Looks like Mr. Backe has some decisions to make come opening day in Dallas. With a surplus of forwards and central midfielders, it'll be interesting to see what formation and personnel makeup the starting XI. With so many options and possible configurations at his disposal, how will Backe manage his depth?

Richards Celebrates the Lone Goal With Teammates (Photo by Dan Dickinson)An unlikely first half header from Dane Richards that hit a goalpost before ricocheting off Faryd Mongradon's back and into the Philadelphia Union goal was, in the end, all the New York Red Bulls needed on Thursday night to punch their ticket to the 2011 MLS postseason.

Photo courtesy of MLSsoccer.com

The call

Peter Nowak: "Did you guys see the replay [of the free kick goal that was ruled offside] or not yet? I saw it, the frame. The ball is off Séba's foot already by two or three yards...All I can say is that we live in a country where you can criticize everybody, including the President and the federal government.

New York watch

Tickets are still available for tonight's game. C'mon, you know you want to go.

MLS Gameday Guide download.

Match previews from Philly Soccer Page, MLSsoccer.com, JP Dellacamera, the Inquirer, phillyBurbs.com, the Brotherly Game, Once a Metro (SB Nation NYRB blog even their name is ridiculous).

I have to admit; I've pronounced the season to be dead more than once before. But you gotta cut me some slack, I wasn't counting on the absolute ineptitude of the rest of the Eastern Conference. Thanks to their shortcomings, the Red Bulls found themselves clinging to the tenth and final playoff spot after a draw away to Toronto.

Well, here I am, once again reeling from another disappointment, trying to figure out just how to sum up yet the latest uninspired performance by New York. I swear, with all the talk of how great this team is better on paper, I propose we so all go out and cover RBA in 8 ½ x 11's on Saturday...

Just when you thought all hope was lost, New York goes out and does this. A win, honest to God, a win. For the first time since the July 6th drubbing of TFC, the Red Bulls claimed all three points and boy did it feel good. Granted, it got a bit nervy there and it wasn't the pretty display by any stretch of the imagination, but isn't that what it's all about?

Man, the past week or so has been quite kind to the Red Bulls. After Irene washed away any hopes of the Galaxy match being played, New York saw their playoff position actually improve despite not playing a single match since August 20th. As of now, New York owns the 10th and final playoff spot, sitting behind Columbus, SKC, Houston, and Philly in the East.

Do I even need to bother recapping this game? You might as well just read my last post. It meets all the requirements: disappointment, 2-2 draw, second half comeback, Ballouchy being useless... you know, the usual. Just when you think they can't draw against a crappier team, they do. The Revs, proud owners of the most anemic offense in the league, still managed to take a 2-0 lead against New York and it took a 87th minute equalizer to walk away with a point.

Another week, another disappointing performance for RBNY. Par for the course, I would say (No Backe reference intended). With the lowly Fire in town, you'd probably expect a win in front of the sell out crowd at RBA... who am I kidding, we were all pretty much expecting the worst the way things have been going lately.

Sanna Nyassi answered the question of who would score in Conor Casey's absence and delivered one of the best performances ever by a Colorado Rapids player on Wednesday night.

The midfielder-cum-forward scored three goals and got credit for an assist on the fourth as the Rapids eviscerated the New York Red Bulls 4-1 at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.

It took less than 12 minutes for Seattle to launch themselves out 2-0 in the early going. Roger Levesque played hero.
New York was without some of their bigger guns, Thierry Henry and Luke Rodgers were both out of the starting lineup as were Tim Ream and Rafa Marquez. Ream and Marquez were away on national team duty, with both their respective teams in the final.

By Neil W. Blackmon Three thoughts on a great win for the USMNT today at RFK Stadium and more broadly on a weekend that changed (for now) the complexion of this Gold Cup tournament. Mexico looked vulnerable Saturday night, despite a comeback victory. They were disorganized in the back against a Guatemalan team that only [.

Coming off the heels of a rather unconvincing (but welcomed) win against New England, the Red Bulls are off to embark on their longest trip away from the friendly confines of Harrison. First up, the rowdy crowd at JELD-WEN Field, home of the Timbers.

Thanks to an own goal and some inspiring football from Thierry Henry, New York finally snapped their winless streak and finally took home the full three points.

By Jon Levy Rarely do I have something randomly in common with both Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey on the day before a big USMNT match, but on Saturday, all three of us will be doing roughly the same thing. Dressing up, enjoying catered fare and folding chairs, and making nice with people we haven't [.

Tim Ream and Juan Agudelo both started and featured prominently in the USA's 2-0 Gold Cup win over rivals Canada last night in Detroit. Unlike Saturday's "warm-up" game against Spain in Foxboro, where he was paired in central defense with a shaky and rusty Oguchi Onyewu, this time Ream was partnered by Clarence Goodson, and the combination seemed to work well.

Jamaica Stakes Early Claim to Gold Cup Group B - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

Jamaica sent a statement Monday night that they're a force to be reckoned with in group B while popular favorite Honduras played to a less than stellar 0-0 draw against rival Guatemala Monday night at the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles.

Welcome to The Weekly Five. Each week I address a topic by presenting a list of five examples that support, oppose or simply relate to the subject.
Last month I ranked the best goals scored in April. Khari Stephenson ran out the winner with a long-range screamer for San Jose Earthquakes in their 2-2 draw against Seattle Sounders.

By Puck Alright soccer fans, if you are anything like me, you must be foaming at the mouth for the Gold Cup to finally get underway. After months speculating about the roster, we finally know what squad the US will be taking out onto the pitch. While "The greatest blog in the history of [...]

