From emcee Sam Rosen to former Ranger greats on the ice, this was a night I will always remember.
Ranger fans were outstanding (no surprise) when it came to recognizing their past greats. How great was it to see Eddie Giacomin and hear those "Eddie" chants! Also, no surprise, Mark Messier received the loudest ovation of anyone other than Leetch.
It was also good to see John Davidson and Neil Smith in the building as well, since both guys have strong ties to Brian.
For me, one of the most memorable parts of the night was when Leetch stunned the crowd, and Adam Graves, when he announced that Adam's No. 9 would be the next number retired by the Rangers.
You could tell that Graves was overcome by this announcement and that was very powerful to watch from a spectator standpoint.
After all of this, we got to see -- or in my case call -- a good game that ended in a shootout win for the Rangers. It was a long night, but a great night at The Garden.
For the Atlanta Thrashers, their two-game stint here in New York got off to a tough start last night. You’re not going to beat any team in the NHL when you generate a total of 14 shots on goal.
Henrik Lundqvist is one of the elite goaltenders in the NHL. To beat him you need quality shots, with bodies going to the net.
Atlanta had neither on Tuesday night.
What they did have was a good performance in goal from 24-year old Kari Lehtonen.
His 35-save performance was the only highlight of the night for the visitors. This was huge for Kari, whose last game here was that 7-0 loss in Game 3 of last year’s Stanley Cup playoffs.
A good goaltending effort will always give you a chance to win, but last night, Kari’s game was wasted.
Losing star forward Ilya Kovalchuk to a game misconduct, then losing another forward Brad Larsen to injury, only made the night longer and tougher for the Thrashers.
Now the team must prepare for a very emotional night on Thursday, the night that the Rangers will retire Brian Leetch’s No. 2 uniform. This is the hottest ticket in New York City.
The team must come out hungry and organized, fighting for the last two possible points before the all star break.
For Atlanta this is such a big game. Right now, a team that recently had won four straight games, has now lost four straight.
A team that beat Detroit 5-1 on the road, just about a week ago, is now in danger of falling to fourth place in the Southeast Division.
The Thrashers have a chance on Thursday to stop their slide, otherwise they head into the All-Star break with a five-game losing streak.
The trade of Clint Mathis to the LA Galaxy for a 2008 third-round pick is just the start of a busy offseason for the Red Bulls.
No one should be overly concerned with the upcoming expansion draft, or the SuperDraft for that matter, since neither of those two events should have a huge impact on next year's team.
The biggest impact will come from the announcement of the Red Bulls next head coach, and also their next sporting director.
Theoretically, the sporting director should come first. He should have most of the input on who to put behind the bench. If the head coach is hired first, you could be asking for trouble.
The new team leaders will have many questions to answer, starting in goal. Is Jon Conway the first team choice? If so, then you need to find an experienced backup who can also challenge Jon for the top spot. If you feel you can upgrade the goalkeeper position, then go for it. Clearly, this is the first big decision to make.
The club will also need to address needs in the midfield, where a playmaker could really improve the teams attack. There was no playmaker in 2007.
The team should be looking at another goal scoring option up front to take some of the load off of Juan Pablo Angel. Especially since you could be without Jozy Altidore if he is called up to the National Team for World Cup qualifiers.
I can't imagine Jozy not being called in for the Olympics, assuming the USA qualifies. So no matter what, Jozy should miss some games in 2008.
And as for the defense, well, a big strong central defender would also be a plus for this team.
So the offseason will be a busy one for the Red Bulls, but it will get busier and more exciting once we know who will hold the two key soccer positions, head coach and sporting director.
Here you have the most successful soccer head coach in the history of our country, and he was unable to succeed with the Red Bulls. I know his team made the playoffs last year and this year, but so did seven other teams in each season. Making the playoffs is not how one judges success these days in MLS.
