Who thought we would see the day where a Red Bulls player trends #1 in New York, and top 5 Worldwide on twitter?

Well, it's happening.
Without a press conference or a formal announcement, viral media has provided an excellent outlet for Thierry Henry's long awaited arrival.

Mexican legend and Barcelona main stay Rafael Marquez will be joining Red Bull on a four year deal, making roughly $2 million per year according to Goal.com. Barcelona would be allowing Marquez to go off on a free loan, as they continue to purge their payroll in search of cost savings.

With Rafa Marquez, Dane Richards, Bouna Coundoul and Roy Miller all out on international duty, the Red Bulls put in a dominating performance against a strong Toronto FC team, taking three points at home, and ending their five game winless streak with a 1-0 victory last night at Red Bull Arena.

The Red Bulls start the most important week of their franchise history with a celebratory dud, taking home the Atlantic Cup while tying the inept DC United 0-0 at home.
The lineup stayed fairly consistent, with the reemergence of Salou Ibrahim up top from injury, Carlos Mendes further solidifying his spot as the teams starting center back over Mike Petke, Lindpere and Stammler manning the middle, and Ubiparipovic and Dane Richards controlling the wing play.

Last weeks uninspired performance against DC United was not only a disappointment when put into context of the weeks events, but it was also a lost opportunity for the Red Bulls to tie the Columbus Crew for first place in the East. This week, the team has a shot at redemption, and then some.

With their tie last week, and the Crews loss, the Red Bulls found themselves two points out of first place through 15 games even.

Will Juan Pablo Angel and Thierry Henry be the offensive dynamo everyone expects to see? Red Bull fans will get their first glimpse this afternoon as both are expected to start the game against Manchester City in the Barclays New York Challenge.

Currently, the second place Bulls have accumulated 18 goals through 16 games; hardly a score line to hang their hats on.

The reserve team that has been carrying the Red Bulls through the US Open Cup managed to put in a world class performance against the Italian Giants of Torino. Juventus, sporting names like Del Piero, Trezeguet and Diego in their starting lineup, could not figure out a way to beat the Baby Bulls, walking away from Red Bull Arena with a humiliating 3-1 loss.

Mere weeks ago, Macoumba Kandji was the talk of the post World Cup MLS rumor mill. Names like Manchester City, Bolton and Tottenham were pictured to be licking their chops, waiting at the gates of Red Bull Arena to pick up the wonderkind from Red Bull Arena and swoop him away to glory.

One of my favorite events of the year is rolling back into town! The Showdown in Chinatown brings the Worlds most recognized athelete's from all sports to the playgrounds of downtown Manhattan for a memorable 8v8 showdown in the name of charity.

Local legend and former Red Bull Claudio Reyna teams up once again with basketball star Steve Nash to bring the third installment of this epic event to life.

New York was all soccer yesterday, and it wasn't just about the US Men's National Team. Basking in the afterglow of the countries first place finish in the World Cup Group stage, and fighting back the blazing 90 degree heat, soccer fan's from all walks of life gathered at the Sara D.

I have been debating posting this hunk of garbage on the site for the past two days. I came to the conclusion that I can not be the only one who suffers witnessing this calamity.

You can thank me later.

Brace yourselves for soccer ignorance, at it's highest level. And kudos to Thierry Henry for not punching someone in the face.

WE REPORT, YOU DECIDE:

Did you get a strange text message today?

"You are subscribed to NYRedBulls mobile list. Be the first to learn the identity of the new DP on 7.14″

Then you are one of the lucky ones. July 14th not only coincides with the number on Henry's back; it is also Bastille Day in France (you know, that day the Eiffel Tower is lit up with fireworks?

Red Bull Marketing has gone Viral.

With the attention of the local media focused on a basketball player who never intended to call New York home, the Red Bulls have begun letting the cat out of the bag, slowly, on their French surprise.

Last week, they released the first of two "Preparing for his Arrival" videos, which has accumulated near 13,000 hits on YouTube to date.

With a torrential downpour in the forecast, you can only assume that the Atlantic Cup has arrived on the shores of the Passaic.

The New York Red Bulls are hosting a battered and beaten DC United side tonight at Red Bull Arena in the teams final showdown of the season. The Red Bulls managed to beat their longtime rivals at RFK this season; a feat that hasn't been seen in years.

Rafa Marquez. His name is legend with the Mexican fan base, rivaled only by their lovable hunchback, Cuauhtemoc Blanco. His mere presence makes latina's swoon throughout Central America and beyond. And his skill has made him one of the best holding center backs and defensive midfielders to come out of this region in decades.

While MLS and Red Bull Nation was enveloped in the long awaited announcement of Thierry Henry's acquisition, a noticeable rumbling gathered amongst the flock of reporters and management which seemed to be equally noteworthy; talk of a third designated player.

The World Cup certainly did the Red Bulls no favors. The New York side waltzed into the break riding a 4-1 record through their previous five games, and have emerged 1-2-2 in all competitions since. Had it not been for the thorough drubbing of the Wizards, the Red Bulls would have been outscored 4-1 in post tournament play.

RedBulls.TheOffside.Com would like to congratulate my favorite Kiwi, Andrew Boyens, on his selection to the All-Whites.

As I am a sucker for an underdog, I will be rooting like hell for Boyens and his squad to make some noise come this June.

"Kiwi" is pure class.

As the World Cup nears, and domestic leagues across the board wind their seasons down, some truth to long held rumors begin to scratch and claw their way to the surface.
And sometimes, it is The Sun that could have truth on their side.

Earlier in the day, the English tabloid reported Thierry Henry had come to terms on a "pre-contract" agreement to play for the New York side.

