New York Red Bulls Draw Arsenal 1-1 In Friendly, Win 2011 Emirates Cup

So, yeah, if there was any doubt this was nothing more than a trumped up exhibition game, that should probably be the final word.

That said, it does seem a bit silly that the referee wouldn’t allow it. I mean, Arsenal was allowed to use six subs. I’m sure there were other FIFA rules that were bent or outright broken. This game was, after all, a nonleague match at the very least and a really just an exhibition. Would FIFA’s sanctity really be threatened by a player switching jerseys mid game?

The Red Bulls definitely seemed to take the tournament seriously, even if it was against a bunch of teams that were still getting prepared for their regular seasons. In stark contrast to their embarrassing display in the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals when they sent a team of reserves and their top two coaches didn’t bother to travel, the Red Bulls featured a lineup that was essentially their first-team and many of their starters played a full 90 minutes. Many of those players had played significant minutes a day earlier in the win over PSG.