Good afternoon! A dreary, cold day here in the NYC metropolitan area. That said, it's perfect football weather (ha, ha!). The Red Bulls, or (more accurately) the Red Bulls reserves, will be in US Open Cup action today, at The Cathedral of Football, against the always tough to beat New England Revolution. The Red Bulls, still reeling after getting crushed in San Jose this past Saturday, will be looking to get back to winning ways. The Revolution are coming off a tough, unlucky loss against Columbus this past Saturday, and are only bringing 14 players (including 2 keepers) to Red Bull Arena. Also, and fortunately for us, Red Bulls killer Shalrie Joseph will not be taking part due to his well documented problems (take all the time you need, dude). With all that in mind, let's get to some predictions:
The great Matt Conroy (aka Who Shot Sam) has this for us:
The Red Bulls will bounce back from Saturday’s defeat with a 3-0 win over a depleted New England Revolution team. Goals from Conor Chinn (he just scores goals), Sinisa Ubiparipovic and Tony Tchani. New England barely has enough guys to fill the subs bench, so I don’t see them having enugh to get a result here.Well, that's very optimistic from Matt, with a 3-0 being just shy of a goleada. I, on the other hand, am not that optimistic. I would say the Revolution was very, very unlucky to not get anything from their game at Columbus this past weekend. If they put out most of the players that took part in that game, I'm thinking the Red Bulls reserves will not have an easy time of it. As Big Apple Soccer reminded me today, the Red Bulls haven't been able to defeat New England in 15 games (0-8-7). That said, I'm going to throw caution to the wind and predict a Red Bulls win, but just barely, at 2-1.
Homebrew Tim has this for us:
With our Red Bulls reeling from a loss, this Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup qualifier takes on a little more importance. Tchani proved last time that a good performance here can lead to more time with the regular starting XI and hopefully the rest of our Backe-ups are hungry to earn the same recognition. Reports from New England are that they are traveling tonight with only 14 players due to their badly injured squad. Add to all of this that our reserves are simply better than theirs and I think we get back on track tonight.Last, but not least, the great You Suck Corrales has this for us:
Our Red Bulls looking to regain its focus, and a New England team just looking to get out in one piece on a chilly, rainy evening at the Cathedral, I see a 3-1 victory by the New York Red Bulls.
I believe we’ll win 2-0, with goals from Chinn and Tchani. If we go with the same lineup as the last Open Cup game (against Philly), we should have no problems. I saw the last New England game against Columbus and they threw that one away in RBNY 2009 fashion. It really should be no problem.Wow! Another optimistic prediction from YSC, which is not a shocker in itself. The real shocker here is that he didn't predict a 4-0 as he usually does. We'll have our usual drunken videos and pics from this game, so check back in the coming days for them.
A few other tidbits:
As in the last Open Cup game, the Bulls Corner Pub/Restaurant and the Club Seats Lounge will be open to all Season Ticket holders:
For all Season Ticket Holders who will be attending this match, the Bulls' Corner and the Club Seats Lounge will be open to the general public starting at 6:30 pm. The Bulls' Corner will be a full-service bar & restaurant, while the Club Seats Lounge will offer bar service only.If you can't make it to the match, the Red Bulls will be streaming it live starting at 7:55pm. Please click here for the direct link.
If the Red Bulls defeat the Revolution today, they'll take on the Colorado Rapids in the next round on May 26th (8pm). This match will also be played at Red Bull Arena.
Another reminder that The Red Bulls will be doing their part for Joe Vide at this coming Saturday's game against the Sounders. That's Joe pictured above, in MLS action against New England, from back in 2007. As you may (or may not) know, Joe was stricken with Hodgkin’s disease and his considerable medical expenses are going to be out-of-pocket. I implore all Red Bulls fans who will be attending Saturday's game to donate or participate in the game-worn jersey raffles. If you can't make it, please donate at:
www.thefriendsofjoevide.org.
That's all for now. The Big Viper is outtahere!
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