Red Bulls Head to Florida

After participating in their first week of training at the Giants Stadium Practice Bubble, the 2008 MLS Cup Finalist New York Red Bulls traveled to Bradenton, FL Monday morning for their first preseason trip. The Red Bulls will return to the New York/New Jersey area on Feb. 14.

During their time in Florida, the Red Bulls have three scheduled scrimmages: Feb. 4 versus U.S. U-17 Men’s National Team (10 AM), Feb. 7 versus Kansas City Wizards (10 AM) and Feb. 13 versus Toronto FC (3 PM). This is the first time that the team has trained in Bradenton for preseason since Feb. 2006.

NEW YORK RED BULLS SCHEDULE (Feb. 2-Feb. 8)
Please contact a member of the Red Bulls Communications Staff if you have any requests or questions.

This Week’s Schedule (subject to change):
Monday, Feb. 2: Arrive in Bradenton, FL
Tuesday, Feb. 3: Training in Bradenton, FL at 10 AM and 4 PM
Wednesday, Feb. 4: Red Bulls vs. U.S. U-17 Team in Bradenton, FL at 10 AM
Thursday, Feb. 5: Training in Bradenton, FL at 10 AM and 4 PM
Friday, Feb. 6: Training in Bradenton, FL at 10 AM and 4 PM
Saturday, Feb. 7: Red Bulls vs. Kansas City Wizards in Bradenton, FL at 10 AM
Sunday, Feb. 8: Training in Bradenton, FL at 10 AM and 4 PM

INJURY UPDATE:
– Forward Oscar Echeverry and goalkeeper Terry Boss are currently rehabbing from their respective knee surgeries last year.
– Midfielder Seth Stammler, who underwent knee surgery at the end of the 2008 regular season, is with the team in Florida. He is expected to start a running program this week.
– Defender Andrew Boyens underwent surgery on Wednesday, Jan. 28 to repair a fractured left forearm suffered during the team’s playoff run. The forearm had not fully healed in the offseason and the team’s medical consultants suggested that he should have the surgery so that it would be 100-percent by the time the season started. Boyens will be able to do non-contact activities, but is not expected to fully train with the team for 3-4 weeks.
– Midfielder Luke Sassano traveled to Florida but is nursing a high ankle sprain that he originally suffered in the Houston playoff series last year. Sassano played through the pain on the team’s run to the MLS Cup Final. He is expected back in 2-3 weeks.
– Midfielder Michael Palacio has been experiencing pain in his surgically repaired knee. He will be back in a week.

2008 IN REVIEW: The Red Bulls return to the field after their most successful postseason to date. After qualifying for the MLS Cup Playoffs for the sixth-straight season, the Red Bulls made a magical run as the eighth seed, defeating two-time defending champion, the Houston Dynamo (4-1 on aggregate), and Real Salt Lake in the Western Conference Final en route to their first MLS Cup Final. The Western Conference Champion’s run ended at The Home Depot Center in Carson, CA, when it fell to the Columbus Crew, 3-1. Forward John Wolyniec scored the lone goal for the Red Bulls.