Clearly, the race is on amongst all reporters and blogger's alike to be the first to break the MLS story of this young decade: Will Thierry Henry sign with Red Bull?
You all know my speculation on the situation; in a nutshell, the deal must be happening because management has made no mention to the contrary and several sources within the team speak about the rumored signing as if it had already taken place.

What a difference three weeks make! Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, Red Bull stood alone at the top of the Eastern Conference standings, 5-1, confidently staring down at the landscape before them. Today, they are merely one game above a .500 record, with a congested two week schedule ahead of them, and no true solutions in sight.

The Baby Bulls have once again risen to the occasion, downing a veteran, first team Rapids squad 3-0 at home to earn their ticket into the US Open Cup proper.

Coach Hans Backe promised few changes to the team he featured against Juventus, and he was true to his word. Almost.

After the US Open Cup play-in victory over the Colorado Rapids, Hans Backe addressed the media in his usual postgame q&a. One question came up asking who amongst the Baby Bulls had earned their way to first team minutes.

The answer was revealing, more so for the omission than for the players named:

"Danleigh Borman was a defender on the outside and he is playing better and better as a left back.

In the Metro Bulls 15 years of existence, they have redefined the meaning of mediocrity. Manning one of the two flagship franchises for the league has done them no favors. Six winning seasons out of a possible fifteen, one finals appearance, one regular season trophy (a Western Conference championship no less), and two preseason tournament cups are all this team has to show for their efforts.

The back cover that has sparked massive debate on the pages of this blog have now been found in the Nation's most recognized newspaper.

The Red Bulletin, featuring the now infamous "100 Rumors, 50 Names, 1 Star" headline, was added as an insert to the paper's most popular edition, The Sunday Times.

As the United States Men's National Team sets off to make history tomorrow, the New York area will have extra reason to celebrate. Tomorrow, Steve Nash and Claudio Reyna present "The Showdown in Chinatown," and I've got the scoop at some of the participants one of them being from your hometown New York Red Bulls!

With the play-in stage of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Tournament finally behind them, the "Baby Bulls" look forward to the meat and potatos of this nation wide clash. First up on the list? The Harrisburg City Islanders, who will be sporting not one, but two familiar faces in their lineup.
Everyone is well aware of Danny Cepero's presence between the pipes.

Seeing Red! is breaking new ground this week, interviewing our first Red Bull player, Mr. Jeremy Hall! From the hard hitting questions (hey, what happened in Harrisburg pal?!) to the nonsensical (Danleigh Borman, ladies man?) Mark, Nat and I shoot the stuff with the Red Bulls midfielder, break down the Harrisburg game, take some e-mails and look into the future with predictions!

If you turn back the clock to this time last year, the Red Bulls began what would prove to be the most back breaking stretch of games this franchise has ever known. The goals were sparse. The midfield was barren. And the defense was nowhere to be found.

In came Erik Soler and Hans Backe.

Last week, the RBNY fan base was teased with the potential signing of a "true #10″ midfielder. Instead, they were greeted with a brick wall.

The man once described by Hans Backe as "A top player" was no longer in the books for the Red Bulls. Coincidentally enough, this pronouncement happened on the day Michael Ballack shocked everyone, signing on with his original club, Bayer Leverkusen, and forgoing what seemed to be a nice chunk of change to do so.

From the back cover of the New York Times . . .

. . . to a text that greeted everyone this morning . . .

. . . it is finally official. Thierry Henry is a New York Red Bull.

Share your thoughts below.

A year ago, there were rumblings of a potential move that would see Mexican central defender/midfielder Rafa Marquez make a switch from mighty Barcelona of La Liga to the New York Red Bulls. This year, the rumors seem to be holding more weight than ever.

(A Barcelona player of talent and class being rumored to join New York for nearly an entire year .

Thierry Henry is getting paid to score goals, and he didn't wait very long to justify the digits on his check. Giving Spurs fans a bit of a flashback, and Red Bulls fans something to look forward to, the French legend managed to find the back of the net just 27 minutes into the game.

Sorry for my two day absence. I am working on a little something which I hope to debut within the coming weeks.

The brand is expanding.

Anyhow, I want to jump into this as quickly as possible, and update everyone on the goings on around Red Bull land. So here goes . . .

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- ESPN DEPORTES REPORTS RAFA MARQUEZ SIGNS WITH RBNY.

. . . AAAAAAAAAAAAAND one more text makes it official!

Weeks in the making, the Red Bulls have finally put another "worst kept secret in soccer" to rest; Rafa Marquez is now officially a Red Bull.

Here he is speaking about his new American adventure on the Red Bulls site .

Today's announcement of the acquisition of Rafael Marquez completes the trifecta of Designated Players for the Red Bulls franchise; a first in Major League Soccer history.

Thierry Henry and Juan Pablo Angel have already demonstrated the kind of headaches they may cause teams throughout the league with their creativity, experience and striking prowess.

Wow. Not only did the tornado knock me offline this week; it seems to have dragged TMZ and the Hollywood hills here with it!
We begin with Juan Pablo Angel, who was mysteriously left off of the teams starting line up against FC Dallas. No injuries. No real explanation.

According to the Daily Mail, Luke Rodgers had his work permit denied, casting serious doubt on when or if he will ever be able to join the Red Bulls. As we chronicled earlier, he had a bit of a bar scrum not too long ago, and it wound up costing him more than the legally imposed penalty. What has been described as a "fantastic" offer for the 28 year old English striker is now in serious jeopardy.

According to Denmark's Ekstra Bladet, Brian Nielsen is the target winger that Erik Soler and Hans Backe have been hinting about the past couple of days or so. At 23, he has played on nearly all levels of his countries national team program. He was also a part of Ibrahim Salou's former team, Velje, in the countries second division.