The Ike Davis Era is Upon Us as New York Mets Plan to Call Up Prospect to Join Big Club and All I Can Say is I LIKE IKE!

The Ike Davis Era is upon us and will begin any day now. Mike Jacobs has been designated for assignment and may go down to the Mets AAA Buffalo Bisons or be released. Jacobs was signed to a Minor League contract and wasn’t expected to start the season with the Mets but due to the injury to Daniel Murphy all that changed. In fact Murphy’s future is now in flux as well with Ike coming to the big club. In 10 games with the Bisons Davis is hitting .364 (12-for-33), 2 HRs, 3 doubles, 4 RBIs and has been walked 9 times. His on base percentage is .500 and slugging percentage .636. Now the pitching in the Major Leagues is a far cry from the minors, even Triple-A but I’d much prefer to see Ike at this point. There is just so much Fernando Tatis at first base that I can take. One major problem with Davis is his lack of defensive skills. The Mets preached time and time again how Daniel Murphy was working with Keith Hernandez in Spring Training to hone his skills at first. The reality was it for only 2 ½ days, not the entire spring. I’d love to see Hernandez work with Ike before games and between starts if that’s at all an option. For now all I can say is I LIKE IKE! Here’s a picture of Ike Davis from the 2008 season while he played for the Brooklyn Cyclones.

Mets Lost 4th Series in a Row as Cardinals Clobbered Mets 5-3 at Busch Stadium Sunday

The New York Mets lost their first 4th series in a row to open this season and look like they’ve picked up where then left off in 2009. The offense cannot get anything going. When I saw David Wright take strike three, again, and throw his helmet I knew they were in for another tough game. John Maine did not help matters with another terrible performance. The starting pitcher gave up 3 earned runs, 6 hits (HR), 4 walks with 4 strikeouts in 5.0 innings for the no decision. I’d like to see the Met starters pitch into the 7th inning on a consistent basis. Maine felt it was progress, but I don’t know about that. You could see the puss on Maine’s face as pitching coach Dan Warthen made trips to the mound. Maine wasn’t even listening. The long ball and walks hurt him. GM Omar Minaya (aka Nomore Goodbya) said before the series he’d like to take 1-of-3 against the Cardinals so I guess he’s happy. Jeff Francoeur went 0-for-3 and a walk but had a nice assist throwing out Ryan Ludwick at the plate. Cardinal Adam Wainwright gave up 3 runs to the Mets in the top of the 2nd inning but finished strong and pitched a complete game for the victory.

It was Bouna Time as Red Bulls Top FC Dallas 2-1 at Red Bull Arena in the 90th Minute Saturday

The New York Red Bulls held on to steal the draw from FC Dallas last night at the new Red Bull Arena in the final minute of regulation. FC Dallas outplayed the Red Bulls in the opening 20 minutes but kept grinding it out throughout the match. FC Dallas took the early lead in the 10th minute where the defense totally lapsed. In the 22nd minute captain Juan Pablo Angel was just offside as he approached the net on what looked like a great scoring chance. Tim Ream had a terrible giveaway early in the 2nd half but played another solid game on defense. Angel scored his first goal of the season in the 56th minute on a great pass by Joel Lindpere and you could see the relief on Angel’s face. Carl Robinson came into the game in the 59th minute and played with an edge. I hope he’s able to play a full 90 minutes soon. In the 64th minute Mac Kandji was taken down in the penalty area and Angel took the penalty kick. FC Dallas goalkeeper Dario Sala guessed Angel would shoot left and made the save on the soft shot. In the 90th minute Angel redeemed himself by scoring the winning goal on another penalty kick. Angel hit the ball hard into the upper right corner of the net to seal the match 2-1 as the goalkeeper Sala went to his right again. In the 3 minutes of added time FC Dallas did all they could to get the ball into the net but came up short. The real hero of the game for the Red Bulls was goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul. He was excellent as he made save after save and wasn’t caught out of position. What a difference a week makes compared to giving up the own-goal against Chivas USA. The Red Bulls sit atop the Eastern Conference standings with 9 points and a record of 3-1-0 and host the expansion Philadelphia Union next Saturday afternoon at home.

