Fifteen games down, fifteen left to play, and it is without question that New York fans are anxiously awaiting the Fifteenth of July. That is when the MLS international transfer window opens, and the Red Bulls have numerous additions waiting to make their mark on the struggling club.

         The last week has not been a pleasant one for New York fans, as the team has suffered one embarrassing defeat after another. There was the match against Chivas USA; where an errant back pass lead to an equalizing goal and a draw in lieu of a much deserved win.

Three days later the Bulls weakly bowed out of the US Open Cup against Crystal Palace Baltimore. The USL-2 side defeated New York’s team of reserves 2-0, despite playing a man down for almost two-thirds of the game. Head coach Juan Carlos Osorio cited fixture congestion as the reason for fielding a starting lineup composed mostly of reserves, opting to rest the club’s starters for the July 4^th showdown with the Colorado Rapids.    

Osorio’s decision proved to backfire as Colorado thrashed an uninspired New York team 4-0. Following the match Osorio ripped into the team and stated the need for a change of personnel and attitude. “I can’t wait for the 15^th of July, when we can sign some players and make a competitive team,” said Osorio. “Because at the moment, I think all of our players have had the chance to shine and stake a claim and a lot of them refuse to do so.”

Offensively the team has suffered greatly from the injury to Juan Pablo Angel. As a result, New York hasn’t scored more than two goals in any game this year, and hasn’t scored more than one in its previous nine league games. And without a viable striker after the sale of Jozy Altidore, New York has really looked clueless in front of goal. While veteran John Wolyniec is best suited as a hard-working substitute, newcomer Oscar Echeverry has displayed an awful first touch and poor decision-making, and both have yet to score a goal this year.

In addition to this, there has been little to none creativity out of the midfield. Claudio Reyna’s transition to the attacking midfield position has been disastrous, as he has appeared in only five matches the entire season. Mike Magee is slowly playing his way out of the squad, and Sinisa Ubiparipovic has been effective only in flashes.

In the back, pathetic blowouts have been intertwined with critical mistakes to keep frustrating fans beyond belief. This dramatic amount of inconsistency at the back, coupled with the club’s inability to score, has sparked Osorio into making numerous additions to the team.

Osorio has been promising to make changes to the team since his inception as head coach, but trialists have come and gone without anything coming to fruition. All that has changed in the last couple weeks; here is a rundown of Osorio’s signings and future targets, and what they can bring to the team:

Jorge Rojas: Midfielder, status: signed. Rojas is a 31 year old midfielder from Venezuela, who is capable of playing out on the left or in the central midfield position. He arrives in MLS after spending years playing in Colombia and Venezuela, including for South American powerhouse Caracas FC. The second most capped player and captain of the Venezuelan national team, Osorio has dubbed Rojas as a playmaker whose vision and passing ability are second to none. He is also very effective on set pieces. Look for him to sit behind the strikers and become the attacking threat out of midfield that the Red Bulls so desperately need. Another possibility is to play him out on the left wing, but Osorio has hinted that he wants him to take over a playmaker role.

Juan Pietravallo: Defensive Midfielder, status: signed. New York’s struggle maintaining possession in the midfield makes this Argentine’s signing intriguing. Osorio describes Pietravallo as a classic #5 player; somebody who is apt at holding the ball and breaking up attacks. He joins the club from Veria in Greece after beginning his career at Velez Sarsfield. Given Claudio Reyna’s prolonged absence and questionable return to the club, Pietravallo should most likely link up with Seth Stammler to form an effective defensive midfield combination.

Diego Jimenez: Defender, status: signed. Signed from Mexican side Tecos, the 22 year old Jimenez has represented Mexico at the U21 level. He is your prototypical left back. Jiminez has finally signed after over a month of negotiations, and is back training with the club after rejecting their initial offer. Jiminez will take up the left back position, allowing Kevin Goldwaithe to slide over to central defense; a position he seems much more comfortable at. This should also end the speculation of leading scorer Dave Van den Bergh moving to left back, allowing him to remain in the midfield.    

Gabriel Cichero: Defender, status: negotiating. New York and Cichero’s club, Deportivo Italia in Venezuela, are currently negotiating a loan deal that would bring in the 24 year old defender for the remainder of this season as well as the 2009 campaign. Cichero, who began his career in Uruguay before brief stints in Italy and Bulgaria, is a left-footed central defender. Reports indicate that he is keen to moving to MLS and furthering his career in New York. Cichero is a talented young player, as he has been capped ten times for the Venezuelan national team. Look for him to provide depth in central defense if he is indeed signed.

         Osorio is still looking to sign a striker to compliment Juan Pablo Angel, but as of now nothing substantial has presented itself. What remains to be seen is if these new signees will be able to mesh together with existing players. Because the MLS transfer window does not open until July 15^th, Rojas, Pietravallo, and Jimenez will not be eligible to play until New York’s July 19^th home game against the LA Galaxy. And that may eventually be too late to make a substantial push for the playoffs. Looking at teams like DC United this season, it took their international signings a couple months to adapt to MLS’ style of play, something which hindered the team’s initial results.

         The Red Bulls are rapidly changing face in a season that is in desperate need of a lift. New York’s history of ineptitude still has many fans doubting whether or not these new players will make a difference, and still find themselves asking why theses upgrades didn’t come sooner rather than later.