FINALLY FINALLY

It’s around 9 AM on Saturday morning and RBR is on the team bus back to the Red Bulls’ training facility at Montclair State University. There were a lot of really early wake-up calls this morning as the team bus left their hotel in Durham at 5:15 AM. Everyone was pretty bleary eyed and ready to roll back into bed.

Almost all of the players, as well as RBR, are ready for the season finally to start after weeks away from home, two-a-day training sessions and the constant regimen of preseason. The season for everyone really starts back in January and with the fact that the playoffs run until November, the whole process is long.

With that being said, Red Bulls fans should be encouraged by last night’s performance for a number of reasons:

- The team gained positive momentum after losing 3-0 to San Jose a week before.
- The defense played extremely well, holding Carolina to just one shot in the entire game. This 1-0 result is typical of the compact, efficient performances that Osorio’s teams generate.
- Several of the Red Bulls turned in solid performances, including Claudio Reyna, who was in the middle of several attacks and did well helping New York keep possession.
- And as goalscorer Dave van den Bergh acknowledged after the game, the Red Bulls could have scored more. Oscar Echeverry was inches away on the wrong side of the crossbar from scoring and the Red Bulls had a number of other opportunities.

So now we wait while the rest of the MLS teams (except San Jose) kick off the season today and tomorrow. Particularly of interest to the Red Bulls will be the Columbus Crew’s (their first opponent) showdown against Toronto FC at 4 PM. Also, there will be a rematch of the 2007 MLS Cup final when the New England Revolution tangles with the Houston Dynamo at 7:30 PM on Fox Soccer Channel.

Team is off Sunday and Monday before returning Tuesday. And we’ll be there for all of it.