Mets Defeated Cardinals 2-1 in the 20th Inning at Busch Stadium Saturday Afternoon into Night

I don’t know how I could have kept a scorecard with all the double switches that Tony La Russa had done in the 7 hour Met win over the Cardinals yesterday. This is a game the Mets needed. It’s good that they’ll play a night game tonight. Met reliever Pedro Feliciano made his 373rd appearance Saturday that moved him into 4th on the club’s career list. Johan Santana started for the Mets and was excellent in the no decision, giving up no earned runs, only 4 hits, 9 strikeouts with 1 walk in 7.0 innings. As reported on mlb.com:

Santana ran down the list of absurdities: a closer won the game, a starting pitcher saved it and a position player lost it. Two position players took the mound for the Cardinals; a pitcher played left field. And the Mets won despite allowing a run in the 19th, despite producing a total of nine hits in 20 innings.

Jose Reyes finally pushed the winning run across, with a sacrifice fly off outfielder Joe Mather in the 20th. Then starting pitcher Mike Pelfrey recorded three outs in the bottom of the inning to seal it.

"We needed to win this game," manager Jerry Manuel said.

Entering with his job performance under increasing scrutiny, Manuel most certainly did everything in his power to win it. For one afternoon (and evening and night), the Mets' manager seemed invincible.

Saturday, April 17th Installment of What’s Up Jerry?

I’d heard that Jerry Manuel wants to bat Jose Reyes 3rd in the batting order today. There was senseless chatter about this in Spring Training but I thought that was merely a diversion. Batting Reyes 3rd will not get him going offensively. As Reyes goes in the leadoff spot so do the Mets historically. What Reyes needs are a few 2-for-4 and 3-for-4 games in a row and to contribute to some solid wins for the club. I’d also heard that Met ace Johan Santana asked to get the ball yesterday against the Cardinal ace and winning pitcher Chris Carpenter. Even with the solid Perez outing you give the ball to your ace vs. theirs, especially if he’s asking for it. Bad move on Jerry’s part if this is the case. Manuel also over managed by taking Perez out of the game last night in the 7th inning.

Perez Pitches Gem but Mets Bullpen Implodes to Blow Game and Hand Cardinals 4-3 Win at Busch Stadium Friday

The Mets can’t get out of their own way and preserve a lead. With Oliver Perez pitching what will most likely prove to be his best outing of the season Manuel took him out of the game with 1 out in the bottom of the 7th inning. Perez gave up only 1 earned run, 4 hits, with 3 walks and 4 strikeouts in 6.1 innings on 97 pitches. I hope he wasn’t looking solely at the pitch count. The bullpen imploded this game as Nieve and Valdes combined to put two runners on base and then gave up a grand slam to Felipe Lopez and give St. Louis the 4-1 lead. Lopez is not exactly a home run hitter either, hitting 34 of his 81 career homers in two seasons in the mid-90s. Gee, I wonder what he could have been on then. Not sure, just guessing here, see steroid use, 90’s. The Mets scored two in the bottom of the 9th to get within one run and bring the score to 4-3. With a runner in scoring position on 2nd base Luis Castillo grounded out to end the game. That’s the story of this season thus far. Jeff Francoeur continues to be in the zone going 2-for-3 with 2 runs scored and a walk and the sole offensive star.