Who knows what led to today’s decision? The Red Bulls say that they signed a confidentiality agreement with Arena. Even if they hadn’t, this organization keeps things very close to the vest, so you weren’t going to find out anything of substance on Monday’s conference call.
My guess is that they might not have been happy with some of the deals made by the club under Bruce’s watch. You certainly have to question using a senior international spot on a European goalkeeper Ronald Waterreus when there are plenty of good American goalkeepers to choose from. The signing of Claudio Reyna to a Designated Players contract also has to be questioned, and has been. Reyna, who has had injury problems throughout his career, was only able to suit up for 21 of 30 regular season games.
I still think Arena is a great soccer coach and we haven’t seen the last of him. It just didn’t work out here the way everyone thought that it would. It seems like he should have been given more time ... but maybe he didn’t want it. No one wants to tell us.
Forget the past lack of success for the Red Bulls in the MLS playoffs. You can also discount the team's bad results over the years vs. New England, especially in Foxboro.
These are different players, and different coaches, so past history should not be a factor. It's who becomes the better team over 90 minutes.
Last week, in the first of the two-leg, total-goal series, the Red Bulls were the better team, at least in the first 45 minutes. Over 90 minutes they might have been the better team, but still, all they could muster was a 0-0 result, so the edge goes to New England there.
New England came to Giants Stadium to play for a draw, and they were successful. In a second leg situation, the Red Bulls can't play it the same way.
A draw in Foxboro after 90 minutes would mean overtime, and if after 30 minutes of an extra session there was no winner, then penalty kicks would determine who will face Chicago in the Eastern Conference final.
Clearly, at some point in Saturday's game, you are going for a win. What kind of a lineup will Bruce Arena play?
Will he open it up as he did last week with an offensive trio like Juan Pablo Angel, Jozy Altidore, and Francis Doe, or will he only start the first two and use someone else in the midfield who can help out defensively, like a Joe Vide.
The two key players for me on Saturday are Angel for New York, and Michael Parkhurst for New England. If Angel has one of his big games, then New York should be a winner.
If, at the end of the night, the media is raving about the defensive work of Parkhurst, then it probably means another playoff series loss for the Red Bulls.
In a two-leg, total-goal series, it's important to make a stand in Game One. While there are no guarantees, certainly a win puts you in the driver's seat, while a loss makes it more difficult to win a total goal series, knowing your next game is on the road.
The Red Bulls are certainly capable of beating New England, though they enter this playoff series as an underdog. The teams met three times this season with New England winning twice, by a single goal, and getting a 2-2 draw in the other. These results surely indicate that not a lot separates these two teams in terms of their ability. Game One in this series is Saturday at Giants Stadium.
New York has a good chance to win the series because they have the best player in the series in Juan Pablo Angel. A 19-goal scorer during the regular season, Angel has been in big games before, so he shouldn't feel the pressure that others might.
The Red Bulls are also expected to get Claudio Reyna back in the lineup. He, too, is used to the pressure of big games, being a World Cup veteran, who has also played with many big name European clubs.
To win a series of any kind, your best players must play like your best players. You also need others to step up.
To beat a very good, very experienced New England side, you have to minimize your mistakes on defense, and capitalize on your offensive chances.
One other thought, whoever plays in goal for the Red Bulls, whether it's Jon Conway or Ronald Waterreus, will have to be every bit as good as Matt Reis at the other end. Good goalkeeping will increase the Red Bulls' chance for success.
Who would have thought that after six games the Atlanta Thrashers would be the only NHL team still without a win or even a point in the standings? Who would have thought that after just six games we would be talking about a coaching change? But we are.
Bob Hartley was a very good head coach, and a very good person as well. Personally, I will miss dealing with him on a regular basis. For whatever reason, he could not get this team to perform at a good level coming out of the gate.
The season could not have gotten off to a worse start.
Tonight, a new season begins against a team that swept the Thrashers in last year's playoffs. The players know they have to up the intensity, and that's just the start. Special teams need to be better, giveaways need to be minimized, and someway, somehow, this team has to find a way to win.
