NEW YORK RED BULLS vs TORONTO FC
GIANTS STADIUM, E. Rutherford, N.J.
Oct. 24, 2009 (WEEK 32) / MLS Game #219
7:30 p.m. ET (MSG2; GolTV Can.)
The curtain will come down on a slice of soccer history when the last game is played at Giants Stadium as the New York Red Bulls take on Toronto FC. It's the final match in a 14-year run for the New York club, which moves into its new Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J. to start next season. Toronto FC comes into the match in an almost must-win situation if they are to reach the postseason for the first time in club history, one of four teams tied on 39 points for the final spot in the MLS Cup Playoffs.
REFEREE: Alex Prus. SAR (bench): Paul Scott; JAR (opposite): Jason Cullum; 4th: Chris Penso
MLS Career: 157 games; FC/gm: 28.4; Y/gm: 3.3; R: 35; pens: 44
INJURY REPORT: NEW YORK RED BULLS - OUT: DF Kevin Goldthwaite (adductor surgery); FW John Wolyniec (L ankle surgery); DF Carlos Mendes (hip surgery) ... TORONTO FC - OUT: MF Carl Robinson (facial bone fracture); DOUBTFUL: DF Marvell Wynne (quad); QUESTIONABLE: FW Fuad Ibrahim (groin); GK Stefan Frei (dislocated finger)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS:
FINED NEXT YELLOW CARD: NY: Danleigh Borman, Dane Richards ... TOR: Chad Barrett, Jim Brennan, Dwayne De Rosario, Nick Garcia
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (8 meetings): Red Bulls 3 wins, 11 goals ... Toronto FC 4 wins, 11 goals ... Ties 1
AT GIANTS STADIUM (3 meetings): Red Bulls 2 wins, 6 goals ... Toronto FC 1 win, 3 goals ... Ties 0
•: Toronto FC have won the last three meetings between the clubs, the last encounter last season and the first two this year.
•: After the Red Bulls won the season series in Toronto FC's first year of existence, the teams split last year, each winning on the other's home ground. The third meeting, at the Meadowlands, was a draw.
•: The Red Bulls had won the first two meetings at Giants Stadium before last year's season series finale.
•: Coaches record: Chris Cummins v NY: P2 W2 L0 D0 ... Richie Williams vs. TOR: first game
THIS SEASON (MLS):
6/13: TOR 2, NY 1 (Cronin 3; Dichio 43 - Celades 54)
6/24: TOR 2, NY 0 (Vitti 28; De Rosario 59)
•: The teams met twice within an 11-day span, both games at BMO Field, in a consecutive-game series for TFC though the Red Bulls had a home game against Seattle in between.
•: Toronto FC claimed a 2-1 victory on June 13. It took TFC just three minutes to open the lead through somewhat bizarre circumstances. Seth Stammler fell on the ball in the area, hitting it with his arm, and the penalty kick was awarded. Red Bulls 'keeper Jon Conway parried Amado Guevara effort from the spot, but TFC rookie Sam Cronin was first to the rebound and knocked it in for his first professional goal.
•: The Reds were two goals to the good two minutes before the break. Pablo Vitti was nearly sprung alone on goal with a long pass up the middle, but Conway was quickly off his line to clear the ball away. Yet it went only as far as Danny Dichio, who knocked the ball into the empty net.
•: Nine minutes into the second half the Red Bulls pulled a goal back. The ball was hooked off the endline high back to the top of the area where Juan Pablo Angel laid it off for Albert Celades, and he cut inside a defender before coolly sliding it home for the Red Bulls' first goal on the road in 684 minutes this season.
•: But New York could get no closer and lost for the 20th consecutive regular-season match on the road, an MLS record, surpassing the mark set by Real Salt Lake.
•: Then on June 24, TFC claimed a 2-0 victory. Wearing pink shirts to benefit the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, the "Reds" took the lead in the 37th minute. Nana Attakora sent a high ball into the area and as Red Bulls goalkeeper Danny Cepero hesitated coming off his line, the ball bounced high into the air then Pablo Vitti outjumped the 'keeper to nod a looping header into the net, his first goal since coming to MLS.
•: TFC doubled their lead just before the hour mark. From the right touchline, Chad Barrett chipped the ball over the Red Bulls into the area, and Dwayne De Rosario got to it first, flicking it high over Cepero first-time and into the goal for his fifth goal on the season.
