Some insight on RB Leipzig & Red Bull Football

Many will only know Austrian energy drink maker Red Bull as being active in Formula 1 and adventure sports under owner Dietrich Mateschitz, but they actually own three football clubs in Austria, Germany and the United States besides running two Academies in Brazil and Ghana. With these five entities in four continents Red Bull has the biggest network of clubs/academies in the world of football under their ownership.

It all started in Salzburg in 2005, which is close to the Red Bull headquarters in Walz-Siezenheim, with the takeover of ailing SV Austria Salzburg then called SV Wüstenrot Salzburg and the club was rebranded as Red Bull Salzburg. It has won the Austrian Bundesliga a number of times, but owner Mateschitz has wanted the club to play amongst the best in the UEFA Champions League but the club has failed again and again in the qualifiers.

Only a year later Red Bull purchased the New York MetroStars in 2006 and it completely re-brand the franchise, changing the name, colours, and logo. From then on the MLS team has been known as New York Red Bulls. This was followed by the formation of the Academies of Red Bull Brasil in 2007 and Red Bull Ghana in 2008, which are supposed to work as feeder clubs to the bigger entities in Europe and North America.

In May 2009 followed the takeover of German fifth division club SSV Markranstädt and the renaming into RB Leipzig with the RB not standing for Red Bull but RasenBallsport Leipzig due to German football rules which do not allow the name of sponsors to be attached to the club name. At the time SSV Markranstädt were a local club in Leipzig playing fifth division football and with little ambitions to move higher. This changed with the Red Bull takeover as their new owners had the aim of getting the club into the top tier Bundesliga in a nine year period until 2018 with an initial investment of 100 Million Euros.

It worked well in year one under manager Tino Vogel with the club getting promoted into the fourth division. But over the last couple of years under coaches Thomas Oral and Peter Pacult with the team playing in the former 2006 World Cup stadium with a capacity of 44,345 now renamed Red Bull Arena they didn't get promoted though having the highest budget across leagues in the fourth tier of German football. This season Andreas Zorniger with some changes amongst the players has been given the task to gain promotion to the 3.Liga.

Now Indian goalkeeper Subrata Pal joins the club on a trial to show what he is capable off and if successful then Subrata could be offered a contract at RB Leipzig.

Here the article on India Keeper Subrata Pal set for German trial at RB Leipzig

Could Thierry Henry make a short return to FC Arsenal?

French coach Arsene Wenger of English Premier League side FC Arsenal is considering to bring back countryman Thierry Henry on a two-month loan deal from Major League Soccer side New York Red Bulls as reinforcement for strikers Gervinho (Ivory Coast) and Marouane Chamakh (Morocco) who both would be at next months 2012 Africa Cup of Nations for their respective national teams.

Henry is a living legend at Arsenal, the record goal scorer at the North London club with an impressive 226 goals in 370 matches from 1999 to 2007. And recently that status was cemented when a statue of the French striker was unveiled outside the Emirates Stadium.

Arsene Wenger has stated in the press that he is thinking about Henry with whom he had a very successful time at the club. During his eight years at the club Henry won two English Premier League and three FA Cup titles besides reaching the finals of the 2006 UEFA Champions League.

Now the former FIFA World Cup and European Championship winner Henry would be the ideal short-term replacement for the to African strikers and he could also bring in some much needed inspiration at Arsenal to save them this season. And the fans surely would love to see their favourite striker back at the club, even if it is only for two months.

Red Bulls continuing football woes

In Formula 1 Austrian energy drink maker Red Bull are on top of the world, but in football they are far away from their ambitions to be amongst the best in the business. And if things don't go right then the people in charge get the sack at their worldwide football operations which are spread across in Austria, Germany, the United States, Ghana and Brazil.

RB Salzburg - Austria

The above happened yesterday at their Austrian football team Red Bull Salzburg, who are only third in the league behind league leaders Austria Vienna and were eliminated in the group stage from the Europa League after not making it into the UEFA Champions League. Not enough for the big bosses at Red Bull.

Dutch coach Huub Stevens was relieved of his duties with fellow Dutchman and technical director Ricardo Moniz taking over until the end of the season. Moniz will be assisted by former club player and Croatian international Niko Kovac, who has had a coaching role with the clubs youth team since retiring in 2009.

But not only the coach was fired also the Director of Sports Dietmar Beiersdorfer of Germany had to go. The club said in a statement Friday they parted company from the coach and Director of Sports by mutual consent but did not disclose further details. Both Stevens and Beiersdorfer had been at the club since 2009 and in the first season they had won the Austrian league title.

