2011 - NY Red Bull Fan Fest

2011.11.19 Red Bull Arena, Harrison, NJ

When my boys were younger we would attend baseball games, where after the game the team management allowed the kids to run the bases. When the boys reached home they would rub their hand in the dirt and I would have them smudge the dirt into a first day cover, to commemorate their run on a professional field. Following the penalty kick attempt at Red Bull Arena, Mike and I both rubbed dirt into the 1979 US Olympic  first day cover to commemorate our afternoon...

Mike has played soccer on Giants Stadium's field, but it was turf and it did not provide the opportunity to obtain a dirt sample...

2011 - NY Red Bull Fan Fest

2011.11.19 Red Bull Arena, Harrison, NJ

The red Bull held their first fan fest and select a seat to allow fans to come into the stadium and select seats for the 2012 season. During the event guests had the opportunity to take a penalty shot on the field, have a professional holiday photo taken in front of a holiday decorated goal, and tour the Red Bulls locker room. I was quite surprised that the season ticket sales was very low-key, no pressure to buy. Fans were allowed to wander the stadium and only had access to the field to take a penalty kick or to have their holiday photo taken...

Access to the stadium was through the VIP entrance, where a mural of fan photos made up the Red Bull logo...

Mike taking his penalty kick - he scored to the right of the keeper. My shot hit the keeper right in the hands, he didn't even had to move.

In the supporters section we noticed a lone red seat. never noticed it before as the section was always packed with fans. The seat in section 101, row 11, seat 20 commemorates first goal ever scored in Red Bull Arena, scored by Joel Linpere on March 20 in the 11th minute of the game..

On the way to the locker room the wall is lined with competitors jerseys including Juventus and Sporting Lisbon...

 The locker room was a very simple design, with a turf covered warmup area behind closed doors that consisted of exercise bikes and a soccer tennis net...

2011 MLS All-Star Game

2011 MLS All-star v Manchester United game program

Mehdi Ballouchy - signed card provided by Dick's Sporting Goods...the photo measures 5x7 without the $10. coupon...
Tony Meola - signed 8.5 x 11 photo..the back of the photo features Meola's stats...
Carl Robinson signed All-Star autograph card...This type of card was available for all of the players, some had the players name in place of the word autograph...

2011 MLS All-Star Game

Dane Richards - NY Red Bull, Jamaican National Team

Bouna Coundoul - NY Red Bull, Colorado Rapids, Senegal National Team

Sebastien Le Toux - Philadelphia Union, Lorient, Seattle Sounders

Mehdi Ballouchy - NY Red Bull, Colorado Rapids, Real Salt lake

Carlos Mendes - NY Red Bull

Luke Rodgers - NY Red Bull

Tony Meola - US National Team, MetroStars, Kansas City Wizards, NY Red Bull, NJ Ironmen

Carl Robinson - NY Red Bull, Toronto FC, Wolverhampton Wolves, Portsmouth, Sunderland, Norwich City, Welsh National Team

Lauren Cheney - US National Team

2008 Summer Olympics

2011 FIFA World Cup

Pali Blies - 2009 (W-League)

Boston Breakers - 2010- (WPS)

Ali Krieger - US National Team

2008 Four Nations Cup

2011 FIFA World Cup

Northern Virginia Majestics - 2005 (W-League)

Washington Freedom - 2006-2007 (W-League)

1.FFC Frankfurt - 2007-2011 (Frauen-Bundesliga)

Washington Freedom 2009 (WUSA)

From the pages of Mike's 3rd collection of soccer autographs...all obtained during the 2011 MLS All-Star Fan Fest, Red Bull Stadium, Harrison, NJ 2011.07.27...

All of the MLS players were sponsored by one of the vendors present, Krieger and Cheney were at the game, interviewed by ESPN before the game and brought onto the field during half-time to a round of applause for their efforts in the 2011 FIFA World Cup. We ran into them after their interview in the arena...

Alexi Lalas was also at one of the vendor booths, but since he is not on our list of favorite people after his stint as GM of the MetroStars...

Even though we had previously obtained the autographs of Meola, Richards, Mendes and Robinson, they were added to start off the 3rd book and to stay within the atmosphere of the fan fest....

All of the vendor booths were staffed with great people, the lines were short and the players were very pleasant...

2011 MLS All-Star Game

Volkswagen - The biggest foosball table I have ever seen!

The MLS All-Star game fan fest held outside of Red Bull Arena offered plenty to do, including games of soccer tennis, shooting on targets, being a goalkeeper, X-box games and other activities. The one that Mike enjoyed the most was where I sat in a chair with a water balloon over my head. He gets to kick a soccer ball at a target which would break the balloon and release the water onto my head. Mike hit it on the first shot. The cool water actually felt good as it ran down my back. On my turn I missed all three shots, getting close once.

Pepsi had a street band with street jugglers, Continental tires raffled a signed soccer ball, Allstate gave away jerseys. Several vendors gave away t-shirts, towels, lanyards and photos. I was amazed how many offered a photos - some turned into trading cards, one with the MLS Cup, all with their company logo and the All-Star game logo...

Autographs:

Bouna Coundoul - Red Bull (Colorado Rapids, Senegal National Team)

Sebastien le Toux - Philadelphia Union, Lorient, Seattle Sounders

Carols Mendes - Red Bull

Tony Meola - US National Team, MetroStars, Kansas City Wizards, NY Red Bull, NJ Ironmen

Luke Rodgers - Red Bulls, Notts County, Yeovil Towne

Mehdi Ballouchy - Red Bull, Colorado Rapid, Real Salt Lake

Carl Robinson - Red Bull, Toronto FC, Norwich City, Wolverhampton Wonderers, Sunderland AFC, Portsmouth FC, Welsh National Team

Dane Richards - Red Bull, Jamaica National Team

2011 MLS All-Star Game

2011.07.27 MLS All-Stars v Manchester United, Red Bull Arena, Harrison, NJ

Wayne Rooney and the Man U team warm-up before the game

Red Bull Air Force makes a dramatic entrance...We witnessed this once before at Giants Stadium when Red Bull took over the MetroStars..as Mike said "this does not get old", two parachutists coming onto the field, all the while watching on video from the helicopter and from the stadium perspectives...
The starting line-ups as the MLS All-Stars get ready to meet Manchester United...For the second year in a row Man U got the better of the MLS All-Stars with a 4-0 win at Red Bull Arena, on goals from Anderson, Dimitar Berbatov, Danny Welbeck and Ji-Sung Park. Park was also named MVP of the match...

In the first half the MLS squad played Man U well but could not capitalize on their chances. However Man U would not be stopped, playing a very skilled game, constantly on the attack. We sat near a section of Man U supporters, who did their best to turn the crowd into Man U supporters...

David Beckham served as team captain for the MLS and played all 90 minutes, playing a good game, as Coach Backe used Beckham as a free-roaming midfielder. Red Bull rookie Juan Agudelo came in late in the game receiving a tremendous cheer from the sold-out crowd of 26,760...