photo courtesy of New York Red Bulls facebook page

Tim Cahill did it again! With a late game goal, the New York Red Bulls held onto their first place in the Eastern Conference. Sunday’s early game on ESPN against the LA Galaxy was touted as a clash of two giant teams. It was a nice follow-up to the early morning Premiere League game where Arsenal held onto their place in the league. But the NY v. LA game was anything but blue skies and sunshine…

photo courtesy of New York Red Bulls facebook page

The first half had the Galaxy dominating the game and creating plenty of chances but New York’s defense was up for the challenge. Both teams were putting in the work. NY’s Juninho, Cahill and Thierry Henry worked hard at making plays happen but those chances never found their mark. Espindola tried to get a slow roll past LA’s Carlo Cudicini but it was an easy catch and both teams headed into the half still at 0-0. Don’t think that the Galaxy didn’t have a remarkable attempt from Robbie Keane with a curling free kick that was reminiscent of the now retired, David Beckham.

photo courtesy of NYRB’s facebook page

Both teams came into the second half locked and loaded to make things happen. With the rain falling, it seemed that the Galaxy couldn’t gain their footing. The 61st minute had Landon Donovan launching one from just outside the 18 but his attempt at the far post goes over the crossbar. Some great passing from New York still couldn’t get through LA’s defense. Fan favorite, Dax McCarty was brought on in the 77th minute. With the clock ticking, some were wondering if we would have the game ending nil for both teams. That would change in the stoppage time goal for the man we’ve started calling, King Cahill.

photo courtesy of NYRB’s facebook page

This is New York’s fourth game in a winning streak that had Jamison Olave being named Man of the Match. The New York Red Bulls will have another chance to pick up three points when at home when they play the Columbus Crew.

The clash of the two MLS powerhouses is usually nothing short of entertaining. Every time these two teams meet the stars align and things fit perfectly. You would think since this is the only meeting of these teams this season it would be exciting. Except today; today’s game was kind of boring. From LA Galaxy’s perspective today’s game was a tough one; they had to play without their driving force Mike Magee. Magee is suffering from an ankle sprain that kept him out of the lineup. LA had a chance to win it, and looked like they would until New York Red Bulls’ Tim Cahill took it away. At least Cahill is on my fantasy team…

First half was interesting. In the 10th minute LA Galaxy’s Juninho had to be subbed out because he had a right shin injury. This plus the absence of Magee proved to be a difficult challenge for the midfield. They could not serve the ball into the box or make the critical passes that needed to be made. New York started breaking LA down piece by piece.

In the 28th minute NY strung together a string of passes that put LA in a hole, and Cudicini tried to save the day but FAILED, and as all hope was being lost AJ DeLaGarza came to the rescue and cleared the ball off the goal line. This is not the first time Cudicini has made a mistake like that, in the first two games he was off his line every two seconds. I thought he had moved passed that stage, but apparently he hasn’t. Even though NY had most of the possession LA still had a great chance on goal in the 40th minute.

Robbie Keane took a free kick that people deemed “David Beckham worthy”, it was good but NY’s keeper made the save to keep the score level 0-0 as the teams headed into the half.

Second half LA opened up their play, and took control of the game. In the 61st minute Donovan had a crack at goal, but shot it just over the bar. LA had shot after shot, but just could not finish. In the 87th minute Robbie Keane had a chance to take it home for LA, but his header was just wide. As time was winding down and three minutes of stoppage time were added, I was feeling good about LA coming away with a draw. Then, low and behold in the 91st minute Tim Cahill gave New York the goal they needed to steal the three points.

I can’t explain to you how annoying it is when the keeper yells at the other players like it is their fault. Cudicini did just that to Marcelo Sarvas, and it wasn’t even Sarvas’ fault! The ball was in the 6-yard box, which everyone knows is the keeper’s box and the keeper should get ANY ball that comes that close to goal… but no, Cudicini just stood there and gave away three points. Annoyed was an understatement. It was ridiculous, and something that hadn’t happened to LA in four games. UGGGHHH. As the final whistle blew NY had topped LA 1-0, and came away with the three points. On this three game road trip LA only came away with three points, disappointing but still not as bad as zero points in three games!

LA’s next game will be May 26th against Seattle.

