 May 2010
Where: Red Bull Arena, Harrison NJ, USA
Final Score: Red Bulls 0 – 1 Sounders (Montero ’85)
Question: What do Eintracht Frankfurt, Real Zaragoza and Fiorentina have in common? Answer: They’re all teams I have ‘adopted’ as clubs to follow in foreign leagues after having developed some kind of connection or affinity with the cities in which they’re based.
Now you can add NY Red Bulls to that list too.
I have been to 2 MLS games and both have featured the team from the Big Apple, and they were 2 matches full of contrasts. In July 2008 I saw the Red Bulls take on David Beckham and LA Galaxy, in front of 46,754 fans in Giants Stadium. This time the teams took to the field at Red Bull Arena in front of 17,900 fans. Where the match in 2008 felt like a bit of a circus, this match felt more like a ‘proper’ football match and not only because of Red Bulls’ new soccer specific stadium. The crowd was made up of genuine football fans, rather than the bandwagon jumpers who turned up in 2008, cheering goals scored by both sides and expecting Goldenballs to dominate matches like Maradona.
Considering the low attendance, there was a good atmosphere at the stadium. The ESC (Empire Supporters Club) behind one of the goals was the most vocal group and they kept going for the full ninety minutes. The literature they hand out before the game states that they combine the passion of South American fans with the commitment of European fans and the wit and spontaneity of their British counterparts. I was impressed with the noise they generated, especially the drum based sounds (although it woulld be fair to say they have a distance to go before developing the British terrace wit).
Also impressive was the fact that 100 or so Seattle fans had made the arduous trip across the entire breadth of this huge country to support their team.
And luckily for them their trip was worth it. In a match low on goal-mouth action, it was the Sounders who provided what little quality was on show.
After the match I listened to the 5-live world football phone-in, in which Sean Wheelock said that Red Bulls coach Hans Backe is a former protégé of Sven-Goran Eriksson. With hindsight I thought it made a lot of sense, Red Bulls’ performance bore remarkable resemblances to Sven’s England 2006 World Cup Vintage. Defensively they were fairly solid. Probably their best 2 performers were the 2 centre backs, Todd Ream and local hero Mike Petke (coming up to 300 appearances for the club). Offensively, however, they were very one dimensional. Too often they were let down by a lack of ideas or poor technique in the final 3rd.
Seattle were marginally the better side and deserved their narrow 1-0 win. They were able to move the ball about with a lot more fluency, thanks to a more flexible 4-2-3-1 formation. The movement of the front 3 (Sanna Nyassi and Steve Zakuani on the wings, Brad Evans at centre-forward) enabled Freddie Ljungberg (playing in the hole behind Evans) to pick out passes and slip them in behind the defence. Ljungberg was my man of the match. He was a dominant force in the playmaker role and could have come away with a goal to his name were he not violently chopped down on the edge of the area by Danleigh Borman in the 1st half. Remarkably no foul was given and Borman didn’t receive his marching orders.
For me, the most poignant moment of the match came in the 14th minute as fans held aloft cards showing the number 14. It was a gesture of solidarity to Joe Vide, an ex-Red Bull who was recently diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Despite 3 years of pro top flight football, Vide hasn’t got enough in the bank to fund his own health treatment (those Brits who like to knock the NHS should thank their lucky stars they never got sick in the States).
Those connected (whether it be fans, players or club officials) with Red Bulls, along with DC United and San Jose Earthquakes (his other former clubs) are trying to raise funds to ease Vide’s financial burden and help him get the treatment he needs.
Having been brought up on a diet of Premier League football, it is almost inconceivable for me that somebody who played professional football for 3 years is unable to pay for urgent medical treatment. It seems like a whole different world. A premier league player could pay Joe’s full treatment and barely notice the funds leaving their account. Of course it is highly unlikely that will happen. But if you’re reading this and feel compelled to make your own small contribution, you can do so at the website of the friends of Joe Vide.
Geoff Edwards
Geoff Edwards is a football-mad Englishman who fell in love with a German girl, moved to Germany, and then fell in love with German football (much to the chagrin of said German girl). He can be found most Saturdays in German pubs watching ‘Bundesliga Konferenz’ or at home, looking for creative ways to follow Everton FC on the internet.
Thanks Geoff – an excellent incite to how things are going across the pond. Things seem to be going in the right direction but in the same breath they have a long way to go.
I think the South American community have a lot to say about the future of US football and it would be great if they could establish a presence in the country, especially in the North where you mention the NY Red Bull's attack was very one dimensional.
I hope to get to NY this summer so hopefully I can provide an end of season report on them!
Posted by Steven Jones | 19 May, 2010, 21:52Steve, have fun in NY! Re South America, I heard that Miami Fusion failed as a franchise because they didn't engage with the Hispanic community. Red Bulls seemed to be doing that, with all stadium announcements in English and Spanish, the programmes were also bilingual. Deeper than that I'm not sure what they're doing though.
I was surprised to learn afterwards that Red Bulls are a lot higher in the league than Sounders, watching the match I would've thought the opposite. Maybe it was just an off day.
Posted by Geoff Edwards | 22 May, 2010, 21:58Hey Geoff,
Don't know where you heard that bit about the Fusion but as a Fort Lauderdale resident, I can tell you it isn't true.
While the club did attempt to appeal to both the Latino and Anglo markets in South Florida, the nucleus of the club was Hispanic.In fact, the club's leading scorer, the Colombian Diego Serna, just retired from FC Miami, which plays its football in the Division 2 NASL conference. In its final season, the Fusion almost captured the MLS title led by that sublime Sideshow Bob look-a-like, Carlos Valderrama.
What did them in was a combination of having to compete with 4 professional teams in a fickle sports market and the brutal summer humidity that kept many fans away. From mid June to mid September, the meat of the MLS season, the humidity is never lower than 90%, even at night. In an open air stadium, it is very uncomfortable to sit and sweat for 2 hours, that is, if the heat isn't interrupted by a sudden thunderstorm. The baseball Marlins have the same problem, which is why they are building a new stadium.
If you remember Steven's article about the issues MLS faces in its eventual (one hopes) growth, the North American climate is a thorny problem when it comes to maximizing attendance at clubs. The winter is too harsh to play through in the north and the summer too hot and humid in the southeast.
Posted by mpalazzotto | 22 May, 2010, 22:37Martin, I stand corrected! I think I heard that on the World Football phone-in but I can't remember exactly. Did they have a lot of Hispanic fans too?
I'll read Steve's article again. I forgot to mention in my last comment (or the article) that it was good to see a lot of young people in the stadium, especially kids. I think attracting young fans must be one of the keys to growth.
I was also impressed to hear on the phone-in that Toronto FC regularly sell out their matches and have waiting lists for season tickets. Do you know how they've managed it?
Posted by Geoff Edwards | 22 May, 2010, 23:15