Austria’s seventh divison is bracing itself for a violet invasion this coming season, as Austria Salzburg’s custodians decide to go it alone. In avoidance of a repeat of “The Schnitzel Affair”, an entirely independent, fan-owned club will kick off in the 2. Klasse Nord, three tiers beneath the 1. Landesliga.

Former Austria Salzburg player and crack lower-league gaffer Gustl Kofler will take the opportunity to lead the side’s neustart, vowing to return the club back where they belong. The ground on which they heroically escaped relegation in vain just a week ago, SAK Platz, will provide a roof over their heads for the forseeable future. Sort of.

Another architectural curiosity awaits fans of the former MetroStars. Their Austrian owners are experiencing difficulty ‘positioning’ themselves as the ‘soccer metropolis of the East Coast’ off the pitch, and coach Mo Johnston (yes, that one) is ‘struggling’ to ‘win’ any ‘soccer games’ on it.

Seven draws in eleven matches has seen attendance figures settle firmly into four figures; the enthusiasm draining from an American audience sick of draws and tired of Red Bull’s apathy following the wash-out that was the inaugural game.

Plans for the proposed Red Bull Park depict the 25,000 seat arena with only three sides, the fourth being occupied by a permanent en-suite stage area. The ‘soccer & entertainment centre’ is an expanding concept in MLS. As many teams’ welcome in cavernous gridiron stadiums wears thin, a long-overdue generation of new builds are emerging developed specifically for soccer.

Oh, and entertainment.

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Tales of of cash-splurging mediocrity await in Once in a Lifetime, the story of the New York Cosmos’ boom and bust. The release of this film eerily coincides with former Cosmos star Franz Beckenbauer’s continued association with Mateschitz’s firm, and also with Ronaldo’s recent rebuttal of Red Bull’s offer of $120 million to perform for its struggling New York side and ignite a thus far ambivalent audience.

Though persistent rumours that the owner of the ‘Cosmos’ name has opened negotiations with the Austrian firm appear to be unfounded, the notion that Red Bull are using their financial clout to court, if not quite conjure up the spirit of the Cosmos is now becoming apparent.

Ironically, they could learn a thing or two about reincarnating dead football clubs from a certain dedicated bunch right on their own doorstep, whose hopes are very much alive despite a recent dip in fortunes.

Austria Salzburg’s heartbreaking last-minute defeat at St. Johann was the first of a cruel trilogy of match-ups with the top sides in the division. Grödig came to town in a game which remained goalless until the final ten minutes when three quick goals for the visitors put the hosts firmly in their place.

A week later, a thousand noisy travelling violetten gave the sides a hot reception at second-placed Anif, swathing the pitch in thick smoke and swelling the crowd to over 1,400. A first half red card for midfielder Dusan Pavlovic set the scene for another heavy defeat, this time by four goals to nil.

Nevertheless, the situation remains tight and the mood amongst their large and partizan support is positive as the final game of the season approaches, at home to already-doomed Schwarzach on June 10th. Only three points will do if Austria Salzburg are to finally cap their short, but exhilarating baptism in the lowly 1. Landesliga with a no-doubt deafening sigh of relief.

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March 23: Alexei Lalas, Bloomberg:

“There’s a blase, spoon-fed generation that really has no idea what it means to have passion not only for your team but for the sport.”

“It’s very difficult to explain to an MTV generation what it means to go to a professional sporting event in other countries.

“You can have all the bells and whistles you want, but when it’s organized and from the heart, whether it’s singing or chanting, it’s 100 times more powerful than any fireworks display, dry ice or video board.”

March 28: Red Bull New York press release:

Red Bull New York announced today that there will be a host of events and activities both inside and outside the stadium surrounding the team’s home opener at Giants Stadium on April 8 against the New England Revolution.

“This is a historic night of soccer entertainment and we’re going to celebrate before, during and after the game,” said Red Bull New York President and General Manager Alexi Lalas. “It’s a completely new way to experience professional soccer at Giants Stadium and you’re going to want to be there!”

The Red Bull Energy Station will be located outside of the stadium between Gate C and the South Tower, and will be the focal point of the pre-game festivities. The Energy Station, which is open to Red Bulls season ticket holders, is a unique, two-story structure that will serve as an oasis for guests to mingle and get fired up for the game. It will be open from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. ET.

Next to the Energy Station will be the Motocross Big Air Demo which will feature Tommy “Tomcat” Clowers and “Mad” Mike Jones, who are two of the most recognized names in freestyle motocross. Clowers has medaled in every Winter and Summer X-Games motocross discipline. Jones is one of the pioneers in extreme motocross, and in the two decades he has spent racing and jumping bikes, he has broken upwards of 17 bones. The two legends will be executing some of the biggest tricks of freestyle motocross, including the “Rock Solid”, no handed t-whips and double nacs. This event is open to all fans in attendance.

