RED BULLS VS. COLUMBUS -- SEASON OPENER

Red Bulls Reader coming to you from high up in the Giants Stadium press box as we start of the 2008 Red Bull Season. The starting lineups are in, and here is how the teams will line up in the Red Bulls season opener:

---------------Angel---------Echeverry------------

VDB-----------------Reyna----------Sassano------

------------Stammler----Ubiparipovic------------

Goldthwaite---------Parke-----------------Leitch

----------------------Conway----------------------

Columbus Crew lineup:

-------------------------Moreno--------------------------

Rogers-----------------Schelotto----------------Gaven

-----------------Moffat----------Carroll-----------------

Miglioranzi------Marshall---O'Rourke-----------Hejduk

---------------------------Hesmer--------------------------

Jozy is not starting tonight after tweaking his knee in training on Friday, but he is dressed and available for head coach Juan Carlos Osorio as the new coach makes his Red Bulls debut.

On a side note, here is a funny story from yesterday:

A volunteer for tonight's match was flying in from Ohio (where he goes to school) and was in the airport wearing RBNY gear when who should walk in to the terminal than the Columbus Crew traveling party! As the team and our trusty volunteer were waiting for the plane, the Crew were warily eyeing our man in Red Bulls gear. When the flight was called, one of the players on the Crew jokingly told our guy "Don't even think about getting on this flight." Nothing came of it, but it should provide extra motivation for the Red Bulls tonight.

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GAME OVER: Nice win for the Red Bulls, and a great start to the Osorio era.

90th minute: 3 minutes of stoppage time.

89th minute: A solid scoring chance for the Crew, but Hendrickson pokes it over the net.

89th minute: CLB is controlling posession, but can't get any solid looks on net. RBNY looking to close things out strong down a man.

83rd minute: A CLB cross into the box, but two Crew run into eachother. That seems to be the way it is going for them tonight.

81st minute: Second yellow for Parke. He is sent off.

79th minute: Magee for Reyna.

71st minute: Wolyniec for Echeverry.

70th minute: Nice sequence by CLB, but no quality scoring chance.

NOTE: With Hendrickson now in the game, all the former Red Bulls on the Crew are on the record.

66th minute: 3rd sub for CLB: Hendrickson for Miglioranzi.

65th minute: Yellow for Parke for a hard foul.

63rd minute: Gaven's free kick goes over the crossbar.

61st minute: A great cross to Rogers, nearly offside, earns CLB a corner. Evans comes on for Moffat for CLB. The corner earns a free kick outside the box. Another sub for CLB: Hernandez for Schelotto.

60th minute: A nice run by Borman earns a corner.

58th minute: Nice individual effort by Moffat, but nothing to show for it.

TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES: Sorry about that. Unforseen circumstances, but we are back. Borman for Sinisia, and a PK by Angel saved by Hesmer.

HALFTIME: Red Bulls dominated for a 2-0 lead.

45th minute: 1 minute of stoppage time.

41st minute: Sinisia carded after a hard foul.

40th minute: CLB is starting to generate some better chances, but Conway has not been seriously threatened.

32nd minute: A dangerous through ball by Hejduk finds no one.

30th minute: A great buildup by the Red Bulls earns a corner, but Hesmer comes off his line to prevent the threat.

29th minute: Rogers puts one just wide for CLB on their best opportunity of the night from just inside the box.

25th minute: CLB is having trouble stringing together more than one or two passes.

21st minute: Off another CLB turnover, Angel get an open look from 18 that is parried by Hesmer, and Hesmer has to come up big again on the follow by Echeverry. Another quality chance.

17th minute: Things are calming down a bit, but the aggressive play of the Red Bulls is causing CLB fits.

12th minute: CLB earns a free kick from 20 yards out, but nothing comes of it.

8th minute: GOAL RED BULLS!! Angel redirects a VDB corner, and Kevin Goldthwaite puts it in from his back in the goalmouth. The RBNY offense is looking potent.

NOTE: VDB's goal is the fastest in team history.

5th minute: Echeverry pounces on a turnover in the area, but can't get much pace on his shot.

4th minute: RBNY continues to apply pressure, earning a corner, but Hesmer comes off his line to diffuse the chance.

1st minute: GOAL RED BULLS!!: VDB blasts a left footer past Hesmer from 20 yards out. 46 seconds and the Red Bulls take the lead!!

1st minute: And we're off...

7:32: A rousing anthem by Katelyn Tarver of Radio Disney. Now lets get to the action.

7:31: The teams are taking the field as we await the national anthem.

7:24: The game ball arrives, courtesy of the Red Bull Air Force, as four gentlemen parachuted into the stadium, making near-perfect landing in the circle.

PREGAME: The festivities on the field are beginning as we near the start of the match.