In other LA Galaxy news, it was announced earlier this week that Frank Lampard was staying at Chelsea. This opened up tons of questions on who would be LA’s third DP. Many think they should get a midfielder who has a service that is near the accuracy of Beckham’s, because LA has been missing that. Other people think the third DP should go to Omar Gonzalez because if not, then LA could lose him next year. All of this is just speculation on things to come; I’ll keep you guys updated as things progress!

photo courtesy of New York Red Bulls facebook page

They came, they saw…and they conquered. And while I must admit that I didn’t watch the game – oh come on, I just realized I don’t have an MLS Live account and my cable provider doesn’t have MSG+. We are a series of unfortunate events here but what I can say is that the Twitter feed for @NewYorkRedBulls gave me life. You must be thinking right about now – so how is she going to do this? How can Danielle even talk about the game when she only followed on Twitter? Very carefully, my darlings…

I mean it wasn’t a perfect game with the late goal from Montreal’s Marco Di Vaio in the 91st minute but no one is going to talk about that because we’re all still talking about Theirry Henry’s 45th minute textbook perfect bicycle kick as evidenced here:

See what I mean? Perfection. And when Thierry Henry is on fire like this, well it is just natural that Tim Cahill has to follow suit in the 88th minutes because it feels like the guys are playing this “one for me, one for you” game that I’m clearly falling in love with every week.

It’s worth noting that the Montreal Impact really did try to breakdown NYRB’s defense on their home field but it never really seemed to work for them. Jonny Steele worked hard at creating chances early on but once again, was not able to penetrate the Impact’s defense. The Red Bulls would lose Peguy Luyindula early on with a hamstring injury that would bring in Fabian Espindola early on. This is just what the Red Bulls needed to start putting pressure on Montreal until that beautiful goal from Henry had New York one over the Impact going into half time.

photo courtesy of New York Red Bulls facebook page

The heat was on when both teams came back from the break. Player changes from both sides As head coach, Mike Petke would later say, “I don’t have much to say, to be honest with you. Four in a row, five out of six, I’m never satisfied. I think when we possessed the ball, when we had a purpose going forward, when we had options off ball movement I think we showed how dangerous we could be. Naturally when you go up a goal you get pinned in. There a very good team, a lot of quality, but I think we defended again for about six games now strongly and they did their job.” No doubt, New York is still sitting atop the Eastern Conference after tonight.

It definitely was fun to have midweek games – even if a few of us are not fans of them. Some of us get busy and lob off Midweek Muscles on our editors while others have commitments for dinner parties and all things involving cake and cocktails…but who am I kidding? I love the Red Bulls and cannot wait to see what else this team has to offer. There is still no word on when Luyindula will be back to play and we are still missing your favorite and my #1 crush, Dax McCarty. I have suddenly lost my train of thought but I promise you this…New York is definitely the one to beat these days.

You can catch the Red Bulls when they take on New England Revolution on May 11th…this is a road game for the Red Bulls and we know how well they are playing those lately. The game will be televised on MSG and yes, I will be watching this time.

It was an ugly game but someone out there had to have loved it. Tim Cahill’s blast in the 80th minute sealed the victory over the Columbus Crew on Saturday.

Tim Cahill’s got this (photo courtesy of NY Red Bulls Facebook page)

On a day where games were given Star Wars themes by MLS (as a Star Trek fangirl, I personally shook my head at this one…and do not get me started on “Revenge of the Fifth” – I rest my case with this silliness).

But Crew supporters would not be laughing at this game and instead would look at NYRB as Death Star while others, like myself, would dub Tim Cahill ‘The New Hope.’ See? It sounds silly.

But you know what wasn’t a laughing matter? The almost PK for the Crew.

New York Red Bulls traveling supporters (Photo courtesy of New York Red Bulls Facebook page)

The first half of the match left much to be desired for both teams, with the Crew earning their fair share of plays. The Crew’s own Federico Higuain did his best to test New York’s defense but each time, the ball sailed high above the net. It was plays like this that would keep New York’s defense on their toes through the entire first half. Tim Cahill had his own chance from a right wing feed that was dummied from Jonny Steele only to have it sail into the stands.