You could see these early season games getting away from them as soon as they faced adversity. Getting the game's first goal could be the key ingredient. They have yet to score first in the first six games.
We'll see how the new season plays out, starting tonight, in Atlanta.
While it's true that New England has basically owned the Red Bulls/MetroStars since 2002, this is a series that could go either way.
Each team has an edge in some important category.
If you take a look at the Red Bulls, they have the league's MVP, in my mind, in Juan Pablo Angel. With one game to go, he has 19 goals and his form towards the end of the regular season has been excellent.
To win a series of any kind, your big players have to play big. The Red Bulls won't beat New England if Angel is shut down. Angel though will need some help. How will Jozy Altidore do in this two-leg series vs. New England?
New England might not have the best player in this series, but they have more big-time players than the Red Bulls have. Taylor Twellman has 15 regular season goals, and plays well in tandem with Pat Noonan and Steve Ralston. And let's not forget the defensive side, which includes Shalrie Joseph and Michael Parkhurst.
In goal, the edge has to go to New England with steady Matt Reis. He has played every minute of every game so far this season for the Revolution. Plus, he is playoff tested.
For the Red Bulls, as I write this, I don't know who the starting goalkeeper will be. Whether it's Jon Conway or Ronald Waterreus, they will have to play up to the standards of Reis.
While the USA Women's National Team continued their remarkable run of finishing in the Top-3 in all World Cups and Olympics, this was not a World Cup for celebration. This was a team favored to win it all, but underachieved, failing to get to the championship match and failing to capture any of the magic that saw them extend an unbeaten streak to 51 games before losing badly to Brazil in the semifinals.
The most buzz the team generated came in a negative way with their goalkeeper controversy. It began when Head Coach Greg Ryan went from his No. 1 goalkeeper, Hope Solo, to the backup goalkeeper, Briana Scurry, prior to the Brazil match.
This was an unprecedented coaching move, never seen in the women's or men's game at this level. In all my years of covering World Cups, I can't recall any goalkeeper switch like this, at this late stage of a tournament, unless injury was a factor.
Who knows if Hope Solo could have won versus Brazil? No one will ever know. What we do know is the move backfired and it took all the team's focus away from their match against the Brazilians.
Having said all of that, now let's get into other reasons why the USA didn't succeed at this World Cup.
Let's start from the beginning:
1) They were the first team to get to China, some 14 days prior to the start of the World Cup.
While it does take some time to acclimate to another country's conditions, you don't want your players there that early. They had already been in residency for approximately two years. This team needed a break.
2) Absence of the team psychologist.
Say what you want, but the U.S. women have bonded well over the years, and there were never any real issues. Is it a coincidence that without the team psychologist there, we have a major blowout with a player, and for the first time in team history the USA women have a player on their team that they don't want on their team (Solo) for the third place match?
3) Coaching?
I like Greg Ryan, but to be honest, this World Cup was not his finest hour. Instead of the USA attacking with confidence as the clear No. 1 team entering the World Cup, Ryan made adjustments to his game plan, focusing on his opponent. You do that when you are the underdog, not the favorite. He began these adjustments with the very first game versus North Korea.
The USA struggled with this concept of adapting to the opponent. They didn't play well until the quarterfinals when Lori Chalupny told me, "we finally played our game, instead of focusing on our opponent."
That's also what they did in the third place match versus Norway; they played their game and won, 4-1.
This World Cup showed us many things. First, full credit to the opposition; they are getting better. Brazil can not only compete with us, but yes, now they can beat us. We already knew that Germany could. North Korea is another team that is for real, and England is getting better, too.
If Team USA wants to get back to their championship level, they have a lot of work to do. That work must begin now with the Olympics right around the corner.
The New York Red Bulls drew a franchise-record crowd of 66,237 on Saturday, as they beat the LA Galaxy, 5-4, in one of the most entertaining MLS games of this or any season.
