NYRB INKS STAMMLER TO NEW CONTRACT

Red Bull New York announced today that midfielder/defender Seth Stammler has signed a new contract with Major League Soccer to play for the Red Bulls. Per MLS and team policy, specific terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Stammler, 26, was a key contributor to the Red Bulls in 2007, logging in the most minutes out of any player (2,547). The fourth-year player out of the University of Maryland featured in 29 of the Red Bulls' 30 regular season matches and made 28 starts while contributing two assists. One of the Red Bulls' most versatile players, Stammler has started in a number of different positions both in the back line and midfield.

After battling through injury in his rookie season in 2004, Stammler went on to make 10 appearances the following year. In 2006, the 5-9, 167-pound Gahanna, OH, native broke into the lineup, logging 27 starts and 29 games played while scoring three goals and five assists. Stammler has also started in a career-total of six postseason games.

Stammler won the team's 2007 USSF Humanitarian of the Year award for his work with his charitable organization, the Sporting Chance Foundation, dedicated to provide clean water wells and educational programs to the people of Haiti.

MCGEE GOES UNDER THE KNIFE

Red Bull New York announced today that midfielder/forward Mike Magee underwent successful surgery yesterday to remove a medial plica and a piece of inflamed fat pad under the patella in his right knee. The surgery was performed by Dr. Riley Williams at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. Magee is expected to recover in six weeks.

Magee, who is currently the longest tenured New York player, featured in seven games for the Red Bulls in 2007 and missed time last season due to injury. Playing in 104 games over his five year MLS career (sixth all-time in club history), the 23-year-old from South Barrington, IL, has scored a total of 18 goals and 12 assists.

Be diligent with your rehab and get back to the pitch soon!!

RED BULL ACADEMY'S KASSEL WORKS OUT AT MINI-CAMP

With over 30 players in attendance at the Giants Stadium Practice Bubble on Wednesday battling to impress coaches and on-lookers alike, there is one player that the Red Bulls already know a lot about.

Spraying the ball and making plays in the center of the field, midfielder Matt Kassel from Bridgewater, NJ, can only be identified by his number 7 on his yellow vest and his more-or-less resemblance to a younger Frank Lampard. Kassel moved up through the ranks of the Red Bulls Academy and while he is only 18 years old, he has a bright future ahead of him.

And with new MLS rules in effect, Kassel could potentially fulfill the dream of players who enter the Academy -- graduating to the Red Bulls' first team.

We sat down with Kassel after Wednesday's session as he spoke about the Academy, mini-camp and "Lamps".

Matt, how did you start playing soccer?
My dad was always involved in soccer from back to the World Cup straight to the MetroStars. Through him, my dad was basically the main reason of how I got involved from there. He's been teaching me, coaching me and giving his input.

You are a player who has developed his game through the Red Bulls Academy. How has that experience been for you?
It was great. The competition has been top notch and the coaches have been great. They're always telling you that you need to improve on something and you work on that. The main thing is that you have to be at a place where there are good and competitive players because that's the only way you're going to get better. Being in an environment like I was, it really helped me out a lot.

More MLS teams are building their own academies. How promising is that for aspiring young players?
It's great, especially if you start out with the academies in MLS, it's a great step for every youth player out there. You look at it and this is where guys want to be and this is where they should be - playing in an academy.

You've been invited to this week's mini-camp by the Red Bulls coaching staff. How have you approached it?
It's great for me. I feel honored that I got called into this camp but that doesn't mean that it's done. You have to continue to work hard day in and day out and hopefully, the coaches like me and we move forward from there.

What areas do you improve in as a player?
I just need to continue to work hard and listen to the coaches' advice. I need to be in the right situations in the right times in moving forward and playing the best to my ability.

Finally, how often does someone say that you look like Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard?
All the time, especially when I went over to England. They called me Frank Lampard and people joke around about it. It's a good thing to joke around about it -- I wouldn't mind being Frank Lampard, that's for sure.

Aren't you a Manchester United fan?
Yes, I am a Man U fan.

So that wouldn't work out for now.
Nope, definitely not!

The Red Bulls announced on Jan. 21 that their Academy will be cost-free starting this year. For more information on the Red Bull Academy, call (201) 583-7025.

OSORIO FINALIZES STAFF

New York Red Bulls head coach Juan Carlos Osorio announced today that Richie Williams and Des McAleenan will continue the serve on the Red Bulls' coaching staff for the 2008 season.

Williams will be entering his third year with the Red Bulls. The University of Virginia alumnus was an assistant under Mo Johnston during the beginning of the 2006 season before Johnston was relieved of his head coaching duties on June 27. Williams served as the club's interim head coach for eight regular season games from June 27, 2006, through Aug. 12. During his tenure as interim head coach, Williams' squad went 4-3-2 in all competitions and he helped lead the Red Bulls on a three-game winning streak in July.

Williams, a Middletown, NJ native, played eight years in Major League Soccer spending six (1996-2000, 2002) of those seasons in the nation's capital playing for D.C. United and two (2001, 2003) with New York He was a member of United's MLS Cup championship teams in 1996, 1997 and 1999. In addition to his club play, Williams earned 17 caps with the U.S. National Team.