Devils Even Series 1-1 with 5-3 Victory Against Flyers (aka Effers) at Rock Friday

The New Jersey Devils evened up the series 1-1 as they defeated the Philadelphia Flyers (aka Effers) 5-3 last night at the Prudential Center in Newark. Devils goalie Marty Brodeur was out of position on the first tip-in goal by the Effers and gave up two power play goals later in the game. The Devils had to defend a lot more shots on goal in the game compared to the first. The Devils offense came alive with goals by Zach Parise, Colin White, Andy Greene, Dainius Zubrus and an empty net goal by Ilya Kovalchuk to seal the deal. The nastiness came out in the 2nd and 3rd periods as the Effers tried to press but came up short. The series moves to the City of Brotherly Love Sunday night. The three starts of the game were all Devils: Dainius Zubrus, Patrik Elias and Zach Parise.

Major League Baseball Honors the First African-American Jackie Robinson - Hall of Famer from the Brooklyn Dodgers on Jackie Robinson Day Thursday

It was Jackie Robinson Day in Major League Baseball Thursday where all players wore #42 to honor the Hall of Fame infielder and sometimes outfielder from the Brooklyn Dodgers Jackie Robinson, the first African-American player in the Major Leagues. Branch Rickey was responsible for signing and bringing Robinson to the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. Most people don’t know this but Rickey wanted to bring up starting pitcher Don Newcombe first but Rickey felt Newcombe would not be able to control his temper and handle the onslaught of garbage that would inevitably ensue. Robinson came up as a first baseman and wasn’t accepted on the team until captain Pee Wee Reese, a southerner, stepped up and welcomed him on the team. While playing the Reds on the road in May of 1947 at Crosley Field in Cincinnati captain Pee Wee Reese put his arm around the shoulder of Jackie Robinson. Robinson had to deal with death threats, racial taunts from the crowds where ever he played and had to take it the first year per Rickey’s orders. The worst place to play was at Sportsman’s Park against the St. Louis Cardinals. Ironically enough that’s where Rickey was so successful before Larry MacPhail brought Rickey to the Dodgers. There was even a petition going around the Brooklyn Dodger team that was passed around by Dixie Walker threatening management that they’d boycott if Robinson wasn’t removed from the team. With Reese sticking his neck out and welcoming Robinson to the club that began the process of Jackie being a real teammate. Walker stopped the petition and that ended that. The Dodger players also saw how good Robinson was as a player. This opened the door for Roy Campanella to come up in 1948 and Don Newcombe in 1949.

I love the Jackie Robinson and Pee Wee Reese Monument which stands in front of MCU Park (formerly Keyspan Park) in Coney Island, home of the Brooklyn Cyclones. Baseball was brought back to Brooklyn in 2001 with the Mets Short Season A affiliate Cyclones coming to Coney Island and we’ve gone since then. Each season for the past few years my cousin gets a bunch of tickets to a game and we all have a great time at the ballpark. By the way Jackie Robinson was told after the 1956 season that he’d been traded to the hated New York Giants. Robison said he’d rather retire from baseball than play for the Giants, and he did.

Here are some quotes from Branch Rickey that I thought were interesting:

"It (a baseball box score) doesn't tell how big you are, what church you attend, what color you are, or how your father voted in the last election. It just tells what kind of baseball player you were on that particular day."

"Jackie (Robinson), we've got no army. There's virtually nobody on our side. No owners, no umpires, very few newspapermen. And I'm afraid that many fans will be hostile. We'll be in a tough position. We can win only if we can convince the world that I'm doing this because you're a great ballplayer, a fine gentleman."

And a quote from Robinson about Rickey:

"The thing about him was that he was always doing something for someone else. I know, because he did so much for me."

On Jackie Robinson Day in Major League Baseball Pelfrey was Excellent as Mets Shutout Rockies 5-0 at Coors Field Matinee Thursday

On Jackie Robinson Day the New York Mets and starting pitcher Mike Pelfrey shutout the Colorado Rockies 5-0 yesterday in a day game at Coors Field. The Mets salvaged the series sweep with another solid start from Big Pelf. Pelfrey gave up no earned run, on only 5 hits, no walks with 6 strikeouts in 7.0 innings. No walks for Pelfrey was key. Pedro Feliciano worked a scoreless 8th inning and Francisco Rodriguez worked a scoreless 9th inning in a non-save situation. K-Rod is still looking for his first save of the season. Pelfrey’s been the only consistent starter and for the most part the bullpen has been excellent, with only a few hiccups. Jeff Francoeur continues to be the hot hitter for the Mets going 2-for-4 with 1 run scored. The Mets travel to St. Louis for a tough weekend series with Albert Pujols and the Cardinals.

