The 2010 New York Red Bulls season was their fifteenth in Major League Soccer, and in their existence.
Following a dismal 2009 season, the Red Bulls saw the arrival of Swedish head coach Hans Backe. Backe replaced interim coach Richie Williams, who became an assistant.
In part of an entire overhaul to the club, the Red Bulls made several notable signings throughout the season including retired French international Thierry Henry; Mexico's national team captain, Rafael Márquez; as well as players including Tim Ream and Joel Lindpere.
The Red Bulls went on a worst-to-first campaign, topping the Eastern Conference by one point over Columbus before losing 3–2 on aggregate against San Jose in the quarterfinals of the 2010 MLS Cup Playoffs.
Monthly overview
November 2009 The contract for defender Leo Krupnik was terminated and he returned to Israel. Midfielder Nick Zimmerman was selected in the 2009 MLS Expansion Draft by the Philadelphia Union on November 25. Veteran midfielder Albert Celades retired after one year with the club.
December 2009 Erik Solér was named Red Bull New York General Manager and Sporting Director on December 7 and made responsible for the overall management of the New York Red Bulls, including its sporting division – comprising the First Team, the Red Bulls Academy, its developmental system and scouting. His most pressing concern was to name a head coach.
January The Red Bulls named Sweden's Hans Backe head coach on January 7. "I have followed Hans' career for many years and I think he will be an excellent coach for this team", said Red Bull New York General Manager and Sporting Director Erik Solér. "Hans brings a vast amount of experience from a variety of different clubs in Europe and he has been a fantastic mentor for many young and established players. We are confident that he will be able to help our club accomplish our goal of competing for a MLS Cup."
The new regime made many roster moves during the month. The club said goodbye to disappointing midfielder Jorge Rojas when he signed with a club in his native Venezuela on January 1. One week later the Red Bulls signed Costa Rican international defender Roy Miller. At the 2010 MLS SuperDraft on January 14, the club picked midfielder Tony Tchani and midfielder Austin da Luz in the first round, defender Tim Ream in the second round, forward Conor Chinn in the third round, and midfielder/forward Irving Garcia in the fourth round. Tchani signed with MLS as a Generation adidas player, meaning he has no salary cap impact for 2010 (and possibly a year or two more). The club also traded picks in the second and third round to acquire defender Chris Albright from the New England Revolution.
Also, on January 29, the Red Bulls traded their No. 1 slot in the MLS Allocation Rankings to the Philadelphia Union in exchange for the No. 6 slot and allocation money. Philadelphia used the pick to sign defender Michael Orozco Fiscal.
The Red Bulls opened preseason training in Spain where the club played CSKA Moscow to a 1–1 draw and defeated Polish club Lech Poznań 1–0.
February The Red Bulls cut goalkeeper Danny Cepero, and defenders Walter García and Carlos Johnson. The club also declined the contract option for midfielder Matthew Mbuta and hired Goran Aral as an assistant coach. Head coach Hans Backe confirmed that the club signed Estonian international Joel Lindpere, though the paperwork was not yet complete.
In preseason play, the Red Bulls won the 2010 Walt Disney World Pro Soccer Classic tournament in Orlando, beating Toronto FC 4–0 in the final behind three goals from captain Juan Pablo Ángel.
March Personnel moves dominated the month with the start of the regular season scheduled for March 27. SuperDraft picks Tim Ream, Conor Chinn and Irving Garcia were signed to contracts as was veteran goalkeeper Greg Sutton and Estonian import Joel Lindpere. The club acquired midfielder Carl Robinson from Toronto FC for a 2011 MLS SuperDraft pick, watched Enar Jääger and Yevhen Levchenko come and go as trialists, and sent Ernst Öbster back to Austria. On March 26, the club signed forward Juan Agudelo as a Homegrown Player from Red Bulls Academy. The U.S. Youth international had also been courted by sides in his native Columbia. The club announced that forward Giorgi Chirgadze, the first player signed from Red Bulls Academy, would likely miss the season due to a hip injury.
The most significant news of the month for all players and clubs was the signing of a new collective bargaining agreement between the league and the Major League Soccer Players Union. The new deal, announced March 20, ensured that the 2010 MLS season would take place as scheduled. The new agreement lasts through December 31, 2014.
On the field, the Red Bulls hosted Santos of Brazil in an exhibition match to open Red Bull Arena on March 20, 2010. The Red Bulls emerged 3–1 victors with the first ever Red Bull Arena goal being scored by midfielder Joel Lindpere. Longtime franchise defender Mike Petke and winger Dane Richards scored as well.
New York began the regular season at home with a win against the Chicago Fire on March 27 in the first MLS match at Red Bull Arena in front of a crowd of 24,572. Newcomer Joel Lindpere scored the first league goal in Red Bull Arena history. Rookie defender Tim Ream went the full 90 minutes while first-round SuperDraft pick Tony Tchani debuted as a 90th-minute substitute.