McAleenan is now in his eighth season as goalkeeper/assistant coach. During his tenure with the Red Bulls, McAleenan has enjoyed remarkable success training four U.S. National Team goalkeepers, including Tim Howard, Jonny Walker, Zach Wells, Tony Meola and Jon Conway. Under his tutelage, current English Premier League goalkeeper Howard developed into one of the best international goalkeeping prospects in the world. In the past two seasons, McAleenan has helped Conway post the first (2006) and fourth (2007) best goals against average in MLS.

Prior to joining the Red Bulls, McAleenan served as goalkeeping coach for the Connecticut Wolves of the A-League and NCAA Division III Trinity College in Hartford, CT.

MINI-CAMP AND TEAM MEETING

Today began with the second day of mini-camp at the Giants Stadium bubble. Later in the day, the front office and coaching staff met with the team at the Montclair State training facility in the first full-team meeting of the 2008 season.

Over 30 players are participating in the mini-camp, with the hopes of impressing the coaching staff and securing a spot on the roster. The team's Supplemental Draft selections, as well as non-roster invitees, participated in 10 vs. 10 scrimmages. Some notable names in attendance included former New England Revolution defender Marshall Leonard, former Columbus Crew goalkeeper Bill Gaudette, and USL First Division Rochester Rhinos defender Scott Palguta. Several members of the media were in attendance as well, as the 2008 New York Red Bull preseason is one of optimism.

New head coach Juan Carlos Osorio, Sporting Director Jeff Agoos, and Managing Director Marc de Grandpre addressed the team at the team meeting later in the afternoon. The team's leadership laid out the club's goals for the 2008 season, and key members of the team, notably Juan Pablo Angel and Claudio Reyna, met with members of the media following the meeting.

Seth Stammler's reaction to the team meeting
David Roth's reaction to the team meeting
Jon Conway's reaction to the team meeting

The team is preparing to travel to California to begin full squad preseason training this weekend, as the Red Bulls will train at The Home Depot Center from February 3-17.

NYRB ADDS FRIENDLY TO PRESEASON SLATE

Red Bull New York and the Carolina RailHawks of the United Soccer Leagues First Division announced today that they will play a friendly match at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, NC, on Friday, March 28 at 7:30 PM. This will be the Red Bulls' final game prior to the team's regular season opener against the Columbus Crew at Giants Stadium on April 5 at 7:30 PM.

"We are looking forward to play the RailHawks," said Red Bulls head coach Juan Carlos Osorio. "I know that they have a solid team and that they will give us a very competitive game as we prepare for the upcoming MLS season."

The Red Bulls begin preparation for the 2008 MLS season this week. The team will travel to Los Angeles on Feb. 2 and train from Feb. 3-18 at The Home Depot Center before returning to the New York/New Jersey area. The squad will then head to Salzburg, Austria, from Feb. 25-March 7 before participating in the Carolina Challenge Cup in Charleston, SC, from March 14-23.

The Carolina RailHawks are a United Soccer Leagues team that entered the USL First Division in April 2007. The squad played 14 regular season home games and seven additional home playoff, exhibition and U.S. Open Cup games in its Inaugural Season, with all home games played at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C. Under Rochester Rhinos co-owner and USL Hall of Fame inductee Chris Economides, the RailHawks organization was formed in October 2005 and awarded the USL franchise in January 2006. In September of 2007, the Carolina RailHawks announced the addition of a USL W-League team under the direction of Head Coach Jay Howell.

Tickets for the match against the RailHawks will go on sale on Monday, Feb. 4, at 10:00 AM and can be purchased by calling the Carolina RailHawks Box Office at 919-859-KICK (5425), or by visiting any Ticketmaster outlet.

JOZY NAMED TO U-23 SIDE

New York Red Bulls forward Jozy Altidore was one of 23 players named by U.S. Under-23 Men's National Team head coach Peter Nowak who will participate in the squad's second training camp of 2008 from Jan. 26-Feb. 2 at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL. The camp will be the team's final opportunity to train together before Nowak selects the side that will compete in the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Tournament from March 11-23.

Recently, Altidore was invited by U.S. Men's National Team head coach Bob Bradley to the squad's first training camp of 2008, which started on Jan. 3 and culminated in the U.S.'s 2-0 friendly win over Sweden on Jan. 19 in Carson, CA. Earning his second senior cap in that match, Altidore came on at halftime and made an impact two minutes in, earning a penalty kick after a Swedish defender felled him in the box. This led to a Landon Donovan goal and a 2-0 U.S. lead.

In December, Altidore, 18, was with the U-23 squad that played a pair of friendlies against the Chinese U-23 National Team on Dec. 13 and 16 in Changsha and Guangzhou, respectively. A few weeks earlier, Altidore earned his first cap for the senior U.S. Men's National Team, when he was a second-half substitute in a 1-0 win over South Africa on Nov. 17.

Altidore has also played at the U.S. U-17 and U-20 levels. In the summer of 2007, Altidore partook in the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada, playing a key role in the team's run to the quarterfinals. Altidore was the fourth-leading scorer in the tournament, netting four goals in five matches, including a pair to defeat Brazil, 2-1, in the group stage.

In qualifying, the U.S. U-23s play Cuba on March 11, Panama on March 13 and finish the Group A round-robin competition against Guatemala on March 15. After group play, the top two teams from Groups A and B will advance to the semifinals which will be played on March 20 at LP Field in Nashville, TN. LP Field will also be the location for the third-place game and championship match on Sunday, March 23. The two finalists will advance to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing taking place in August.