Tickets on Sale for the Finals of the Churchill Cup, an International Rugby Event to be Held on June 19th at Red Bull Arena

Tickets for the finals of the Churchill Cup, an international rugby event to be held on June 19th at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, NJ starting at 12:00 PM, are on sale. All sales for this event, except for group sales, will be handled online by logging on to http://www.redbullarena.us/ or http://www.churchillcuprugby.net/.

Mets Come Back Falls Short with 6-5 Loss to Rockies in 10 Innings at Coors Field Wednesday

The Mets took an early 3-1 lead going into the bottom of the 3rd inning at Coors Field but the Rockies came back with a homerun and 3 runs in the bottom of 3rd to take a 4-3 lead. The Rockies added 1 more run in the 4th to make the score 5-3. The Mets showed some comeback by scoring a run in the 8th and 9th to tie the game 5-5. Met reliever Jenrry Mejia served up a walk off homerun to the Rockie catcher and number seven hitter Chris Iannetta to give the Rockies the win. The Met starter Jon Niese was not good giving up 5 earned run, on 9 hits (HR), 1 walk with 2 strikeouts in 5.0 innings. The bullpen effort by Valdes, Nieve and Feliciano (less Mejia) was solid again for 3 innings giving up no earned run on only 2 hits, 1 walk with 3 strikeouts. The story of the game was the number of men left on base in scoring position. The Mets could only muster 1 run and left 11 in scoring position which is just awful. A basic tenet of a winning team is to not squander opportunities on the road and the Mets haven’t done anything to head in that direction. David Wright and Jason Bay struck out a combined 5 times in the game.

Wednesday, April 14th Installment of What’s Up Jerry?

After the horrific 11-3 loss at Coors Field Tuesday at Coors Field to the Rockies #5 starting pitcher Jerry Manuel said the following:

“You have to have some concern…”

Manuel also wants to sleep on the decision to remove John Maine from the starting rotation. John Maine was bumped up to the Met #2 starting pitcher and clearly is not worthy. I don’t even think he could be a long reliever at this point. I really wish the Mets went after a real pitcher or two in the offseason such as John Lackey. ESPN 1050 AM in New York is reporting that Carlos Beltran has not been cleared to begin running. I asked that question yesterday and now hear this. What is Beltran doing or not doing specifically at this point?

John Maine Brutal as Rockies Clobbered Mets 11-3 at Coors Field Tuesday

The New York Mets were smoked by the Colorado Rockies 11-3 at Coors Field in Denver last night. On a night where Jose Reyes went 2-for-5 with 1 run scored and has his average up to .308 on the young season the Met starting pitcher John Maine was absolutely brutal. Maine gave up 8 earned runs, on 7 hits (HR), HBP, 3 walks with 4 strikeouts in 3.0 innings. In 3.0 innings! He couldn’t get the 3rd out in the 3rd where six Rockie runs were yielded. Just for good measure Maine had a throwing error as well. The Mets haven’t shown that they can come back from a deficit so far this season. The bullpen for the most part was terrific again especially Raul Valdes pitching 2 solid scoreless innings after Maine left the game after the 3rd inning. The only bullpen exception was Fernando Nieve who got roughed up giving up 3 earned runs in the 6th inning. David Wright hit his 2nd homer of the year and is hitting the ball well. Believe it or not the Mets are already 4.0 games behind in the National League East and their schedule doesn’t get any easier in the coming weeks.