On March 30, the club announced it had signed assistant coach Richie Williams to a contract extension. Williams has twice served as Red Bulls interim manager, including for the final eight games of the 2009 season.
April New York built on its opening day victory with three wins in four league matches, ending the month off to their best start in nine years at 4–1–0. Captain Juan Pablo Ángel led the way with 3 goals. The first victory, 1–0 over Seattle Sounders FC on April 3, snapped a regular-season road winless streak that dated back to May 3, 2008.
The club also advanced in their play-in game for the U.S. Open Cup against the Philadelphia Union with a 2–1 win at home with rookie Conor Chinn scoring both goals. New addition Ibrahim Salou stated "Mentally, we're very, very strong. It comes also from the head coach, he is very strong and very relaxed and doesn't put too much pressure on the players. It comes forward to the players, how relaxed he is. That's very important. It helps us when we get to the field and we stay in the games and in the end we've been getting the three points, which is important for us."
Brittle forward Macoumba Kandji broke a bone in his right foot during training April 20 and was ruled out for 8–12 weeks. In other player news, the club signed forward Ibrahim Salou, acquired midfielder Brian Nielsen on loan from Danish side Vejle, and officially waived seldom-used midfielder Ernst Öbster. The league announced on April 1 that all clubs would now have two Designated Player slots with an option to purchase a third. As the Red Bulls already had two slots due to a 2007 trade with Chivas USA, the club received $70,000 in allocation money from the league as compensation.
The club announced that a mid-season friendly tournament called the 2010 New York Football Challenge would take place from July 22–25 at Red Bull Arena with Manchester City F.C., Tottenham Hotspur F.C., and likely Sporting Lisbon joining the Red Bulls in the tourney field.
May New York finished the month by qualifying for the Round of 16 of the U.S. Open Cup with 3–0 wins over the New England Revolution and Colorado Rapids. At the same time their league form took a slide with four losses in a row. Midfielder Danleigh Borman stated, "I think we've been playing well" and "we just need to find a way to win."
MLS fined head coach Hans Backe $2,500 for comments made following their 3–2 loss to New England at Gillette Stadium. Backe stated "I would say it's an absolute disgrace. It's ridiculous, it's a joke" and "when the referee decides games like this, probably the MLS should do an investigation because it's not even close to hitting. You can see the level of the referee, the level went [up and down]. It's a joke. If this had been in Italy there would be an investigation if the referee was bought."
Fielding a largely reserve lineup, the Red Bulls defeated out-of-season Serie A side Juventus FC 3–1 in an exhibition match at Red Bull Arena on May 23.
In injury news, defender Kevin Goldthwaite re-injured himself during training and was deemed likely to miss the season. Also, it was announced on May 26 that midfielder Carl Robinson would miss 5–6 weeks with a knee injury.
June New York looked to bounce back from a dismal May in a shortened month due to the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The team won their three league matches due mostly to GK Bouna Coundoul earning two clean sheets and a solidified Red Bulls defense. Coach Backe stated "I think we started the season very well with our defense and how we maintained our shape", and "we're still conceding too many opportunities in the back although we are performing better over the past few games."
The squad also looked to advance in U.S. Open Cup play when they faced the Harrisburg City Islanders in the Round of 16. The USL Second Division team pulled off the upset in extra time with a goal in the 117th minute by Dominic Oppong. Backe stated "the way we played – that's the history of the cup. We played three good games – New England, Colorado and Philadelphia – and then a poor one last night. You always have to play at a high level, and our performance dipped in a way." GK Greg Sutton added "we should never have put ourselves in that spot in the first place", when addressing the goal scored to eliminate the Red Bulls.
The team ended the month with top scorer Juan Pablo Ángel named MLS Player of the Week for his performance against the Kansas City Wizards by scoring two goals in a span of 8 minutes to seal the victory for New York. Ángel finished the month with 3 goals, which brought his season total to 9, placing him one goal behind the Los Angeles Galaxy's Edson Buddle for the 2010 MLS Golden Boot.
The club lost to Brazilian side Cruzeiro 4–2 in a June 18 friendly.
Defender Andrew Boyens represented New Zealand at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
July On July 14, Thierry Henry joined the Red Bulls after a successful three years at FC Barcelona, taking his usual number 14. Henry stated, "this marks an exciting new chapter in my career and life", and "it is an honor to play for the New York Red Bulls. I am fully aware of the team's history and my sole goal during my time here is to help win the club its first championship. Knowing Red Bull's significant commitment to soccer locally and internationally, I am confident that my teammates and I will succeed." Erik Solér, Red Bull New York General Manager and Sporting Director stated "Thierry is not only a world class player who will undoubtedly improve our squad, but he has shown most importantly throughout his career that he is a winner. He has made it clear to us that he is committed in the short and long term to help in our vision of making our organization the premium franchise in Major League Soccer."