It’s pretty obvious that a vast majority of those in attendance came to watch David Beckham, in the hope that he would play.
Multiply that 50,000 times the average ticket price, add in parking, concessions, merchandising, and only then can you appreciate what a David Beckham can do to the bottom line.
Then take a look at the media coverage from the time Beckham arrived, to the time he left. Neither the Red Bulls nor the MetroStars ever generated this much coverage in any one season, let alone one weekend.
Then look at the product on the field. Does anyone doubt that this kind of atmosphere produced the most out of the New York Red Bulls players? If there are 12,000 people in the seats, I think New York loses this game, or maybe fight for a draw. But with 66,000-plus rooters, players like Juan Pablo Angel and Jozy Altidore brought their performance up by at least another level.
Angel deserves crowds like this every game. He is that good a player. The best player in MLS might have been discovered Saturday night at Giants Stadium and he wears No. 9 for the Red Bulls.
It’s just another reason to like David Beckham, now playing in MLS.
While David Beckham has been here now for several weeks, he truly arrived last night in the SuperLiga game vs. D.C. United.
For those who missed it, Beckham started and played just over 60 minutes. He scored on a brilliant free kick, and set up the other goal with a superb pass to Landon Donovan, as L.A. beat D.C. United 2-0.
Despite playing on a left ankle that is nowhere near 100 percent, Beckham was clearly the best player on the field. His mere presence in the game changes everything.
Did you also notice he was wearing the Captain's armband last night? The Galaxy keep a lot of secrets these days, but the changing of the armband from Landon Donovan to David Beckham will have to be explained. Was this Head Coach Frank Yallop's idea, or GM Alexi Lalas? Or was it Donovan himself?
When I asked last night, I was told it was a team decision and that no announcement was made prior to the game. This does seem like the right call. Eventually Beckham was going to captain the side. With the team in dire straits, what better time than now to make this move, assuming this is a permanent one.
Back to Beckham, the team wins 2-0 and they now go to the SuperLiga final vs Pachuca. It is a chance to win a trophy. Clearly, while the Galaxy look like a bad team, they are a much better side when Beckham plays.
Will he play on Saturday in Giants Stadium? While he is on the record as not being a fan of Field Turf, I believe he will play if he is healthy enough to play. Last night he looked very good, but what did those 60-plus minutes do to his bad ankle? Did it swell up? What will the cross country flight do to that ankle?
For the fans' sake, I do hope he plays, regardless of how long. He gave us just a small taste last night of what he can do, and the best will come, not next week, but realistically next year.
It was only one win, Sunday night in Colorado, but it surely was a significant one for the New York Red Bulls.
They were winless in four going into that game, and allowed 12 goals in those four Major League Soccer matches. They were coming off their worst performance of the season, a 4-0 thrashing in Houston Thursday. Now they had to face a struggling Colorado team, more desperate for a win, and at a high altitude too.
It was the culmination of three games in nine nights ... all on the road.
Head Coach Bruce Arena made two changes to the squad from the Houston game, inserting Clint Mathis as a left-sided midfielder (in for Dave van den Bergh) and bringing Dane Richards back to the starting lineup in his normal spot on the right side of midfield, in place of Markus Schopp.
While those changes did help, it also helped to have a 90-minute effort from the team. They played as a team and not as individuals. Mistakes were minimized, but when errors were made, the Red Bulls were not punished for them.
Yes, there were some giveaways and mental errors, and a lucky break or two, but that happens in every soccer match. You would also like to have seen the team get a second goal to pull away, but that might be a bit greedy, especially coming off of Thursday's game.
After Thursday's embarrassment, on National TV, this team could have laid another egg on Sunday. Instead, they rose to the occasion and come back from the Denver area atop the Eastern Conference standings.
What's more, they are looking at the next five games at home, where so far this season they are 4-1-1 and outscoring opponents, 14-4.
This homestand is the time to really make a big statement.
