The New York Red Bulls: A Hollywood Movie in The Making

- Thrust into the starting job when verteran Jon Conway was banned for illegal substances, young Danny Cepero has become a very very good goalkeeper. On his debut in October 12th, a freak accident happened - he scored a goal from a 80-yard free kick. Guess who he scored against? None other than the Columbus Crew. Since then, Cepero has remained the Red Bulls starting goalkeeper. He's done a pretty good job at it too.

Let's not forget about the hardened veterans of the club. Without them, the youngsters might not be as good as they are.

- Juan Pablo Angel, 33, might be best known as a goal-scoring machine, but his presence in the locker room has been vital to the team's success. According to Red Bulls players, Angel is the last thing from a foreign player who is a diva. He may be talented, but he has a blue collar mentality, setting an example as the hard-working player. If Angel can do it, the rest of the team has to fall into line.

- Midfielder Dave van den Bergh - the other David in the news on the same day the Los Angeles Galaxy signed David Beckham on Jan. 11, 2007 (the Kansas City Wizards traded van den Bergh to the Red Bulls for a third-round supplemental draft choice) -- has been the team's most consistent player since literally the first minute of the season, scoring seven regular-season goals and one in the playoffs (yeah, the game-winner against RSL). Actually, make that the 47 seconds. In the Red Bulls' season opener on April 5. Van den Bergh, 31, stunned the Giants Stadium crowd by connecting for the fastest goal in club history. After taking a pass from Ubiparopovic, van den Bergh found himself with the ball on the left side and let loose a 24-yard shot for a 1-0 lead the game only 47 seconds old en route to a 2-0 triumph.

Goes to show that a club who gels together goes and wins together (or something like that).

Now like any good sports movie about a down-on-their-luck team, the Red Bulls have to face their biggest opponent on the biggest stage - the Columbus Crew at the MLS Cup Final. The Crew have been a monster this season and go into the final as the favorite. New York is hoping to spoil the party. New Yorkers should take heart in knowing that the Red Bulls have a 2-1 record against the Crew.

There's really only way to explain this phenomena: expect the unexpected.

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