Classy Move by Yankees in Presenting World Series Ring to Visiting Hideki Matsui at Home Opener Tuesday

I watched the pregame to the Yankee home opener yesterday in anticipation of what they’d do with former Yankee Hideki Matsui, who’s now playing for the visiting Angles. After the entire Yankee team received their rings Matsui stood on the top step of the visiting dugout, was announced and presented his 2009 World Series ring by Yankee manager Joe Girardi. Derek Jeter played a little joke on him by switching the ring out with a promo ring, but Matsui was given the real ring later by Girardi. Jeter said that Matsui was his favorite teammate to ever play with, always professional and ready to come to play with no excuses. This concept has eluded the New York Mets unfortunately. The crowd cheered Godzilla as loud if not louder then their captain Derek Jeter or Mariano Rivera. The entire Yankee team then went up to Matsui after the introductions were completed. Classy moves by the Yankees and Godzilla. The Yankees held on for a 7-5 win.

What is Status Regarding Carlos Beltran’s Return to the Mets Lineup?

The Mets have been mute on the status of Carlos Beltran’s return to the lineup. I can only assume the organization would rather say nothing then say something that doesn’t come to pass. Beltran has starting to run but we know nothing more at this point. My guess is that we won’t see Beltran patrolling centerfield until June at best.

Honest Approach with Red Bulls Head Coach Hans Backe

Red Bulls head coach Hans Backe was brutally honest in his comments after the 2-0 loss on the road to Chivas USA last Saturday. This is a refreshing way to coach the team and shows that Backe means business. As reported by Bend it like Bondy blog:

“It was a poor game,” Backe said. “As I told the players—we didn’t show up.”

“It was a golden opportunity to get three points at halftime when (Chivas striker Chijindu) didn’t score at 44 minutes. And we said at halftime it was a golden opportunity because Chivas is not one of the best teams, that’s for sure.”

“There was no pace, there weren’t any killer passes or final passes or turning the game. It was just sloppy all the time,” he said. “It’s difficult to say why, but it was 10 outfield players who didn’t show up. It was a terrible game.”

“In order to be a consistent team, when you play that kind of poor game, you should travel back home with a 0-0 score,” he said. “If you’re a consistent team, a solid team, it should be 0-0 when that happens. We get the draw. So we still have work to do, that’s for sure.”

End of an Era as IZOD Center Hosts Final Nets Game Monday

The New Jersey Nets lost their final home game of the season and final game ever to be played at the IZOD Center last night 105-95 to the Charlotte Bobcats. The Nets have had an awful season with only 12 wins and 69 losses with 1 road game remaining in Miami. The arena was originally named the Brendan Byrne Arena in 1981, renamed to Continental Airlines Arena then to the IZOD Center. Larry Brown coached the Nets in their first game at Brendan Byrne Arena in a loss to the New York Knicks and ironically Brown is coaching the Charlotte Bobcats now. The Nets will play their next two seasons at the Prudential Center in Newark before their planned relocation to Brooklyn, New York City. The New Jersey Devils played at the arena from 1982-83 through 2006-07 before their relocation the Prudential Center. The Devils won 3 Stanley Cups in their tenure at the arena.

Continued Thoughts on Jets Offseason Moves Thus Far

Here are a few continued thoughts on the Jets wheeling and dealings thus far: 

• Reports of offering a contract to Miami Dolphins LB Jason Taylor may not work out. His All-Pro form as a pass rusher may be past him with 2007 being his last solid year. In addition the fans aren’t exactly in love with him for his previous years of yapping at the Jets. This would go away immediately after his first 2 sack game at the new Meadowlands Stadium of course.
• A veteran quarterback presence could have helped the rookie Sanchez. The Jets feel that presence for the upcoming season may be Mark Brunell. Not sure about that one.
• Santonio Holmes a Jet for a 5th round pick, EXCELLENT! The Jets will now have two legitimate threats on the outside with Braylon Edwards and Holmes with Jerricho Cotchery lining up in the slot. What I wouldn’t like is if Leon Washington is part of the deal. Holmes is without a doubt a problem child but so are the latest additions including Edwards. The Jets are banking on Rex Ryan getting them on board.