There were several highlights to 2008:
–        In his first year at the helm, head coach Juan Carlos Osorio became the first man in club history to lead the Red Bulls into the MLS Cup Final. Osorio garnered a 10-11-9 record in the regular season before guiding New York to a monumental upset series win over Houston and an away victory at Real Salt Lake in the Western Conference Final.
–        Forward Juan Pablo Angel continued his goal scoring panache in his second year in MLS, finding the back of the net 14 times despite missing over a month in the first half of the season due to lower back and hamstring injuries. The 2007 MLS MVP Finalist has accrued 33 goals in just 47 games for New York, which is third all-time in club history and most for any MLS player in the past two years (D.C. United’s Luciano Emilio is second with 31). Angel, who scored two goals in the Red Bulls’ playoff run, enters 2009 nine regular season goals shy of breaking Giovanni Savarese’s club record.
–        In net, the Red Bulls return two capable goalkeepers who impressed in 2008. Goalkeeper Jon Conway earned a starting role and played the team’s first 28 games of the season – a career-high. After Conway was suspended by MLS for the remainder of the season, second-year goalkeeper Danny Cepero stepped between the posts and in his debut, became the first goalkeeper to score a goal in a crucial 3-1 win over the Columbus Crew on Oct. 18. Cepero then backstopped the Red Bulls’ playoff run, allowing just one goal in three games en route to the MLS Cup final.
–        The Red Bulls return a number of key veterans who were crucial to the team’s playoff run, including defenders Kevin Goldthwaite, Chris Leitch and Andrew Boyens, midfielders Seth Stammler, Carlos Mendes and Jorge Rojas, and forward John Wolyniec, who was the first player in club history to score a goal in the MLS Cup Final. In addition, youngsters Dane Richards, Luke Sassano and Sinisa Ubiparipovic – players who started in all four of the Red Bulls’ playoff games – return to New York.
–        The Red Bulls went 9-3-3 at Giants Stadium for the second-straight season.

THE REMAINING PRESEASON SCHEDULE: Here is the rest of the Red Bulls training schedule prior to their home opener on March 19.

2009 NEW YORK RED BULLS PRESEASON SCHEDULE

Feb. 2 – Team travels to Bradenton, FL, for training (practice schedule/matches TBD)
Feb. 14 – Team returns to NY/NJ area
Feb. 20 – Team leaves for Argentina (practice schedule/matches TBD)
March 9 – Team returns to NY/NJ area
March 19 – Red Bulls at Seattle Sounders FC at 9 PM ET (TV: ESPN2, ESPN Deportes)

BULLS KICK OFF ’09 RUN AGAINST SOUNDERS: The 2008 MLS Cup Finalist New York Red Bulls announced their 2009 30-game MLS Regular Season Schedule, which begins on Thursday, March 19 when the Red Bulls open the MLS season and face expansion club, Seattle Sounders FC, at Qwest Field at 9:00 PM ET (TV: ESPN2, ESPN Deportes). A full schedule with dates and times can be found at www.newyorkredbulls.com.

Kicking off the season with three of their first four games on the road, the Red Bulls return to Giants Stadium on April 18 at 7:30 PM to face Real Salt Lake in a rematch of last year’s Western Conference Final. Eight days later, the Red Bulls take on Luciano Emilio and D.C. United in the first of two meetings between the Atlantic Cup rivals at 3:00 PM at Giants Stadium.

New York will have a four-game homestand in the month of May, highlighted by visits from American forward Brian Ching and the Houston Dynamo (May 16, 7:30 PM) and Mexican star Cuauhtemoc Blanco and the Chicago Fire (May 24, 3:00 PM). In their only home match in the month of June, the Red Bulls welcome Designated Player Freddie Ljungberg and Seattle Sounders FC for the first time to the Meadowlands (June 20, 7:30 PM). Less than a month later, former Red Bulls Sporting Director and head coach Bruce Arena makes his return against his old club when the Los Angeles Galaxy visits Giants Stadium on July 18 at 6:00 PM.

The Red Bulls will start a five-game homestand in August. On Aug. 30 at 6:00 PM, the Red Bulls host reigning MLS MVP Guillermo Barros Schelotto and the Columbus Crew in a rematch of the 2008 MLS Cup Final. At the end of the homestand, the Red Bulls will battle I-95 foe, New England, for the third time in 2009 in a Friday night showdown at Giants Stadium (Sept. 18, 7:30 PM). New York will face rivals New England and Toronto FC three times in 2009 and will play every other MLS team twice (home and away).

The Red Bulls will appear four times on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes, six times on Fox Soccer Channel and five times on TeleFutura.