•: Here's Cummins' team (4-4-2): Stefan Frei - Nana Attakora, Nick Garcia, Adrian Serioux, Jim Brennan - Amado Guevara, Sam Cronin, Carl Robinson, Dwayne De Rosario (Marco Velez 86) - Chad Barrett (Danny Dichio 64), Pablo Vitti (Fuad Ibrahim 75). Substitutes Not Used: Brian Edwards, Gabe Gala, Emmanuel Gomez, O'Brian White
•: Here's Osorio's team (4-4-2): Danny Cepero - Jeremy Hall, Andrew Boyens, Carlos Mendes (Sinisa Ubiparipovic 65), Alfredo Pacheco - Nick Zimmerman, Luke Sassano, Seth Stammler, Jorge Rojas (Khano Smith 81) - Juan Pablo Angel (Dane Richards 46), John Wolyniec. Substitutes Not Used: Jon Conway, Macoumba Kandji, Matthew Mbuta, Juan Pietravallo
NEW YORK RED BULLS
The New York Red Bulls play the last-ever soccer game at Giants Stadium, their last match a 2-0 loss to Real Salt Lake on Oct. 14 at Rio Tinto Stadium. The Red Bulls have 18 points from 29 matches on the season, sitting in eighth place in the Eastern Conference.
LAST MATCH
•: Real were coming off back-to-back losses to Houston and Dallas that had dealt their playoff bid a serious blow, while the Red Bulls were on a four-game winless run as they tried to avoid becoming the third team in MLS history to gone an entire season winless on the road.
•: RSL dominated the chances throughout but just couldn't break through, until the 80th minute. Freed down the right flank, Robbie Findley sped down to the edge of the penalty area before putting in a cross that fell to an unmarked Andy Williams crashing the back post, and he sidefooted home a volley for his second goal of the season.
•: Then in the 90th minute, Fabian Espindola corralled a loose ball at the left edge of the penalty area, cut inside across the top of the box and curled a magisterial shot past Red Bulls goalkeeper Danny Cepero high inside the right-hand post to put the game away.
•: Red Bulls interim head coach Richie Williams made three changes to the team that lost 1-0 to the San Jose Earthquakes on Oct. 3. Danleigh Borman came into the back four, Albert Celades back into the midfield and Danny Cepero started in goal, with Juan Pablo Angel injured, Luke Sassano on the substitutes' bench and Bouna Coundoul on international duty.
•: Here's Williams' team (4-1-3-2): Danny Cepero - Carlos Johnson, Andrew Boyens, Mike Petke, Danleigh Borman (Ernst Oebster 87) - Seth Stammler - Jeremy Hall (Matthew Mbuta 82), Albert Celades, Sinisa Ubiparipovic - Dane Richards, Macoumba Kandji. Substitutes Not Used: Walter Garcia, Leo Krupnik, Caleb Patterson-Sewell, Luke Sassano, Nick Zimmerman
•: "From the backs to the forwards I thought everyone worked very hard and competed," said Williams. "But it's hard to defend for 90 minutes. We couldn't hold on to the end of the game."
TEAM NEWS
•: The loss meant the Red Bulls became the third team in MLS history to go undefeated on the road, joining the 2003 Los Angeles Galaxy (0-9-6) and 2005 Real Salt Lake (0-14-2).
•: Their two points on the road this season matches the all-time low in MLS (done also, coincidentally, by RSL in 2005). The Red Bulls' road winless streak has now reached 26 games (0-19-7) since a 2-1 win at the LA Galaxy on May 10, 2008.
•: "I thought we did well over the course of the game to limit their dangerous opportunities," said goalkeeper Danny Cepero. "And I thought the defenders did well to block shots and win head balls. We knew [Salt Lake] were going to bring the heat, and we knew it was important to bring guys back, and in general defend first."
•: The Red Bulls were also without striker Juan Pablo Angel to injury, leaving their attack shorthanded after the loss of John Wolyniec to season-ending surgery.
•: "We were a little bit shorthanded," said Williams. "We put Dane [Richards] up there tonight, which isn't really his natural position. But whoever we put in, we just need to do better in the final third."