Let's start with the positives from Saturday night's 3-3 draw vs. Kansas City. The tie still keeps the Red Bulls in first place in the Eastern Conference, and they know they can continue to count on Juan Pablo Angel to carry the offense.
The Colombian star had another two-goal game, including the game-tying goal on a well struck penalty kick. He has now scored a goal in six consecutive games (a franchise record), which is one shy of the league all-time mark shared by three players.
His two goals have him even with Eddie Johnson at the top of the MLS scoring leaders.
Now for the negatives: It seems like Angel will have to score four goals a game to guarantee the Red Bulls a victory. Shouldn't three goals in a game be more than enough to win a majority of soccer matches?
Once again on Saturday, the team struggled defensively, giving Kansas City three goals, and it could have been worse.
Over a four-game period, the Red Bulls have given up 11 goals, which is far too many for a team who allowed zero goals in their first four matches of this 2007 campaign.
Yes, injuries have crippled the team defensively. Having to use players like Dema Kovalenko and Marcus Schopp at right back doesn't solve the problem. If anything, it makes matters worse because Kovalenko is a far better defensive midfielder than he is a right back. In an attempt to strengthen one area, it seems like another area gets weaker.
You can also argue that the team is giving up the ball far too easily and often, which puts the team in a bad spot to recover defensively. All of this is true.
Having said that, just because you give up the ball doesn't mean you have to give up a goal. Where is the individual marking? Where is the pressure on the ball? Where is the help on defense? Where is the tracking back, once a ball is lost?
These are all questions that need to be answered in a positive way. The team's next test is June 30th at Columbus.
Bruce Arena is a great coach, and a great judge of talent.
He and his staff have to figure out how to turn this around.
It could mean making changes in the starting lineup. It could also mean making a trade, or signing new players.
This is still a very good team, one that, when healthy, is as good as any team in MLS today. However, whether healthy or not, this team has to play better defensively.
Remember, offense wins games ... defense wins championships.
If you are a Red Bulls fan, it's tough to find a lot of fault with this year's team. After all, your team is in first place in the Eastern Conference.
Entering play Sunday, the Red Bulls boasted the league's best defensive record, while ranked among league leaders in average goals per game. I think when healthy, there isn't a better team right now in either conference than this Giants Stadium-based club.
The team, right now though, is a bit banged up.
Having said that, despite some injuries, Sunday's 4-2 loss to DC United could have been avoided.After going in at halftime even at 1-1, the Red Bulls collectively fell apart defensively.They made DC United look like an offensive juggernaut.
A team that couldn't score three goals in any game this season, came up with four against New York.Hard-working midfielder Ben Olsen ended up with a hat trick.
What's worse, New York played with an extra man for about a half an hour when DC's top defender, Bobby Boswell, was sent off in the 60th minute with his second yellow card.If you had just tuned in and didn't know who had the extra man, you would have guessed it was DC United who were playing a man up.
How did DC United have so much space, especially in the second half?How did Toronto FC have so much space on Wednesday?How did Eddie Johnson and his Kansas City teammates have so much space on the previous Saturday?
These are all fair questions.
A team with an outstanding record has now given up eight goals in their last 3 games, and truth be told, it could have been more.
If it's just the injuries, then certainly getting back Todd Dunivant and Hunter Freeman will help, but no one seems to know when those players will return to the lineup.
Head Coach Bruce Arena is concerned about his team's overall defense and about not seeing his team play consistent soccer over 90 minutes.He has made those feelings known in advance of recent games.
Bringing in Chris Leitch to camp, and inviting Tony Sanneh in, also tells you that the man in charge is concerned. I have a feeling that the team is not through searching for ways to help themselves defensively.
While they do that, from an offensive standpoint, striker Juan Pablo Angel is almost single-handedly carrying the offense.
His goal Sunday gives him goals in five consecutive games.
Like I said, it's tough to find fault when your team is in first place in the Eastern Conference, but there is a reason for concern.