Monday, April 12th Installment of What’s Up Jerry?

After the abysmal 5-2 loss to the Nationals in front of a nice home crowd of more than 33,000 fans at Citi Field manager Jerry Manuel said:

"We appeared to be unprepared and I have to take responsibility for that."

How the hell can he say that? Not prepared for Livan Hernandez? Are you kidding me? Hernandez started 23 games for the Mets last season before being released and resigning with the Nationals. No excuse to be not prepared for a pitcher who was on your team the previous year. It’s not like Hernandez learned two new pitches before the start Sunday.

Nationals Beat Mets 5-2 on Shaky Start by Johan Santana at Citi Field Sunday

The New York Mets lost to the Washington Nationals 5-2 and their second series in a row. Going into the game it looked like a lock for the Mets to beat Livan Hernandez and the Nationals. What wasn’t on the radar was the tough top of the 1st for Santana. Josh Willingham clobbered a grand slam to give the visitors the early 4-0 lead. Willingham doubled in another run in the top of the 3rd giving the Nationals the lead 5-0. Even Jeff Francoeur’s great throw to the plate to throw out Adam Dunn didn’t get the Mets going. Mike Jacobs blasted a 2-run homer in the bottom of the 8th to get the Mets on the scoreboard and cut into the Nationals lead 5-2. Santana gave up 5 earned runs, on 5 hits (HR), 3 walks with 3 strikeouts in 5.0 innings. Once again a bright spot for the Mets was the bullpen. Raul Valdes, Ryota Igarashi and Frankie Rodriguez combined for no earned runs, on 2 hits, 2 walks with 1 strikeout in 4.0 innings. The Mets now go on the road to Colorado and St. Louis who will prove to be much tougher opponents.

Rangers Fell Short to Flyers in Shootout 2-1 at Wachovia Center Sunday – Miss Stanley Cup Playoffs with Loss

The New York Rangers lost to the Philadelphia Flyers yesterday 2-1 in a brutal shootout at the Wachovia Center. The story of the game was Ranger goaltender Henrik Lundqvist who once again was the best player on the ice. Lundqvist stopped a barrage of 46 shots and only gave up one power play goal at 6:54 in the 3rd period to Matt Carle. Carle appeared to be on the ice the entire game. The Rangers top lines could not sustain any pressure on Philadelphia and played the game too long in their own zone. The lone Ranger goal was scored by Jody Shelley at 3:27 in the 1st period on a tip-in off of Michal Rozsival’s slap shot from the point. The play started by the hard work of Brandon Prust digging in the corner and getting the puck to Artem Anisimov. AA passed to point for the shot by Rozsival. The Rangers were able to kill 4-of-5 penalties but that goal to Carle was inevitable. As Artem Anisimov brought the puck into the neutral zone and lost it to Jeff Carter I yelled out “They should not be greedy, just clear the puck”. They couldn’t get the shot, could not get a line change on the ice and a few seconds later, Carle scores the power play goal to tie it 1-1. The Rangers power play went 0-for-3 in the game. In the overtime both teams had 2 shots on goal. During the shootout Danny Briere and Claude Giroux scored for Philadelphia. For New York PA Parenteau scored and with the entire season on the line John Tortorella put out Olli Jokinen on the ice to tie the shootout. Jokinen was stopped and the season was over. I know Tortorella played the percentages but I’d rather have Chris Drury, Brandon Dubinsky or Marian Gaborik in that spot, even with Gaborik’s horrific record in the shootout. The bottom line is that the top 3 lines could not get shots to the net and score enough goals to win. In the last minute of regulation Marian Gaborik was stopped in front on an excellent scoring chance. This is a snapshot of this season. It’s a shame but I guess I’ll save money by not buying playoff tickets. That is small consolation though.