The second half had both teams come out hungry for a goal. Brandon Barklage would take a bad tackle on the Crew’s Eddie Gavan. With a penalty kick given, it was up to goalkeeper, Luis Robles to come up big. He would read Higuain’s stutter step and kept New York safe this time. “He was huge for us, even aside from the penalty save, which was unbelievable,” Petke said. “Robles was big, he was commanding in the box, and he controlled the tempo of the game at times which is huge for a goalkeeper.”

Tim Cahill would thank Luis Robles for his efforts in keeping the Red Bulls in the game. In the 80th minute, Cahill would take a ball from Andy Gruenebaum’s chest and take control. He would head in a goal and out of the keeper’s reach, netting his third goal in two matches. They don’t call him King Cahill for nothing.

NYRB Goalkeeper Luis Robles coming up big (Photo courtesy of New York Red Bulls Facebook page)

“I mean, three in a row, very, very happy about that,” Petke said. “We played against a good team today and I think defensively we did some very good stuff, exactly to our game plan.” With the teams 4-1 run the last five games, they now sit at the top of the Eastern Conference (which is likely to change but if the Red Bulls keep playing this way – just maybe, this could be their year…for what you ask? Well,  I think you already know the answer to that question but it’s all still early…and yet, October is not that far away).

And in head coach, Mike Petke’s words, “While it probably was not the most beautiful game to watch at home, I could care less; it’s three points.” The Red Bulls are home for a midweek game against the Montreal Impact and we will see if the road games will translate to wins at home for New York.

Ughhhhhhh.

Since this weekend’s Major League Soccer games were themed with Star Wars, I think I can compare the Columbus Crew’s loss to the New York Red Bulls yesterday to the “Empire Strikes Back.”

You know, after the amazing win against D.C. United at home, where Jairo Arrieta, Federico Higuain and others were hailed as heroes (think ending to the first Star Wars movie, “A New Hope”), the Crew went into Saturday’s match with a bit of confidence. They hadn’t lost at home yet, and all they needed to do was keep Thierry Henry quiet and score a goal or two.

Higuain lines up to take a shot yesterday against New York Red Bulls. Photo courtesy of Columbus Crew Facebook page.

However, just like in “Empire Strikes Back,” all hell breaks loose and then ending makes you kind of feel like crap.

The Crew really didn’t have that bad of a game. It wasn’t exactly something to write home about; honestly, it could barely keep my attention. However, as I said, it wasn’t a bad game for Columbus. Personally I think they looked very good. Nice runs, nice possession, nice defending… the team just couldn’t finish.

The biggest glaring example of not finishing would be the penalty Higuain missed in the second half. Eddie Gaven was taken down in the box and gave the Crew the opportunity to get the lead. Higuain stepped up and stutter-stepped the shot. But NYRB keeper Luis Robles saw right through the Argentinean’s trick and made a strong save. Like the evil Empire in the second Star Wars film, it seemed like Robles couldn’t do a thing wrong yesterday. He had five amazing saves to keep his team in the match.

Then, New York got lucky in the form of a header from Tim Cahill that hit the back of the net. The Crew pushed hard to the end, but the equalizer would not materialize.

Look, I’m not going to lie. The play from Columbus was good and promising. But the out come of this game sucked! First of all, the Crew were at home and they – along with the fans – expected the win. Second, the way they played was deserving of a win. The defense was able to shut down Henry effectively and still make runs on goal. They have 15 attempts at goal to New York’s mere seven.

But that’s the way soccer goes. Some times you win the battles. Some times the opposing team gets the best of you against the play. The important thing is to come back fighting for the next round.

Hopefully the Crew’s final home game of a three-game streak will be more like “Return of the Jedi;’ a crazy plan that gets a bit hairy, but ultimately the good guys win and bring peace back to the universe.

And a winning Columbus team at Crew Stadium is definitely good for my universe.

Yes, today is Valborg – what’s that you say? Well, its a Swedish celebration that welcomes the start of Spring and getting loaded for much of Sweden. They have bonfires and well, it’s just a good old fashioned time with friends. But that’s not what this post is about. What is that you say? Did I hear right? Is it our favorite ginger’s birthday? Why yes! 26 years ago today, the world got a little more brighter when Dax McCarty was born. And now for some really awesome photos of Dax being Dax. Enjoy!

 Really, Dax is in here. He’s just in Ninja stealth mode.

Ok, so this isn’t a photo of Dax…and more like a photo of his BFF 5ever, Heath Pearce…but I swear Dax is in this photo…squint to see the pretty. He’s there.

