One year ago I made the trek out to Seattle to see the Red Bulls take on the Sounders in their inaugural MLS game. Buoyed by the previous season's improbable run to MLS Cup, viper, YouSuckCorrales and I were in a pretty confident mood as we enjoyed pre-match drinks at Fado's (check out viper's Seattle 2009 photo album by clicking here). Little were we to know that the putrid performance the Red Bulls put in that day was only an appetizer to the shit sandwich we would be served as the season went along.
With this in mind, it was with some trepidation that I made the trip out to the Pacific Northwest for a second consecutive year. Though the positive performance against Chicago in Week 1 made me feel confident that RBNY wouldn't embarrass themselves the way they had in 2009, a loss or draw seemed the most likely outcome against a skilled, organized Sounders side that benefits enormously from the matchday atmosphere its fans create (more on that, including videos and photos, later).
How wrong I turned out to be! Thanks to another strong defensive performance and some stellar saves by Bouna Condoul, the Red Bulls achieved the improbable, snapping their streak of road futility in one of MLS' true lion's dens.
OK so it was by no means a dominant victory, and there is still much to work on, but damn did it feel good to open the Seattle Times this morning at the airport and see the image above staring back at me. This result has to be a massive shot in the arm for the team. It sure as hell was for me!
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