IN AND OUT: The Red Bulls have several new faces on their team in 2009 as well as others who departed in the offseason. Here is a list:

New Players (5):
Jeremy Hall (Selected in the first round (11th overall) of the 2009 MLS SuperDraft on Jan. 15, 2009)
Dominic Oduro (Acquired in a trade with FC Dallas on Jan. 13, 2009)
Mike Petke (Acquired in 2008 MLS Waiver Draft on Nov. 26, 2008)
Jack Traynor (Selected in the second round (29th overall) of the 2009 MLS SuperDraft on Jan. 15, 2009)
Nick Zimmerman (Selected in the third round (44th overall) of the 2009 MLS SuperDraft on Jan. 15, 2009)

Players who have left (7):
Gabriel Cichero (Waived on Nov. 26, 2009)
John Gilkerson (Did not return to team after 2008 season)
Diego Jimenez (Returned to Tecos after loan expired with New York on Dec. 31, 2008)
Gordon Kljestan (Waived on Nov. 26, 2009)
Mike Magee (Traded to the Los Angeles Galaxy on Jan. 14, 2009)
Jeff Parke (Selected by Seattle Sounders FC in 2008 MLS Expansion Draft on Nov. 26, 2008)
Sainey Touray (Waived on Nov. 26, 2009)
Dave van den Bergh (Traded to FC Dallas on Jan. 13, 2009)

The Red Bulls must trim their roster to 24 players (between 18-20 senior roster players and the rest developmental) before the start of the season. Last year, each team was allowed a 28-man roster (18 senior, 10 developmental).

ACADEMY SQUADS ALSO IN BRADENTON: The New York Red Bull U16 and U18 Academy teams are in Bradenton, FL, as they arrived on Thursday, Jan. 29 to train at IMG Academy as part of the teams’ preseason camp.

The weeklong camp will continue the teams’ preparation for the upcoming U.S. Development Academy league season, which will kick off for both teams on Feb. 7 against Baltimore Bays at NJIT.

The Academy teams will also spend some time training alongside the Red Bulls First Team.

“This is another way that the Academy is integrating with the First Team,” said U18 head coach Paul O’Donnell. “(Red Bulls head coach) Juan Carlos (Osorio) observed Academy sessions this past weekend, which gave him a chance to see the talent that is coming through the Academy and hopefully into the First Team in the near future.”

In addition to focused training sessions and interaction with the First Team, the U16 and U18 teams will play a series of scrimmages against local opponents.

“This training week is a key part of our preparation for the season,” O’Donnell stated. “We will have a week of training with no issues of cancellation because of the weather that we have up here in the northeast.”

2009 SEASON TICKETS ARE ON SALE: New York Red Bulls 2009 season tickets are on sale now to the general public through the Red Bulls front office and team website (www.newyorkredbulls.com). By becoming a season ticket holder – a Red Bulls Member – in 2009, fans will be assigned a Priority Number for the seat relocation process which will guarantee each Red Bulls Member a seat in the Red Bulls new 25,000-seat soccer-specific stadium — Red Bull Arena, under construction in Harrison, New Jersey. Red Bulls Members with a Priority Number will have the first chance to pick their seat locations at Red Bull Arena based on their number. To purchase 2009 season tickets, please call 1.877.RBSOCCER or log onto www.newyorkredbulls.com.

As a Red Bulls Member, fans receive a ticket to all 2009 Red Bulls Matches, including playoffs, a Priority Number for Red Bull Arena, Members-only access to the Bulls’ Corner Pub both pre-game and post-game, a Ticket Exchange Program for unused tickets, invitations to exclusive Meet the Team Day Events, a RBNY hooded sweatshirt made by adidas (one per seat on account), access to the Red Bulls priority purchase windows for select international matches at Giants Stadium and much more.   As a Bull’s Eye Member, fans receive all the same benefits, plus access to a private lounge for complimentary pre-game hospitality and a season parking pass.

Red Bull New York also announced that there will be no increase in season ticket pricing from 2008. Plus, for 2009, the Red Bulls announced a new price category – Endline Bull’s Eye seating — of which there are only 56 available seats. For just $882 per seat, a fan can sit in the front row in the East End Zone and enjoy all of the benefits of a Bull’s Eye Membership.

Pricing for Full Season Tickets for 2009 are as follows:

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