New York Red Bulls defeat Juventus in friendly

Living in the tri-state area, I’m pretty lucky that over the years many European teams have come to play in the New York area. Since I have been a calcio aficionado since birth, any time an Italian team has come to play here I have always jumped at the chance to go and see them. I admit that I’m a Milan fan and despise Juventus, but as soon as I heard they were coming to see the New York Red Bulls I had to go and see. The game was very entertaining.

First, this was my first time at Red Bull Arena, and I must say it is a beautiful stadium. It is definitely the best soccer-specific stadium in the United States. For 90 minutes I felt like I was in Europe. There is not one seat that has a bad view, and the small capacity makes it feel very intimate. As I got there, I noticed that stadium was full with Juventus fans. It’s kind of hurtful thing to see, as you can see there are so many soccer fans in the tri-state area but many of them have probably never have been to a Red Bulls game and support MLS. I’ll be the first to admit that I unfortunately fall into this category, and it hit me today. A state of the art soccer arena is in our area and nobody wants to go see the team that plays in it. It’s a shame.

The game was interesting. I already knew what to expect, because the Juventus players endured a long, strenuous season filled with much drama and bad results. The players just want to go on vacation and they obviously weren’t going to play this game like it was a Champions League final. The Red Bulls on the other hand always like to play their best when European teams visit and show that they know a thing or two about soccer.

I have to say though that I was really impressed by the Red Bulls supporters behind the net. They were jumping up and down supporting the club for 90 minutes, and even teasing the Juve fans with chants like “DEL PIERO SUCKS!!” (drowned out by whistles and boos from the many Juventus fans present). They even had smoke bombs, which I thought would never be allowed in an American stadium. It was fun to watch.

The soccer on the pitch wasn’t bad either. Sure most of the Juventus players were playing at half speed and players like Diego and Del Piero were trying to show off their skill, but it was good soccer to watch and even the Red Bulls played very compact and organized. One thing to note is that watching Fabio Grosso in this game really explained why he was left off of Italy’s World Cup roster by Marcello Lippi. Man how he has declined. He was constantly getting beat by number 99 for the Red Bulls Irving Garcia.

As the second half started and the subs started coming, Juventus looked even more disinterested, and the Red Bulls took advantage, taking the lead. Juventus literally provided no reaction and the Red Bulls went on to score 2 more goals, leaving all the Juventus fans around me in shock. Some even started to leave. Most shouted insults. I thanked the good Lord that I’m a Milan fan. Juventus eventually got a consolation goal through Amauri in the 90th minute.

Overall, it was a great game and I had a good time. The stadium is beautiful and I think I will definitely return in the near future. And if the Red Bulls play like this consistently throughout the rest of the season, there’s no reason why they shouldn’t be able to make a good play-off run. We shall see.

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Category: CONCACAF, MLS, North America, Serie A, United States