The 2011 New York Red Bulls season was the club's seventeenth year of existence, as well as its sixteenth season in Major League Soccer, the top-flight of American soccer.
After a successful turnaround season in 2010, in which Red Bulls finished in third place overall before losing in the quarterfinals of the post-season tournament, the club started 2011 hoping to find consistency, make a deeper run in the MLS Cup Playoffs, and vie for the Supporters Shield. By season's end it was clear the club failed on all three fronts. Red Bulls were labeled the biggest underachievers in MLS after performing with a maddening inconsistency, struggling even to earn the 10th and final spot in an expanded playoff field, and falling again in the playoff quarterfinals.
Prior to the 2011 MLS season, New York Red Bulls manager Hans Backe declared that the club's goal for the season was to win the Shield, claiming that it was more of a test for the league title rather than the MLS Cup, which he called a crapshoot. As this goal drifted out of reach, Backe backtracked from his Supporters' Shield emphasis and remarkably blamed international call-ups due to the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup as the reason the Shield was unobtainable. New York ended the season 21 points shy of the Shield. At the conclusion of the season, Backe acknowledged that he didn't know the biennial CONCACAF tournament was being held in 2011. That lack of awareness seemed to haunt the club throughout the season, both on field and off. The average MLS regular season and playoff home attendance of the New York Red Bulls in 2011 was 20,000.
Team uniform
Month-by-Month Overview
November 2010 On November 4, due to the 2010 season ending with a disappointing home playoff loss to San Jose Earthquakes, the roster changes began immediately. The playoff loss marked the end of the careers for defender Mike Petke and midfielder Seth Stammler, each of whom had announced his retirement upon completion of the season. Petke joined the Red Bulls front office in January;Legendary New York defender Mike Petke joins Red Bulls front office New York Red Bulls Stammler pursued an MBA degree at the University of Chicago.
On November 22, the Red Bulls traded midfielder/defender Jeremy Hall to the expansion Portland Timbers in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2011 MLS SuperDraft. Two days later the 2010 MLS Expansion Draft was held but neither Portland nor fellow expansion side Vancouver Whitecaps selected an available Red Bulls player.
The coaching staff saw assistant Coach Goran Aral leave the club after one season.
Internationally, forward Juan Agudelo and defender Tim Ream each earned their first senior caps with the U.S. National Team on November 17. Playing in Cape Town against South Africa, Ream started and played 67 minutes while Agudelo came on as a 60th-minute substitute. Agudelo then scored the game's only goal in the 85th minute, winning the match and becoming the youngest scorer in U.S. Men's Team history at 17 years, 359 days.Juan Agudelo, 17, scores to lift U.S. past South Africa in friendly - ESPN Agudelo bested the mark previously held by Jozy Altidore, who also set the mark while a member of New York Red Bulls.
December 2010 The departure of captain Juan Pablo Ángel was made official when Red Bulls declined his 2011 contract option and he opted to participate in the inaugural MLS Re-Entry Draft. Midfielder Luke Sassano and defender Carey Talley also elected to participate in the Re-Entry draft when their 2011 contract options were declined. On December 15, Los Angeles Galaxy traded up in the draft order to select Ángel. On January 19 the sides agreed terms on a multi-year, Designated Player contract.
Sassano was also selected by Los Angeles Galaxy in the Re-Entry Draft but his rights were traded to Sporting Kansas City later that same day. He signed with Sporting KC on January 12, 2011. Talley was not selected and subsequently announced his retirement on January 19, 2011. Red Bulls did not select any players in the Re-Entry draft.
On December 17, the club announced a trade with Houston Dynamo in which Red Bulls received an undisclosed amount of allocation money. In return, Houston received New York's natural third-round selection in the 2012 MLS SuperDraft and the rights to defender Hunter Freeman, whom Houston immediately signed. Red Bulls had traded Freeman to Toronto FC for the last months of the 2008 MLS season even though Freeman had already agreed a pre-contract with IK Start of the Norwegian Premier League. The trade with Toronto included a provision that Red Bulls retain Freeman's MLS rights should he return to the league.
In international duty, midfielder Dane Richards scored three goals over five games to help Jamaica win the 2010 Caribbean Cup.
January 2011 The club was active in January 2011 with a number of players coming and going. The long-rumored acquisitions of Norwegian midfielder Jan Gunnar Solli and English forward Luke Rodgers were finalized on January 26 and 28, respectively. The club also signed young Brazilian midfielder Marcos Paullo, who had trialed with New York in 2010, on January 30.
Red Bulls announced the signing of two more Homegrown players from Red Bull Academy in January: midfielder Matt Kassel and defender Šaćir Hot. Kassel and Hot joined prior Academy signings Juan Agudelo and Giorgi Chirgadze on the Red Bulls roster.
At the January 13 2011 SuperDraft, the club selected Generation adidas forward Corey Hertzog in round one, English midfielder John Rooney (brother of English international Wayne Rooney) and defender Tyler Lassiter in round two, and defender Billy Cortes in round three. The following week, Red Bulls selected goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer and defender Teddy Schneider in the 2011 Supplemental Draft. Of the draft choices, Hertzog and Rooney were immediately added to the club's roster as both had already signed contracts with Major League Soccer. Lassiter, Cortes, Maurer, and Schneider were not guaranteed contracts and were invited to preseason training camp to earn a spot on the club's final roster.