RB Leipzig - Germany

In Germany RB Leipzig has different problems altogether. In Leipzig the club last season won the German fifth division title after the takeover by Red Bull and this year the plan was to get through the fourth division while it would get more difficult in higher divisions, but as per Red Bull plans by 2017 the club should be playing in the top tier Bundesliga with an initial investment of up to 100 Million Euros to achieve that aim.

But in year two the club is facing problems as they are 10 points of the league leaders Chemnitzer FC and promotion looks unlikely. So changes are likely at the club with former German international Thomas Linke already installed as Director of Sports and a new coach looks set to take over from Thomas Oral next season. The name being linked to the job is that of Austrian Peter Pacult, who is currently the coach of Rapid Vienna.

New York Red Bulls - USA

In North American the Major League Soccer season has just started and so far things are fine with the New York Red Bulls who are looking to win titles this year with players like Thierry Henry and Rafael Marquez on their roaster.

New York Cosmos - Return of a legend?

It has been in the pipelines for quite some time, but now it is out in the open. The New York Cosmos, one of the most prominent teams of the now defunct NASL (North American Soccer League), has been newly formed with an initial focus on youth development but with an aim to play Major League Soccer in the future.

English businessman Paul Kemsley leads a group of business people who have bought the original franchise name of the NY Cosmos from G. Peppe Pinton, a former general manager of the club. Now the aim is to re-establish the brand and then challenge for bigger things ahead. And it comes at the right time with football growing in North America.

And this could be good news not only for football in New York, but for the MLS in general. New York has a strong club side in the New York Red Bulls, who earlier this year opened their new soccer specific stadium in Harrison, New Jersey and further another club is on the lines to be formed in FC New York, who are said to be pursuing a place in the 2011 United Soccer League, the second tier of North American football. But the NY Cosmos are one of the iconic clubs of world football, their revival would be something different and could be perfect for a derby against the NY Red Bulls. Players like Brazilian Pele and German Franz Beckenbauer used to play for them in their heydays of the 1970s.

And Brazilian legend Pele is also involved in the new venture. Pele has been named as the honorary president of the club to give it the necessary global push. The relaunch was announced on Sunday, August 1 on the sidelines of the final of the "Copa NYC" at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, a NYC youth tournament. And already there is a lot of excitement about the clubs return.

The Cosmos has joined hands with Queens-based youth club BW Gottschee to develop talent at youth level. The Cosmos along with Gottschee will field Under-12 to Under-18 teams in the US Soccer Development Academy under the Cosmos Academy name. And they will now also run the "Copa NYC" under its banner.

But an immediate return to professional football doesn't look likely with the focus on youth development. Some say that the NY Cosmos could initially be a travelling team like the Harlem Globetrotters in Basketball. Former star players playing under the Cosmos banner for good causes to rekindle interest in the club. And if done properly, then I think that there is a lot of potential in the NY Cosmos and it could help football or soccer as they say in North America grow as a sport.

Thierry Henry goes west, join NY Red Bulls

In an expected but still spectacular move French international striker Thierry Henry has joined US Major League Soccer club New York Red Bulls. Henry leaves FC Barcelona after three years at the Catalan club with one year of his contract still to run. But the club granted him his wish to leave and have allowed him move to the US.

The 32-year-old former Arsenal player signed a multi year contract on Wednesday and will be introduced at a news conference on Thursday at the Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey.
Henry is expected to make his Red Bulls' debut on July 22 in an exhibition match against English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspurs.

"Some people might think I am going to go there for vacation — I do actually go there for vacation — but it won't be for vacation this time," Henry said in a video interview on the club website. "I'm a competitor and I don't like to lose."
And Henry added, "This marks an exciting new chapter in my career and life."

For the New York Red Bulls the signing of Henry marks a considerable push to promote itself, the Red Bull brand and also the MLS as a league. This follows the clubs opening of their soccer (football) specific stadium, the Red Bull Arena, a few months ago.
Red Bull Football consists of three clubs - Red Bulls Salzburg (Austria), New York Red Bulls (USA), RB Leipzig (Germany) plus the Red Bull Ghana Football Academy and an Academy in Brazil. Once all these entities are working at the optimum the Austrians could further expand their football empire around the world.
Often people think the energy drink manufacturer from the Austrian Alps is only using adventure sports and Formula 1 to promote its products, but they are also focusing on using football more and more. Red Bull is known to be one of the most innovative companies when it comes to brand and product promotion. So the football world should look out.

Meanwhile in the MLS the signing of Thierry Henry is second only to the signing of English superstar David Beckham by the Los Angeles Galaxy a few years ago. Henry also joins former Arsenal team mate Freddy Ljungberg in the US, who now plays for the Seattle Sounders.
And with other players set to make a move to the US it will hopefully further strengthen the MLS, while we as Indians hope that our very own Sunil Chhetri will get the chance to play for the Kansas City Wizards against such players like Thierry Henry.