Opposite View - Three Questions With Once A Metro

tBG) New York has gotten off to a terrible start, going 0-2-4 so far. Why is this?

OaM) I don't know if I can point to one thing. Part of it is that the team seems like they're still working through tactics. Another part is that it seems like the Red Bulls still need to get on the same page. It seems like more times than not, they need a half to really gel.

tBG) Unlike years past, this offseason was relatively quiet for New York. Which of the new guys has impressed you most?

OaM) I might catch some flack for this,but Armando. He's prone to fouls and cards -- and apparently he's being watched closely by the refs -- but he plays with an edge and does a lot of things well. I think once he gets acclimated to MLS, he'll be a good player.

tBG) What's it like as a New York Red Bulls fan to finally win silverware after so many fruitless seasons?

OaM I'm not a great person to ask this question to, since I am, admittedly, a newer fan. But I was in the South Ward when the Red Bulls beat the Fire 5-2 to clinch the Shield, and to see what it meant to a lot of the people around me really stuck with me.

Some of the guys had been fans since the late 90's, if not 1996. A lot of the guys had watched the team in a cavernous, empty Giants Stadium with strange rules. They dealt with the divisive Red Bull purchase and watched MLS start trending upward, all without seeing their team get a taste of a championship. To see those guys, who invested a lot in the team, the league and the sport, really have something to celebrate was really special.

Starting XI prediction:

Luis Robles; Roy Miller, Ibrahim Sekagya, Jamison Olave, Kosuke Kimura; Jonny Steele, Dax McCarty, Eric Alexander, Lloyd Sam; Thierry Henry, Tim Cahill

Match prediction:

1-1 Draw