•: Saturday's game will be the final MLS game at Giants Stadium, as the club moves into Red Bull Arena next season. Of the original stadiums of Major League Soccer, only RFK Stadium will still be home to a team in 2010, D.C. United (the New England Revolution play in a new stadium at the site of their original Foxboro Stadium).
•: "We're just trying to improve each game, and this was a big one for us because we wanted to get our first road win of the year," said Jeremy Hall. "We have one game left and hopefully we can play spoiler against Toronto and leave our fans with a win going into next season and into our new stadium."
TORONTO FC
Toronto FC kept alive their dreams of a first-ever trip to the MLS Cup Playoffs, making the game's only goal stand up in a 1-0 win against Real Salt Lake on Saturday afternoon at BMO Field. TFC has 39 points from 29 matches, in a four-way tie for eighth place overall and the final playoff spot.
LAST MATCH
•: Real Salt Lake had all but ensured their playoff chase would remain intact to the final weekend with a crucial 2-0 win at home against New York at midweek, ending a three-game winless run. Toronto FC was coming off back-to-back draws, in the second a stoppage-time leveler scored by San Jose.
•: Amado Guevara had rattled a free kick off the bar and RSL's Kyle Beckerman cleared a shot off the line in the first 45 minutes, then the game's lone goal came in the 48th minute.
•: Chad Barrett split a pair of Real defenders after latching on to a through ball, but 'keeper Nick Rimando was able to parry his shot. But Jim Brennan was able to turn it back goalward with his right foot, the ball slipping past an RSL defender and just inside the post for the all-important winner.
•: TFC interim head coach Chris Cummins made two changes to the team that saw the San Jose Earthquakes hit for a late equalizer in a 1-1 draw the weekend before at BMO. Emmanuel Gomez came into the back line for Nick Garcia and Amado Guevara returned from international duty, in place of Lesly Fellinga.
•: Here's Cummins' team (3-4-1-2): Brian Edwards - Emmanuel Gomez, Nana Attakora, Adrian Serioux - Sam Cronin, Amado Guevara, Julian de Guzman, Jim Brennan - Dwayne De Rosario (Lesly Fellinga 84) - Chad Barrett (Amadou Sanyang 73), O'Brian White (Ali Gerba 90). Substitutes Not Used: Ben Dragovan, Gabe Gala, Nick Garcia, Pablo Vitti
TEAM NEWS
•: After conceding a stoppage-time equalizer to San Jose the week before, and having allowed an MLS-high 15 goals in the final 15 minutes of games, TFC was happy to protect the one-goal lead down the stretch against RSL.
•: "It felt a lot like last week and games in the past," said goalkeeper Brian Edwards. "But we were able to keep a high line, we were able to get out, connect passes and get behind them a couple of times. We put pressure on them instead of just sucking it up for 20-30 minutes. Everybody dug in, blocked crosses, it was just a total team effort."
•: It was the second consecutive solid outing for Edwards, who hadn't played at all this year until Stefan Frei's finger injury kept him from playing last week. Cummins said it was "a nice problem" to have when it comes to determining who still start vs. New York if Frei is healthy.
•: "Eddie's more dominant at coming out for crosses and Stef is an outstanding shot-stopper. You put the two of them together you have a world-class 'keeper," Cummins said. "The two of them are going to be in the game a long, long time. They threw everything at us, the kitchen sink if you like. Eddie's come up with some massive saves for us today, he's been outstanding."
•: Brennan was finally able to score at home - his previous three MLS goals had all come away from BMO Field - and also find the back of the net with his unfavored right foot.
•: "The way it fell, I had to take a swing at it with the right foot because I couldn't put it on the left. I was fortunate it kind of bounced at the right, but I don't care how it goes in as long as it goes in," Brennan said. "All my goals always seem to be on the road, so I'm happy. I said to my wife I can't wait for the day I score at home, and I'm glad it was today."
•: The result meant TFC will see their bid for a first-ever playoff spot come down to the final weekend - and as the first of the four teams on 39 points to kick off, once again some anxious waiting and scoreboard watching.
•: "I just said to the lads there it's three points [today]. We're not in the playoffs yet," Cummins said. "We've still got next week and if we don't perform next week then today has been for nothing, as such. We must be professional and get back-to-back wins to get into the playoffs."
