The Battle for New York begins tonight

With the Red Bulls technically a New Jersey-based team, the battle for New York’s soccer bragging rights may be decided at St. John’s Belson Stadium tonight when the Brooklyn Italians take on the NY Cosmos in the third round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. 

The tournament is the oldest ongoing national soccer competition in the U.S., and offers amateur teams the chance to test themselves against MLS stars. Founded in 1949, Brooklyn currently sits atop the Northeast region of the National Premier Soccer League, regarded as the fourth tier of American soccer. 

And while the Cosmos no longer have anyone with the star power of legendary striker and now Honorary President Pele, they do include Marcos Senna, part of the Spain team that won the European Championships in 2008.  

The winner may not own the rights for too long though, they will face defending MLS Supporters’ Shield winners the Red Bulls in the next round. But being Kings of New York doesn’t even matter that much in the Open Cup - no team from the 5 boroughs (or Jersey) have reached the final since the Metrostars in 2003, and the last NY team to win it was the Rochester Rhinos in 1999.  

MLS build-up - goal to remember from 2013

The MLS gets back under way on March 8 - will be sharing a few highlights from last season in our build up to the 2014 season.

INTERVIEW: Peru's Number 1 Still Learning His Craft

Raul 'Superman' Fernandez looks forward to tough task in Metropolis

Peruvian National 'keeper speaks exclusively to FootballGeezer

Raul Fernandez has enjoyed the sceneries that his football life has taken him from his hometown in Peru to France and to the U.S. He points to the passionate atmospheres of Seattle, Portland and Kansas City and is at peace with his family in Texas. 

But this weekend, as he descends upon the New York metro area for his first MLS match here against the New York Red Bulls, the FC Dallas goalkeeper is pure business and speaks of the need for three vital points.

"We're looking forward to playing against a top team but, truth be told, the pressure's on them, as they're at home," Fernandez, 27, said in a phone interview with FootballGeezer. "For me personally, it's going to be fun since it'll be my first time (at Red Bull Arena) and both teams will be fighting for a win. It'll be an attractive match."

The Peruvian international, who signed with Dallas from Nice in France in January, said he didn't think twice about coming to MLS when he heard of the opportunity and was happy to see firsthand its stature of a growing league.

"I was pleasantly surprised by its physical aspect," he added. "There is much to say about this league and more and more people will be talking about it because it's very competitive."

After being named an MLS All-Star this past summer, Fernandez soaked it all in, even having his pictures taken with Thierry Henry and Landon Donovan before the game against Roma.

"The All-Star game was a new experience for me, which I enjoyed immensely," Fernandez said. "It was such a positive experience to be on the field with players of that quality but it was a personal motivation for me to strive and be there again next year."

Aside from the All-Star festivities, Fernandez touched on the playoff system here but was generally humble about it.

 "Truth is, one needs to adapt overall to any changes or customs that every country has," he reflected. "I had culture shock in France and it was very rough in the beginning but once you accustom yourself, everything works out on its own."

Is he now a full-fledged Texan then?

"Well, I'm very happy here and I hope to stay for years," Fernandez added. "We're in a family-oriented environment and my family is at peace here. To me, that's first and everything else is second."

But Fernandez realizes everything isn't etched in stone. The goalkeeper strives to fight for his place every week and said he wants to continuously impress his manager. He takes it game-by-game but his near-term goal is to help Dallas get into the playoffs.

"As I've learned my whole life, no one is assured of their position," Fernandez said. "I work and train hard all the time whether it's with Dallas or the National team."

But with a long-offseason that most players around the globe aren't accustomed to, Fernandez is asked whether or not he'd consider a loan move after this year's campaign ends.

"That's something I actually haven't thought about," he paused. "But, yes, of course I'd like to have continuity so I can't rule it out. Obviously, that's something that has to be worked out. However, my objective right now is this season and that's to be a champion. After that, we'll see."

- Freddy Sebastian

@TioPelotas74

FC Dallas at New York Red Bulls,
Red Bull Arena

Harrison, N.J.

