The New York Red Bulls traveled to Arizona for the second leg of their preseason on Monday. Across three matches in four days, the Red Bulls failed to post a win, drawing in the Reto Del Sol and losing both matches in the Desert Diamond Cup.
The Desert Diamond Cup round-robin tournament began on Wednesday, and the first day of play saw New York open in Tuscon against Real Salt Lake. Coach Hans Backe chose to utilize a side of mostly reserves, with midfielder Mehdi Ballouchy wearing up the captain's armband. With both teams starting youthful sides, the first half saw back-and-forth play, with NY goalkeeper Jeremy Vuolo making some key stops and impressing fans. RSL coach Jason Kreis opted to bring on most of the first team shortly into the second half, and New York's inexperience quickly showed. Salt Lake's Paulo Jr. notched the only goal of the game, heading in a Fabian Espindola cross in the 75th minute.
The following day, the first team was brought out for the "Reto Del Sol" friendly in Phoenix against Mexican side UNAM Pumas. Thierry Henry was paired up top with Kenny Cooper for the first time, and while both sides generated many chances, the game ended in a frustrating 0-0 draw. Cooper could have put the game away in the closing minutes on a beautiful pass from Dax McCarty, but he got tied up on a defender and could not convert from within the six yard box.
Saturday night, the team was again in Tuscon for their second Desert Diamond Cup match, this time against the New England Revolution. Despite no looming friendly the following day, Backe again chose to run with reserves (and three guest players), while New England fielded their first team from the start. The Bulls held together until late in the second half, when the Rev's first round draft pick Kelyn Rowe picked up a brace in the span of seven minutes of play. The 2-0 loss leaves the Red Bulls as the only team in the tournament who has not yet picked up a win.
Frustrations with Kenny Cooper's pace during the Reto Del Sol match brought one question to many fan's lips: what's going on with Luke Rodgers? The seemingly endless drama regarding his visa status may be coming to an end, as GM Erik Soler told the NY Post that a meeting is scheduled at the London embassy in early March. Soler identified that "a very minor issue, nothing do to with the police or anything" caused the visa complication. One fan decided to take matters into their own hands, starting a petition to the State Department asking for a visa.
The Red Bulls (1-2-3 in the preseason) remain in Arizona this week, facing Los Angeles on Wednesday and, barring a wild change in fortunes, a spot in the Third Place Match on Saturday.
Add the French to the list of summer matches coming to the NYC area. Jack Bell of the Times reported Saturday that the French Super Cup, held between the Ligue 1 champion and the French Cup winner, will be played at Red Bull Arena on Saturday, July 28th. The match has been played outside of France for the last three years.