In addition to the outdoor pre-game elements, the Giants Stadium bubble will also be bursting with activities, as it will host an interactive zone including a BMX Flatland Demo, a breakdancing exhibition and multiple FIFA Street Video Game Stations. This event is also open to all fans in attendance.

The BMX Flatland Demo by Terry Adams, who finished fourth in the 2004 World Championships and clinched the first place title at the 2005 Asian X-Games South Korea, will feature Adams riding on smooth flat surfaces at slow speeds and balancing on various parts of the bike while spinning it around beneath him.

The breakdancing demonstration will be headlined by Richard “Crazy Legs” Colon, and members of the legendary Rock Steady Crew. Crazy Legs has been a breakdancing legend for over 30 years with credits including many of the first Hip Hop tours in the early ’80s as well as a variety of motion pictures, including Flash Dance, Beat Street and Wild Style. Crazy Leg’s success and acclaim has truly helped set the foundation for what hip-hop culture has become today.

To compliment the array of out-of-stadium activities, there will also be a dazzling pre-game show that will feature a game-ball delivery by the Red Bull Air Force, an appearance by “Challenger” (a bald eagle), and a special tribute to pro soccer in New York.

The Red Bull Air Force is an elite crew of professional skydivers who will jump from a Eurocopter Twinstar Helicopter into Giants Stadium with the official game ball in hand. The skydivers jump from the aircraft, freefall for a few seconds, and then deploy their parachutes, all while igniting smoke bombs, which allows everyone on the ground to see the dynamic arcs they carve through the sky. Once they skydivers land in Giants Stadium, they will deliver the ball to the game officials.

“Challenger” is the first bald eagle in U.S. history trained to free-fly into major league sports stadiums during the presentation of the National Anthem. He has participated in five MLB World Series (2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1998), three NFL Pro-Bowls (2004, 2003, 2002), the 1999 Fiesta Bowl, and the 2005 NCAA Men’s Final Four Basketball Tournament. He will perform a free-flight demonstration prior to the New York Red Bulls’ game at the conclusion of the National Anthem.

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So, less than one week since news broke that Dieter Mateschitz was interested in adding another down-at-heel football club to his portfolio of sporting interests, New York MetroStars are no more. Jim Bowen really wasn’t kidding all those years ago when he said ‘you can’t beat a bit of Bully’.

In the sixty minutes following yesterday’s statement, online references to ‘MetroStars’ were extinguished right before disbelieving fans’ eyes. On both the club’s official site and mlsnet.com, the name ‘MetroStars’ was replaced retrospectively with ‘Red Bull New York’ throughout news archives, tables and results.

In addition, the club’s official site, metrostars.com instantly became newyorkredbulls.com, throwing further confusion into the mix for bewildered fans who are still unsure as to exactly what their club is called, or just what further surprises Red Bull have in store for them in future weeks and months.

On metrofanatic.com there are over 50 threads addressing a variety of concerns, and the lack of a cohesive collective response to the sale is indicative of the helplessness of their situation. Some fans see this as a new dawn for a club which has failed since its conception, while others believe that Red Bull will allow them to continue to support the team while displaying MetroStars paraphernalia. Recent history, I’m afraid, is not on their side on that one.

That this has happened in America should not be dismissed without the consideration that the notion of shirt sponsorship is largely alien to US sport. If anything, it’s intriguing that this sale has been allowed to proceed in this form at all, given the 10 years of federal growth of the MLS, a league where player contracts and ‘commercial partnerships’ are held by the league, not by the clubs.

Nevertheless, Red Bull continue to extend their sporting empire, including two F1 teams and the principle football teams of both its home town of Salzburg and one of the most famous cities on the planet. In doing so, their actions represent a brutal form of homogenisation and an appalling abduction of a public’s individuality for reasons no more complex than shifting as many silver tins as possible.

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Fans of MLS side New York MetroStars woke up this morning to the news that Red Bull were riding into town with the intention of buying out their ailing side and… well, I think you can guess what’s coming next, ladies and gents.

Some Metros fans, resigned to losing their team’s name, badge, and colours as early as next season are gearing themselves up for a fight in opposition to the takeover and for the right to at least preserve the name ‘Metros’, by which, ironically enough, they have been affectionately known since owners MetroMedia conceived the side when MLS debued in 1996.

Is this what it’s come down to: campaigning for scraps from table; next-worst case scenarios? It would appear that fans are mere collateral damage when theres a global brand war on. The more football is absorbed into business, the nearer we get to paying for the privilege of supporting someone else’s brand vision.

Say no to modern football.

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