___   >>> click here to see pics of cahill in action 

Midway through the first half, Cahill made a clever run down the middle of the park and found himself one-on-one with the Spurs’ keeper, but a push in the back from Jan Vertonghen prevented him from getting his shot away.

The referee awarded a penalty and Kenny Cooper stepped up to give Red Bulls the lead.

Cahill came off at the break and his presence in midfield was immediately missed as Tottenham began to impose themselves on the match.

Second-half goals from Gareth Bale and Gylfi Sigurðsson consigned the Red Bulls to a 2-1 defeat.

In other preseason friendly action, Alex Cisak and James Wesolowski both started as Oldham Athletic secured a shock 2-1 victory over Manchester City.

Cisak showed no signs of the shoulder injury that kept him on the sidelines for the final months of last season, making a string of excellent saves.

Scott McDonald played the first half and and scored, while Rhys Williams returned from injury to play the second half as Middlesbrough drew 2-2 with Hartlepool.  

Massimo Luongo played a full match for the third time in succession as Ipswich Town suffered a disappointing 2-1 loss to League Two outfit Southend United.

After the match, Luongo said via twitter: “Another 90 mins under my belt... the result was not a pretty one.. but getting fitter and more comfortable in a new team”

Bailey Wright and Shane Cansdell-Sherriff both played the full 90 minutes of Preston North End’s 4-1 victory over AFC Wimbledon.

Wright put in a particularly impressive performance and made some excellent blocks and challenges, but he was left disappointed at his side’s failure to keep a clean sheet.

After the match, he told PNE.com: "We conceded one goal and everybody in the defence will tell you that they are not happy with that but we are still getting to know each other.

"It would have been nice to get a clean sheet but overall I thought we did very well tonight and deserved to get the win."

The 20 year old defender was briefly placed on PNE’s transfer list at the conclusion of the 2011/2012 season, but has worked his way back into manager Graham Westley’s first team plans with some solid preseason displays.

   ___   >>> click here to see pics of cahill in action