Rangers’ Playoff Hopes Hinge on Final Game at Wachovia Center Today at 3:00 PM EDT

The New York Rangers visit the Philadelphia Flyers (aka Effers) today for a 3:00 PM matinee at the Wachovia Center for all the marbles. If the Blueshirts defeat the Flyers (aka Effers) they’re in the playoffs. The victory can be in regulation, overtime or a shootout as they are currently tied in points with Philadelphia. Expect more nonsense from the Flyers (aka Effers) as they will pull out all the stops by crashing into Ranger goaltender Henrik Lundqvist and trying to get the best Ranger players off the ice by having them take dumb penalties. Lundqvist needs to be perfect and the Rangers need to capitalize on their scoring chances early to keep the crowd out of the game. It promises to be a good game and LET’S GO RANGERS!

Oliver Perez Stunk as Mets Fell Short 4-3 to Nationals in Reyes’ Return to Citi Field Saturday

The New York Mets lost yesterday 4-3 to the Washington Nationals in front of a nice home crowd of more then 33.000. They came out to see Jose Reyes return to the lineup. Well starting pitcher Oliver Perez showed what he will be again this year and was brutal in the loss. Perez gave up 4 earned runs, on 4 hits, 4 walks with 6 strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings. If this is a sign to come it will be a long season for Perez and the Mets. There’s a reason why manager Jerry Manuel played the shell game with the starting pitching staff and made Perez the #5 starter. In Reyes’ first game since May 2009 he went 1-for-4, 1 strikeout, hit by pitch, left on base twice with 1 error in the field. The Met bullpen was excellent and the only bright spot for the Mets last night. The combination of Igarashi, Feliciano and Mejia were brilliant giving up no earned runs, on only 1 hit, 2 walks with 2 strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings. In the bottom of the 9th inning with Reyes on third, David Wright on second and Jeff Francoeur on first the pinch hitter Rob Barajas drilled the ball to left field. Willie Harris made a game saving catch to give the Nationals the win. The Met ace Johan Santana will pitch today in an effort to not lose their second series in a row. The Mets had a golden opportunity to go 4-2 to start the season but will now try to get to .500 at 3-3.

Chivas USA Shutout Red Bulls 2-0 at Home Depot Center for Red Bulls First Loss of Season Saturday

The Red Bulls suffered their first loss of the season as they lost to Chivas USA on the road 2-0. The Red Bulls couldn’t get anything going offensively the entire match. Their passes were not there and they could not capitalize on scoring chances. The backbreaker was in the 47th minute when Chiva USA striker Jesus Padilla, who came into the game just a short time before on a Chivas USA injury to Ante Jazic, shot for the left corner of the goal. The ball was deflected in front by defender Tim Ream and the ball hit the right post and came right out in front. Goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul was going to his right, got up then tipped the ball into the goal as it rolled in front. This was the first goal given up by the Red Bulls in the early going of the season. Head coach Hans Backe was substituting with all offensive players trying to get something going. For the third straight match captain Juan Pablo Angel was held in check with no goals. Angel missed two golden opportunities on headers while in the box in the 64th and 67th minutes. The Chivas USA goalkeeper Zach Thornton made a nice play jumping up and slapping away Joel Lindpere’s shot off a throw in the 67th minute that missed the mark. Ibrahim shot wide and missed on a nice cross from Macoumba Kandji in the 74th minute. In the 80th minute Jeremy Hall struck the ball very well from just outside the box but it sailed high and to the left of the goal. In second half stoppage time Padilla scored again by getting to the ball around Jeremy Hall and shooting past Coundoul to ice the match at 2-0 for Chivas USA. The Red Bulls host FC Dallas at Red Bull Arena on Saturday, April 17th at 7:30 PM.