Dax? We’re getting there…

If only Dax would be invited for peace talks with Syria…I’m sure that if he can handle this Frenchman – he can handle anything.

Ah, yes…here he is…the party has officially started!

Move over, Pontius…here he comes strolling into the game…yes, his hair is making its own dramatic entrance…and maybe the ball is going through some Star Wars style moment of its own but let’s just enjoy this for now.

Here is Dax with “Clark Kent.” They must be exchanging numbers…fashion ideas…goal scoring plans…the possibilities are endless!

Just a few birthday shout out’s for Dax from twitter…oh HP3, you’re too funny. And we agree that Dax is the cutest redhead ever…well, besides Annie and Pippi Longstocking and Chucky.

But, let’s show you why we love Dax in one perfect gif…

…yeah, *ring ring* USMNT, you have a warrior banging on the door…let him in.

Happy Birthday, Dax! We thought about sending you cake and champagne…but we kind of celebrated for you at 10 a.m. xoxo

With just a little over 20,000 in attendance at BMO Field in Toronto, the New York Red Bulls pulled a win on the road. Both goals were courtesy of Tim Cahill (39th, 89th) with Toronto answering with their own equalizing goal in the 65th minute from Jonathan Osorio.

The Red Bulls held most of the possession in the first half with Toronto struggling to hold their game together and never really had a shot on goal.

This was enough for New York to take the lead late in the first half with a fiery run from Roy Miller that sent the ball to Thierry Henry and finally landing at the foot of Tim Cahill. The ball would not be wasted as it was buried into the box by Cahill (or King Cahill as the fans have started to call him).

With Red Bulls in the lead, Toronto must have regrouped in the locker room because they came back recharged and ready to battle. New York continually held their line when Toronto started to take more possession and while this has been an issue in the past, it didn’t look like the Red Bulls could lose their lead. It would be a late challenge on  goalkeeper Luis Robles and a dead ball situation (which has plagued the New York in the past). A failed punching attempt and Toronto sub, Jonathan Osorio would equalize in the 83rd minute.

With the clock running down, Tim Cahill was not going to let the team go down. Thierry Henry would feed the ball to him and just like he has done so many times before in his professional career around the world, King Cahill headed the ball in for New York’s victory. This would seal their second win on the road.

The Red Bulls were missing both midfielders Dax McCarty (right quadriceps injury) and Juninho (suspension) on Saturday.  It is unclear when Dax will be back with the team but one thing is for certain – the Red Bulls are creating some noise of their own on the East Coast.

The New York Red Bulls will have another road game on May 4th at Crew Stadium when they take on the Columbus Crew. The game will be televised on NBC Sports.

That was the sound of a win. After the midweek loss to Sporting Kansas City, the New York Red Bulls were not about to be held down and it showed by the 4-1 scoreline against the Revolution. The first eight minutes had three goals; Dax McCarty in the fourth minute, Brandon Barklage in the sixth minute (own goal) and Fabian Espindola in the eighth minute).

photo courtesy of New York Red Bulls

New England wasn’t sitting back though; sure they had that early own goal but they never really seemed to get back in it after the early goals. Players gave their best shot but never really got the chance to secure anything solid.

And that was enough for Thierry Henry (82nd minute) and Johnny Steele (89th minute) to get two goals late in the game by the Rev’s goalkeeper, Bobby Shuttleworth.

photo courtesy of New York Red Bulls

The Man of the Match this time around was Dax McCarty, once again proving that he gets work done and is not afraid of getting physical. Some cautions were given this game to NE’s Kalifa Cisse for collision with McCarty in the 35th minute, that had Dax slow to get up but still able to play on.  NY’s Luis Robles was given a yellow for time wasting in the 78th minute. Thankfully, no reds were given in this game after Juninho picked up one late in the game against Sporting Kansas City’s Jimmy Nielsen midweek, who was up to his antics once again last night during the LA Galaxy match but the ref in that game pretty much told him to play on.

photo courtesy of New York Red Bulls

And before we leave you this week, the above photo is courtesy of the Red Bulls facebook page. RBNY donated merch sales from Saturday’s game to The One Fund Boston (OneFundBoston.org). The MLS Anthem, heard in Arenas throughout the league as players enter the pitch, was replaced by The Standells’ “Dirty Water,” a song that has a direct tie to Boston sports, specifically played after every Red Sox victory at Fenway Park.

