Red Bulls fans, hold those travel plans
If you are a Red Bulls fan who was planning to make the trip to San Jose for the 2008 season opener, you might want to hold off on making any travel arrangements just yet.
A source within Major League Soccer has informed me that there is a very real chance the schedule could be changed and the Red Bulls-Earthquakes season opener slated for March 29th at Buck Shaw Stadium in Santa Clara could be moved to a later date, thus no longer making it the season opener (or official return of the Earthquakes).
The game was signed off on by MLS, which informed the teams that it was set to be the opener, but some logistical challenges have arisen and the game is up in the air now, at least for the March 29th date.
I will provide new information as soon as it becomes available. For now, you might want to put off buying those airline tickets.
Tell the truth Ives. You threw a wrench in the cogs because you didn't want to be on the losing side of the challenge to Red Bulls fans that they travel to the game!
Posted by: kpugs | December 05, 2007 at 05:08 PM
Now I'm a TFC fan but even i can see the problem with a
TFC vs. Crew opening match-up for ABC kick-off opening weekend.
I'd suspect that's what these changes are all about.
Posted by: alex | December 05, 2007 at 05:16 PM
Just to clarify, the TFC @ Crew game is in the afternoon, so ABC uses it then to clear up the night-time time slot. This was all reported on MLS underground at some point.
Posted by: alex | December 05, 2007 at 05:18 PM
any news on the rest of the RBNY schedule?
Posted by: TonUpMike | December 05, 2007 at 05:26 PM
Final schedules are supposed to be announced in February.
Posted by: Eric | December 05, 2007 at 06:03 PM
The opener will be at the stadium in Harrison.
Posted by: KingSnake | December 05, 2007 at 06:12 PM
good 'ol hasty news reporting. good job, buddy. why don't you report it when it's official instead of being wrong?
wait, let me earn money as a reporter. seems easy enough. here were go.
"the red bulls have acquired drogba, messi, kaka, and cannavaro."
Posted by: Polio | December 05, 2007 at 08:01 PM
wait, never mind. that last report i made was inaccurate. sorry.
in other news, there's a 50/50 percent chance of precipitation tomorrow.
Posted by: Polio | December 05, 2007 at 08:04 PM
Polio, the Red Bulls-San Jose opener was widely circulated and teams were told it was the date. I didn't go seeking out this info, teams put it out there.
Posted by: Ives | December 05, 2007 at 08:07 PM
Polio, go crawl back under the rock you came from. The Red Bull-San Jose game was reported all over the country, by papers from the New York Times to LA Times.
Posted by: Matt | December 05, 2007 at 08:14 PM
Polio. You are dirt bag....nuff said!
Posted by: Polio is an a-hole | December 05, 2007 at 09:27 PM
on a somewhat-not really-related note...does anybody know when the current MLS TV deal extends until?
Posted by: Scott A | December 05, 2007 at 09:51 PM
if "teams put it out there".. then why did you proclaim it was an SBI exclusive?
Posted by: todd | December 06, 2007 at 02:59 AM
Todd, I was the first to report it but not the only one to report it.
The game was set for March 29, and as of now it is still set for March 29. For some reason the league is now considering changing the date.
Posted by: Ives | December 06, 2007 at 07:50 AM
any truth/news with regards to Mariner coming to coach TFC??
Posted by: Ossington Mental Youth | December 06, 2007 at 08:27 AM
What is it that makes people want to come on here and question Ives's reporting? This is becoming old with a quickness. Not to mention everyone's problem when there's an SBI exclusive... Why does it matter?
Ives is doing us a major favor with all this, so I'm not really sure why we should be giving him crap. Just my opinion...
Posted by: BK (the artist formerly known as Brad) | December 06, 2007 at 08:42 AM
Is this why you read blogs? To get info before it becomes official. If you want to wait til everything is set in stone, read mlsnet. If you want to learn what insiders are talking about, then read SBI.
Sure sometimes things change, but that in itself is fun to read about. I would rather read that MLS is planning on doing A, then learn that they are actually doing B, than just read that they are doing B.
Normal fans just care about what happens. Crazies want to know about whats going on behind the scenes and whats likely to happen.
Posted by: srfinger | December 06, 2007 at 09:29 AM
srfinger: Very well said.
Posted by: Joamiq | December 06, 2007 at 10:17 AM
For what it is worth, I'd trust what Ives says more than MLSNet ...
Posted by: KingSnake | December 06, 2007 at 12:48 PM
John Ryan of the San Jose Mercury News reports that
"There was a report from the East Coast that the Earthquakes would open at home March 29 against the New York Red Bulls, but [Earthquakes executive vice president] Alioto said that isn't the case. The Red Bulls and MLS wanted it to be the case, but the success of the [Santa Clara University] teams extended their seasons and pushed back the schedule for stadium alterations. Alioto said the team probably could have made the March 29 date, but it might have cost them a chance to show off all the bells, whistles, streamers, big-screen TV, new sound system, etc.
'When we open, we want to put our best foot forward,' he said.
Expect an announcement next week that the home opener will be sometime in mid-April; the full schedule will be released in January."
http://www.mercurynews.com/columns/ci_7658675?nclick_check=1
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