They have a week to sort out things before their next game against Kansas City.While they won't have to worry about Eddie Johnson who is playing in the Gold Cup, they still must tighten up defensively, and get everyone on the same page for the full 90.
It sure didn't take gifted international striker Juan Pablo Angel too long to settle in with his New York Red Bulls teammates. Playing in his second MLS game (third match overall) Angel was a star on Saturday night scoring once and assisting on two other Red Bull scores in a 4-0 win vs. Columbus.
But it wasn't just his scoring exploits that caught my attention, it was his entire game and personality.
During the game he would read the play, make intelligent runs, playmake and score. If he couldn't find room in one spot, he would drift until he found room in a better place.
He would think shoot first, as all good strikers do, but when there was an open player in a better spot, Angel would find his teammate. He would applaud a good ball, or give a thumbs up. His excitement level when John Wolyniec scored the game's first goal was another good sign.
This is a good teammate. This is a high-priced talent who came in to work, to earn his money. When he picked off an errant Columbus Crew pass in the second half, he made sure to put the game out of reach with a well struck right footed shot.
Juan Pablo Angel should only get better as he gets used to his teammates and to the level of play in Major League Soccer.
Clearly though he is a striker in a different class than what we have seen these past years in a New York uniform.
He makes this team a more dangerous team, and one that can contend for the conference crown and MLS Cup.
It would be difficult to walk away from Saturday's Red Bulls victory without being impressed by the way this team played.
Taking on the defending champion Houston Dynamo is tough enough, but the Red Bulls beat the champs despite missing a penalty kick, and playing with 10 men for about 54 minutes. Overcoming this adversity is what made this win rather special to me.
Here are some on the field observations:
Jozy Altidore is continuing to show why he could become the next young star in MLS. At age 17 he shows remarkable composure, toughness, and a willingness to attack, even in the tightest of spaces. Despite taking a physical pounding throughout the game, Jozy came through with a great finish in the 60th minute, which ended up as the game winning goal. Remember, once Clint Mathis was red-carded,(controversially in the 36th minute) Jozy was pretty much a lone ranger up top, so he had to carry a brunt of the load.
Ronald Waterreus wasn't all that busy, being called upon to make only three saves, however this guy really has a commanding presence inside the box. Defending against free kicks and corner kicks, he is a tower of confidence which his teammates feed off of. In addition, how about his distribution. He can punt it a mile, and find a target. What a great weapon to have.
The midfield was superb on this night, even with the team down a man. Most impressive was the way Claudio Reyna and Dema Kovalenko marked their territory. This was organization at its finest.
You also have to like the team's flank play where Dave Van Den Bergh and Dane Richards made the most of their space. I can't recall seeing flank players as effective as this duo, in my years of covering the MetroStars and the Red Bulls.
So, three games in the books and the team is undefeated so far. Defensively, they have not allowed a single goal. It is a dream start for a franchise that has had it's troubles over the years. To not allow a single goal is a credit to everyone, not just the goalkeeper and an underrated back four. This is team defense, working in sync that is getting the positive results.
If they continue to play well together, and can successfully incorporate new signing Juan Pablo Angel, this team should certainly contend for the conference title.
From emcee Sam Rosen to former Ranger greats on the ice, this was a night I will always remember.
Atlanta had neither on Tuesday night.
Theoretically, the sporting director should come first. He should have most of the input on who to put behind the bench. If the head coach is hired first, you could be asking for trouble.
Who knows what led to today’s decision? The Red Bulls say that they signed a confidentiality agreement with Arena. Even if they hadn’t, this organization keeps things very close to the vest, so you weren’t going to find out anything of substance on Monday’s conference call.
Last week, in the 
New York has a good chance to win the series because they have the 
Bob Hartley was a very good head coach, and a very good person as well. Personally, I will miss dealing with him on a regular basis. For whatever reason, he could not get this team to perform at a good level coming out of the gate.
Each team has an edge in some important category.
Did you also notice he was 
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