On January 17, the club announced that Jan Halvor Halvorsen had been hired as assistant coach, replacing Goran Aral.
In the final week of January, the club announced that midfielder Siniša Ubiparipović and defender Andrew Boyens would not be returning to the club in 2011. Boyens signed with Chivas USA in early February.
The club announced its preseason schedule would include training stints in Cancún, Guadalajara, Fort Lauderdale, and Arizona. The list of preseason opponents included Mexico's Chivas, D2 side Miami FC, plus Chicago Fire, Sporting Kansas City, and FC Dallas of MLS.New York announces 2011 preseason travel schedule New York Red Bulls
February On February 1, MLS announced that Red Bull Arena would host the 2011 MLS All-Star Game on July 27 when the MLS All-Stars would take on perennial Premier League power Manchester United for the second consecutive season.
On February 9, the preseason schedule kicked off when the Red Bulls defeated Mexican side Atlante F.C. 0–0 (4–3 penalties) in Cancún. Preseason continued with very little to report in roster changes or injuries. The club brought in a few trialists, most notably Teemu Tainio, and late in the month released third-round SuperDraft pick Billy Cortes.
A major shake-up occurred on February 28 when Red Bulls fired longtime assistant coaches Richie Williams and Des McAleenan.Red Bulls Release Williams and McAleenan from Coaching Duties - OurSports Central - Independent and Minor League Sports News Williams was a popular figure among club supporters and guided the club as caretaker manager in two different seasons. His MLS experience had been credited with helping Sporting Director Erik Solér and Head Coach Hans Backe adjust to the peculiarities of the league, such as the MLS SuperDraft. Williams had played the 2001 and 2003 seasons for the club before returning as assistant coach in 2006. McAleenan had been goalkeeping coach since 2002, a remarkable run given the ownership change and constant turnover around him in the coaching and front office ranks.
March The club met the March 1 official MLS roster compliance of 30 players by waiving two second-year players, forward Conor Chinn and midfielder Irving Garcia. While neither made an impact during the 2010 regular season, each performed well as part of the "Baby Bulls" squad in the 2010 U.S. Open Cup.
A few injuries did hit the squad as preseason came to an end. Strikers Luke Rodgers and Juan Agudelo battled nagging injuries which limited their participation in exhibition matches. The club announced on March 8 that defender Chris Albright had undergone knee surgery and would miss 4–6 weeks.Red Bulls defender Chris Albright undergoes successful knee surgery New York Red Bulls On March 9, Red Bulls announced the signings of two trialists, midfielder/defender Teemu Tainio and defender Stephen Keel. Tainio was penciled in for a starting role while Keel was signed to provide defensive depth from the bench.
The club released Giorgi Chirgadze, its first ever homegrown player signing, on March 15. Though Chirgadze signed with the club in 2009 he never did appear in a league match with Red Bulls.
The 2011 Major League Soccer season officially kicked off for Red Bulls when the club hosted Seattle Sounders FC on March 19. New York dominated possession 63%-37% and out-shot Seattle 13-8 en route to a 1-0 victory. The lone goal was scored in the 70th minute by Juan Agudelo off a long ball by MLS debutante Teemu Tainio.
Two days later the club announced it had waived forward Salou Ibrahim which was a bit surprising given New York's thin ranks at forward. Ibrahim's release left only four forwards on the roster: Juan Agudelo, Thierry Henry, Luke Rodgers, and Corey Hertzog. Salou spent the 2010 season with Red Bulls, scoring 3 goals in 19 league games (8 starts).
Red Bulls signed second-round SuperDraft choice Tyler Lassiter on March 23. The rookie defender earned much praise from the club in pre-season, with coach Hans Backe stating, "The way he started this preseason, he looks better in February than Tim Ream did when he arrived." Ream went on to be an MLS Rookie of the Year finalist. The club also signed Alex Horwath as the third-string goalkeeper on March 25. Horwath was immediately placed into action on March 26 at Columbus Crew due to an injury to starting goalkeeper Greg Sutton and the international call-up of backup keeper Bouna Coundoul. Horwath and a lineup sprinkled with reserves earned a point with a 0-0 draw. Injuries kept Sutton and Thierry Henry from traveling with the club, while international duty removed Coundoul, Juan Agudelo, Tim Ream, Dane Richards, and Rafael Marquez from the Red Bulls lineup. In addition to Horwath, forward Luke Rodgers made his Major League Soccer debut, backups Carlos Mendes and Stephen Keel started in central defense, and backup Danleigh Borman started in midfield. Rookie Corey Hertzog made his MLS debut as a late substitute.
Several Red Bulls players enjoyed productive spells with their national sides during the late March international window. Forward Juan Agudelo came on as a second-half substitute and scored the tying goal for the United States in its 1-1 draw with Argentina on March 26. Three days later, Agudelo and defender Tim Ream went the full 90 for the U.S. in its 1-0 loss to Paraguay. Midfielder Dane Richards scored two goals for Jamaica in a 3-2 victory over El Salvador on March 29 while defender Rafael Marquez earned his 100th cap for Mexico when he captained El Tri to a victory over Paraguay on March 26.
MLS Results for March: 1 victory, 1 draw, 0 losses MLS Results Season-to-Date: 1 victory, 1 draw, 0 losses; 4 points, 7th overall through 2 matches
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