During a training session before the game, headcoach, Mike Petke was quoted as saying, ”It’s very reminiscent of 9/11, in the sense that 9/11, the world was – everybody was a New Yorker. Now, after this happened, everybody’s from Boston. It’s true. And I expect that when they come here and the starting lineups are announced, they’re out on the field, that we’re going to give their players a nice round of applause.” It certainly did feel like we were all from Boston this week.  Supporters and fans alike for all teams across the league showed their support for Boston teams by giving a moment of silence for the victims and those lost before the games.

New York will meet Toronto FC at BMO Field April 27 with the game being televised on MSG.

Sporting Kansas City walked into Red Bull Stadium and made it their home last night…once again. Both teams need to stop meeting like this, really. An early goal in the 13th minute by Aurelian Collin was all they really needed to hold down the Red Bulls for the rest of the game. SKC proved once more why they haven’t lost in this meetup since 2011. They know what to do to control the game and how to disarm Thierry Henry.

photo courtesy of NY Red Bulls Facebook Page

Red Bulls head coach, Mike Petke stated, “That’s a good team we played. Kansas City are a very good team – on both ends of the ball.” Petke would go on to say, “We knew it wasn’t going to be an easy game.”

What game is ever easy for New York? Ah yes, how could we forget the win against DC United, now if only that had translated to another win last night – we would all be so happy today.

This game did give us highlights on both teams and the future of the USMNT with performances from SKC’s Matt Besler and NYRB fan favorite, Dax McCarty. Matt held his own against Thierry Henry and was able show why he’s getting called up for the National Team. We also saw that when Costa Rica’s Roy Miller is in good form – he can be dangerous when he connects with his teammates. The Red Bulls are still a work in progress but can do great things when they communicate.

Juninho was being Juninho last night which was safe to say that no matter how hard he tried to feed the ball – it still didn’t translate to a goal. The Brazilian would have a late game meltdown and end a banner night in a bad way. SKC’s Jimmy Nielsen was slow to a dead ball in extra time, Juninho jogged over to the ball and took a shot to the Danish keeper’s chest, sending Nielsen to the floor. Juninho earned a red and will be unavailable for Saturday’s match against New England.

NYRB for Boston

The game while frustrating did have a special moment when supporters unveiled a banner for the victims of Monday’s Boston Marathon bombing. Players and coaches from both teams also wore armbands in tribute for victims. It was a heartfelt reminder for those in attendance of the tragedy but also a reminder to fans and supporters that all teams could stand together in these sad times.

An NYRB player wears an armband supporting Boston Marathon victims

We did see an injury early on for Jamison Olave with Heath Pearce subbed in to play. Head coach, Mike Petke downplayed Olave’s injury, we will see if he’s back in the lineup when New York takes on the Revolution this weekend on ESPN.

Follow the writers of Aerys Soccer on Twitter at @AerysSoccer and like our page on Facebook for morning headlines, story updates and more!

Okay, so this week I get to step back up to the plate and put together a worthy Midweek Muscles posts. I have some big shoes to fill in the absence of Danielle and I’m just hoping at this point to not disappoint.

So, Major League Soccer has grown in leaps and bounds over the years. And not in just the quality of players, stadiums, etc. The coaches’ dress code for games has seen a great improvement in the last few years, thanks in part I think to the fine coaches we’re getting on the sideline. We’ve already featured the dapper Mr. Olsen, so I thought for this edition, we could go a little north and check out New York Red Bulls’ man in charge, Mike Petke.

Now, Mr. Petke is one of those “I used to be a player but now I’m coaching them” guys. He was a defender first for the MetroStars from 1998 to 2002. He did stints with DC United and the Colorado Rapids before coming back to New York as a Red Bull. It was announced in 2012, after he had served as the team’s assistant coach, that Mike would take over as head coach.

Which means, there’s not a lot of pictures of this defender showing off the abs. But there are tons of him looking pretty fine in a suit and sweater vest. Enjoy!

Make sure to look for Mike and his dapper suits and sweater vests on the sidelines during New York Red Bull matches this season. And check back with Aerys Soccer every week for a new Midweek Muscles post!