Can you taste the disappointment?

Well, it was certainly thick in the air after the New York Red Bulls were ousted from U.S. Open Cup competition 1-0 by tonight’s opponent, the Harrisburg City Islanders, back in 2010.

I looked back into my old The Offside archive and found this gem to accompany the above video (featuring one of my favorite pictures in an article – ever).

Enjoy the blast from the past:

Baby Bulls Ousted From US Open Cup, Lead To Slaughter By Islanders 1-0
Wednesday, June 30, 2010 11:04 PM

Apparently, Pennsylvania has it’s own Island somewhere, devoid of internet access or human contact.

It is in this community known as “Harrisburg” that the City Islanders, lead by New York castaway Danny Cepero, downed the Red Bulls 1-0, sending the side out of the US Open Cup as quickly as they came in.

The Baby Bulls were trotted out under a diamond midfield formation, featuring some quirky, uncharacteristic changes to their starting XI. Hans Backe, not known for his tinkering during his short Red Bulls tenure, managed to feature Jeremy Hall and Brian Nielsen in the midfield, Juan Agudelo on the left midfield spot, Irving Garcia on the right, and a cramping Andrew Boyens at center forward.

Yes. Center forward.

Add to these wild changes an unkempt pitch, an inspired performance by a revenge minded Danny Cepero, and an unmarked Ghanian striker named Dominic Oopong, and you have a recipe for disaster. Though it took 117 minutes to get it done, the Islanders and their division three cast of no names managed to beat the Baby Bulls and end the mystique the youngins’ so proudly carried into this tournament.

And so, after working so very hard to make it to the Open Cup proper, the search for silverware ends in the first round.