In anticipation of the excitement of a potential repeat appearance in the MLS Cup Final, our very own “TNT” offers this thoughtful restrospective to get us back in the mood . . .

Before we preview the Red Bulls’ 2009 season, it’s important to reflect back on 2008 which was a roller coaster ride of highs and lows not unlike each of the preceding dozen years of this MLS franchise.  Distinct from past seasons, however, New York capped off 2008 with a gutsy, improbable playoff run that led to the team’s first ever participation in MLS Cup.  While the Red Bulls lost 3-1 in the final to the Columbus Crew, who were led by center attacking midfielder Guillermo Barros Schelotto, it was still a great season for New York.  Overall, the Red Bull fans who kept the faith were rewarded with some
memorable performances.  Congrats to the entire team on their 2008 efforts, especially to Juan Pablo Angel, Dave van den Bergh, Seth Stammler and Juan Carlos Osorio!!!

Late in the 2008 season, a playoff spot – let alone a top five MLS finish to guarantee qualification in either the 2009 CONCACAF Champions League or the SuperLiga tournament – looked increasingly unlikely.  On August 9th, the Red Bulls were tied with the Kansas City Wizards for last place in the Eastern Conference.  Three days prior, New York had played FC Barcelona in an exhibition match and suffered a 6-2 whipping.  “It’s funny, but I really think the Barcelona game helped us (sic),” Mike Magee said. “We saw how it’s played at the highest level, and it brought us together. [1]”  New York proceeded to
reel off three straight wins, starting with a 4-1 victory over DC United followed by two shutouts: 2-0 against Toronto FC and 3-0 against the then two-time defending MLS Cup Champion Houston Dynamo.  While New York had managed good wins at home (e.g., Chivas and FC Dallas) and impressive ties on the road (e.g., New England) earlier in the season, this impressive three game stretch in August was critical to saving the Red Bulls 2008 season.

But it was not always rosy.  Among the lows were injuries to key players, player transactions, league suspensions and poor performances at other critical points in the season.

Juan Pablo started the season injured.  He played less than half of the first part of the season and was visibly hampered when he did play then.  Claudio Reyna did not make the positive impact expected of a Designated Player; in his final season, he played only in parts of six games and his final game before retiring was a 5-1 loss to Chicago at home in May.  Injuries also sidelined Dave van den Bergh, Seth Stammler, Dane Richards, Oscar Echeverry and Hunter Freeman at some point during the season.

With a couple of games left in the season, the club lost starters Jeff Parke and Jon Conway for purportedly ingesting something called Jungle Warfare which contains a league banned substance.[2]   Conway and Parke had been solid and their absences suddenly thrust young Danny Cepero and Diego Jimenez, loaned midway through the season by UAG Tecos, into the spotlight; in light of these circumstances, both Danny and Diego performed admirably during this crucial period.

Play by three other of Juan Carlos’ new arrivals – Venezuelan MNT left/center midfielder Jorge Rojas, Argentinean defensive midfielder Juan Pietravallo, and Venezuelan MNT centerback Gabriel Cichero –- was perplexing as it ranged from very favorable to effective and even to very costly (e.g., turnovers, poor marking, inopportune fouls, etc.).  When New York really needed to win in late September and October – but even a tie would have considerably helped them out – the Red Bulls lost 5-4 to Colorado at home, 3-1 to Toronto at home and 5-2 to Chicago away in the last game of the season.  The play by these three amigos in these three losses was awfully disappointing and left fans woeful.  In the end, New York needed the Columbus Crew to tie or beat D.C. United on the final day of the regular season in order to qualify for the playoffs.

Under these conditions, no pundit saw how the Red Bulls could get past the Dynamo in the first round of the playoffs but New York not only did just that but did it in style with a solid 1-1 tie at home followed by a second 3-0 shutout against Houston, this time on the road.  It was a fantastic overall team effort with Dane Richards, having the best game of his MLS career in the final and deciding match and scoring a goal and setting up the other two.  Then, New York took a 1-0 lead over Real Salt Lake on a van den Bergh goal and managed to hold onto it to make it to MLS Cup.

There were many heroes in 2008.  When Juan Pablo’s health improved, he exploded with a dozen goals, despite being double and sometimes tripled-teamed, to finish the regular season with 14 – fourth best in the league – and team MVP honors.

Dave van den Bergh and Seth Stammler were also among the more valuable players with both having a handful of stellar game performances.  In training camp, Dave van den Bergh was one of the first names surfaced of players on the trading block, however, he proved himself all season long and during the playoffs at a variety of positions, carried the team when Juan Pablo was injured and finished second on the team in both goals and assists.  Seth was very effective in the midfield, played part of the season through a painful injury (before having surgery) and took home the 2008 “Heart of the Bull” Award for his overall performance on the field and interaction with the New York Red Bulls’ supporters.  Dane Richards overcame two injuries and led the team in assists.

John Wolyniec put forth his usual tireless effort but had difficulty scoring and setting up teammates until the playoffs where he had 2 goals, an assist and other contributions.  Earlier in the year, the Red Bulls traded away one of their primary offensive threats and promising young star Jozy Altidore, to Villareal.  The departure of Jozy was inevitable and the Red Bulls were wise to get significant compensation for him.

Defenders Kevin Goldthwaite, who led the field players in minutes played, Chris Leitch and Carlos Mendes performed significantly better under Juan Carlos Osorio than under prior coaches.  A number of young players, namely Andrew Boyens, Luke Sassano, Sinisa Ubiparapovic, Mac Kandji, Mike Magee, Matthew Mbuta and Danleigh Borman had important contributions during the 2008 season.

Special to note is how they came together as a team with the following twelve players standing out in the playoff run: Juan Pablo Angel, Dave van den Bergh, Dane Richards, Andrew Boyens, Danny Cepero, Kevin Goldthwaite, Diego Jimenez, Chris Leitch, Carlos Mendes, Luke Sassano, Sinisa Ubiparipovic and John Wolyniec.  It was a season to remember.  Thank you New York Red Bulls!!!

[1]  Red Bulls Turn Into Tough Team, The New York Times, Jack Bell, September 17, 2008
[2] What I learned at the Supporters Summit, The Kin of Fish blog, November 22, 2008
 
 TNT