Sunday, Sept. 22 5pm ET

©FootballGeezer, Freddy Sebastian 09192013

Write to FootballGeezer at @FootballGeez or joeymelv@gmail.com

Geezer's weekend review

Arsenal are back in the title race; Manchester City's foreigners don't have the bottle for a scrap; Crystal Palace could be the worst Premier League team in history.

Ok, so only one of those three statements is true. I'll let you pick the one you fancy.

Not the most exciting weekend of action, but it's still just the second weekend of the season. Nothing is decided in August - it's not like Spurs can win 1-0 every week with a dodgy penalty - and if it was the same every week, Newcastle, West Ham, Everton and West Brom fans would probably never watch another game in their lives.

We need some perspective this early in the year. Although I can already see tomorrow's back pages predicting Jose has David Moyes' number, or that the Scotsman has evoked the spirit of Fergie.

Oh, and a replay of Hull v Norwich is on later. Don't forget to record that one.

***

PSG finally won a game, with Cavani scoring again, but Marseille remain top after winning their first 3 games of the season... Barcelona won 1-0 without Messi, with Neymar still being used as a sub. Real Madrid play Grenada today (without Gareth Bale as things stand)... Dortmund, Leverkeusen, Bayern Munich and Mainz 05 have all won their opening 3 games in the Bundesliga - maybe it's not the two horse race I predicted (but let's give it a few weeks). Serie A review to come...

***

Clint Dempsey is still goalless since his return to the MLS, but Seattle won again, so no one will care about the other stats - oh wait, it's the US, stats are all that matter. The Red Bulls were upset by bottom of the table Chivas, but with 15 of the 19 teams still in contention for the playoff places, no result in the MLS is really a surprise.

I imagine Thierry Henry has an evil laugh too

So the New York Red Bulls went top of the Eastern Conference with a 3-2 win over Kansas City this weekend, but they should be there with a player like Thierry Henry in their side.

He knows he's better than everyone else in the MLS (even the Deuce), and lauds it over them all! Clap at those minions as they fall over in front of you.

Soccer fans are the best in the world

So you're 2-0 up at home, then find yourself 3-2 down with less than 5 minutes to go. Do you do what Miami Heat 'fans' did when they left early when their team were in the Finals? (check out these idiots here)

Or do you stick by your team, equalize, then grab an injury time winner?

Thanks to Dax McCarty of the New York Red Bulls for posting this video.

Shows the passion of real fans - and that's why football fans are the best in the world.

A pre-season game in the middle of the season?

Only in the MLS

Major League Soccer is about to enter that time of year when it sells itself to the highest bidder rather than focusing on strengthening its own brand.

The New York Red Bulls play Lyon tomorrow night in a game that doesn’t matter to anyone, and is just a pre-season game for the French team. This is amazing considering the Red Bulls have played 20 games in the league already, look like they will qualify for the playoffs and have nothing to gain from the fixture. It’s unlikely Thierry Henry or Tim Cahill will play – why risk the only good players they have? They also have to compete with the US National team who are playing Costa Rica at the exact same time (albeit in another match with little significance), which means fans and TV viewers are likely to be focused on something else. 

It begs the question of why the MLS needs to take on these games. It’s really not a benefit to the teams in the US and Canada, can’t bring in that significant revenue and isn’t a great advert for the league as the top players don’t participate.

The MLS All-Star game against Roma on July 31 is a little different. Putting the best players in the league up against teams like Manchester United and Chelsea (both former opponents for the All-Stars) can only be good for exposure and therefore attract a better quality player to the league. I’m sure players like Henry and Marco Di Vaio are not best pleased about having to play an extra game, and neither are there employers, but it’s good for promoting the league.

It’s already a league that doesn’t conform to the European football timetable, doesn’t have a regular schedule to attract fans (with games even being played at 1pm on a weekday!) and is still establishing an identity.

There is so much potential for the MLS, so here’s to hoping that they ditch some of these meaningless friendly games and focus on their own league.