The New York Red Bulls played the Houston Dynamo in Houston on Saturday night to a scoreless draw. This was the first competitive clash between the two clubs since the New York Red Bulls eliminated the two time MLS Cup champions Dynamo in the first round of the 2008 MLS Cup Playoffs so fans of both clubs were assured a great match as the Dynamo were set for revenge.
Both clubs played extremely well during the first half and have had some pretty good chances at goal throughout the match but neither club was able to find net. Despite the lack of goals, the match was very intense and tempers flared with several yellow (and red) cards as the Dynamo attempted to avenge their elimination from the MLS Cup Playoffs last season.
With this result, here is how each club stands right now (note that the percentage I have listed is the superior points percentage--instead of using points as the first criteria for ranking clubs throughout the season, I take the number of points earned divided by the number of points possible for the number of matches played and multiply that by 100. I use this so that one club will never have the "upper hand" over any other at any point during the season):
New York Red Bulls (0-2-2; 2 points earned/4 matches(3)=16.7%; last place in east; 13th out of 15 in league): The Red Bulls have had an extremely disappointing start to the Major League Soccer season as you can see from their record. Not one goal was actually scored by a Red Bull player so far. The only goal came in the form of a New England Revolution own goal in a match that ended in 1-1 draw. Red Bull Juan Pablo Angel (a favorite to win the MLS Golden Boot although he does have quite a bit of competition and the Red Bull's current form is not helping him any), however, has had several chances in these matches but could not find the back of the net. The Red Bulls are back in action next Saturday when they will face Real Salt Lake (currently 2-1-0; 6 points in 3 matches; 66.7%; 3rd in west out of 8; 5th place overall). The last time the Red Bulls faced Salt Lake was in the 2008 Western Conference championship game in which the Red Bulls beat them 1-0.
Houston Dynamo (tied with Red Bulls with a 0-2-2 record but beats them on goal difference putting Dynamo in 6th place in the west and 12th overall)have also had a pretty disappointing start to the regular season. It started with their first competitive loss back in February in which Mexican powerhouse Atlante eliminated them from the CONCACAF Champions League. Despite being upset by the Red Bulls last season in the 2008 MLS Cup Playoffs, the Houston squad started the 2009 season will a glimmer of hope after ending the 2008 season with a Champions League win making them the only MLS and American-based club to qualify for the elimination round of this important international competition. The Dynamo's next match is next Sunday against the Colorado Rapids at home.
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