Can Backe right the ship?

The three-game winning streak of last month seems so distant now, doesn't it? For that matter, so does my last blog post, but that's neither here nor there (but apologies, nonetheless). The Red Bulls now find themselves in a precarious situation. They are no longer getting the results that seemed to come so easily earlier in the season, and the defense has been suspect to say the least.

Apparently, it can buy you damn entertaining 90 minutes of soccer, though. Throughout the week, everyone in MLS was hyping this game to be the greatest game of the year, and while hype is usually unsubstantiated, this game lived up to all the buzz surrounding the league's two marquee franchises.

I don't think I've ever been this entertained by a 1-1 draw in MLS since I started watching the league back in 1996 as a half-season ticket holder for DC United. And it's not just because that's the scoreline I predicted yesterday (because it you read me regularly, you know that's basically a fluke).

There isn't going to be very much that's pretty about today's clash between New York Red Bulls and the Los Angeles Galaxy. The Galaxy are not yet last year's fluid ball-handling team and are still experiencing drop-offs in the defensive end and the offensive third. New York had the best midfield unit in the league when you combine talent with their ability to work with one another.

Luke's aeroplane celebration... yea or nay?

Take a deep breath folks; the Red Bulls took home all three points tonight... but just barely. In a win that was very much different from the two matches that preceded it, New York played an incredibly strong first half that saw Luke Rodgers get on the board once again.

Be honest, how many of you were expecting a JPA jump-slash?

Seriously, is there anything better than going into D.C. and stomping them out? I think not. If last week's performance against the Quakes was impressive, than we need to find a new word to describe the show that New York put on in RFK.

New York heads down I-95 to PPL Park to take on the (shockingly) first-place Union tomorrow. Most teams heading on the road will usually be looking to take a point, let alone when facing a team that's at the top of the conference. But the Red Bulls aren't most teams. With the amount of talent on this team, and against a bitter rival, you'd be believe New York will be looking to send a message to the Union, and the rest of the league for that matter, by taking all three points in Chester.

After all the trade-hype eventually died down, it was time for the Red Bulls to take the field. With Dwayne De Rosario in tow, New York was looking to get off on the right foot. But the Dynamo proved that there is plenty of work still to be done during the long season that lies ahead.

Remember when I said that it was MLS Cup or bust for New York this year? Well folks, that sentiment should be felt now more than ever. Erik Soler made a huge splash this afternoon in anticipation to their clash with Houston by trading away Tony Tchani, Danleigh Borman, and a first round draft pick in 2012 for five-time MLS Best XI midfielder Dwayne De Rosario.

After it was announced that five starters from their first game against Seattle would missing on their trip to Columbus, Hans Backe was forced to put together a makeshift lineup that would severely test New York's depth. Even with all these changes, the Red Bulls still managed to get a result in enemy territory, a sign that perhaps this team has what it takes to be championship caliber.

Can TH14 be the player Red Bull paid for?

That's the label that's pretty much been put on this Red Bulls team by fans and "experts" alike (please note the quotes). With all the expectations that come with having two world-class DPs along with the addition of quality European talent, New York has no other option but to go all the way.

Dane's been the man of the moment this preseason.

The hectic preseason continued for New York as they wrapped up their final trip in Arizona this week. The only thing is, did this long preseason leave us with more questions than answers?

Last time we spoke, the Red Bulls just finished up winning against Ft.

Breaking up the Baby Bulls

Since when was MLS preseason supposed to be this interesting/frantic? Between trips to Mexico and Florida (and Arizona coming up), cuts, signings, trialists, more preseason matches than one could handle, and the recent slew of injuries, the Red Bulls have had plenty on their plate.

Well, at least I know the latter part for sure. Seriously, what the hell was Don Garber thinking? But I'm getting ahead of myself here; we still have two games to break down...

New York got its first taste of MLS competition yesterday when they took on the Chicago Fire in two separate games.

Don't stare directly into his eyes... just ask Carlos Mendes.

Holy hell, have you seen anything that terrifying in your life? I'm damn convinced that this petrifying gaze is what led to the Red Bulls squandering a 2-0 halftime lead. I think he might have broken into the locker room during the break and started wreaking havoc, terrorizing the players.

In case you were to old, too young or too tired to make last night's 11:30 pm start time here is the entire Red Bulls-Chivas match from last night. Even if you don't make it all the way through, stick around to see Dane Richards' sensational goal; nice to have that first "wow" moment of 2011 under our collective belt.

In what was truly a "game of two halves," the Red Bulls dropped the final match of their preseason trip to Mexico, losing 3-2 to Chivas de Guadalajara thanks to a late second half collapse. Dane Richards and Juan Agudelo registered two fine goals that had RBNY comfortably in front before the break, but it was a different story in the second half, especially after major substitutions resulted in Carlos Mendes playing at right back and trialist Stephen Keel replacing Marquez in central defense.

I just got a look at a few of the highlights from last night's match, and my first reaction was, "Damn, we have the best back up keeper in the league." Greg Sutton was playing out of his mind in the second half making some huge saves including a double save of a close shot and the impending bicycle kick.

With the Red Bulls down in Mexico for the beginning of their preseason schedule, New York pulled out a win in PK's over Mexican side Atlante, 4-3, after each side failed to score in the regulation 90.

Last year, the Red Bulls had an almost perfect preseason, finishing at 7-0-3. With the new look Bulls on the pitch for the first time in 2011, their undefeated streak continued.