Coming into this year’s edition of the Carolina Challenge Cup, every winner since the preseason tournament was founded in 2004 has gone on to hoist either the Supporters Shield or MLS Cup. Needless to say, fans of the New York Red Bulls saw this competition as a spring board to bigger and better things for the 2008 campaign. But after a pair of 1-1 draws and a 3-0 loss to the Charlotte Battery, Toronto FC and San Jose Earthquakes respectively, the clubs’ third place finish now has many people preparing for yet another season of mid table mediocrity and playoff failure.
However, the notoriously demanding population of tri-state area soccer fans should not take the results of this tournament as a signal of yet another trophy-less season for the New York franchise. Although a strong preseason can often be indicative of good things to come, it is also a time of player evaluation and finding the right mix of players that will achieve the best results. Results are important, but they certainly are not everything in preseason. In the case of the Red Bulls, who made a total of seventeen substitutions over the three matches, evaluating players and mixing and matching formations were certainly at the forefront of head coach Juan Carlos Osorio’s and assistant coach Richie Williams’ mind. Following the 3-0 loss to San Jose, Osorio expressed what he and the coaching staff can take away from the game and tournament in general: “We gave a lot of minutes to the guys that we picked from the draft, and some of them have shown very good things, some of them maybe not. So now I have a better and a clearer opinion of my players in general.”
In addition to this, New York was playing without star striker Jozy Altidore and midfielder/defender Hunter Freeman, both representing the United States U23 team at Olympic Qualifying. Altidore, the eighteen year old phenom who scored nine goals in twenty-two league games last season, is a lock to start alongside veteran Juan Pablo Angel up top. Freeman, a University of Virginia graduate who spent last season at right back, will almost certainly be plugged into the right midfield spot vacated by the injured Jamaican international Dane Richards.
Although the final results of the tournament may not have been exactly what most fans wanted, the fact of the matter is that preseason is simply just preseason. The season is certainly not lost due to a poor showing in a few exhibition games or tournament. Some quick, common observations that could turn out to impact the upcoming season, however, became apparent thanks to the Red Bull’s trip to Carolina. We’ll start with the good:
Claudio Reyna- The captain and New Jersey native has been having a good (and more importantly, healthy) preseason. Given more free range in Osorio’s 3-5-2 formation, Reyna showed that he has the ability to be the commanding midfield presence that prompted the team to use a Designated Player spot on him. Playing in a more advanced role and linking well with Juan Pablo Angel, Reyna looks as if he can be a serviceable attacking midfielder if Osorio does not sign anyone before the start of the season.
Dave Van den Bergh- The 31 year old left-footed midfielder no longer has the pace to be effective out on the wing, but he seems to have found a home in central midfield. Although a bit of a liability on defense, he remains one of the best passers on the team. He showed great vision and calmness on the ball in the two games he played, and a partnership with defensive stalwart Seth Stammler in the middle would help compensate for his shortcomings defensively.
The Rookies- Once again it looks as if New York struck gold in this year’s draft. Danleigh Borman, selected in the first round of the supplemental draft, is a good left footed player who could potentially start on the left side of the field. He showed the ability to provide good crosses into the middle, in addition to a quick first step. The team’s third round SuperDraft selection out of Berkeley, midfielder Luke Sassano, played most of the tournament out on the right wing. Sassano displayed good technical skill, but struggled with his crosses, indicating that he may be better suited to provide cover in central midfield. Defender Eric Brunner, a second round pick from Ohio State, looks solid and will be a serviceable backup option in defense.
Now for the not so good:
The Defense- Growing pains can be expected from a group that is adapting to Osorio’s new 3-5-2 formation, but the team gave away too many bad goals throughout the tournament. Long passes breaking open the defense and bad giveaways occurred far too often, and in general opposing attackers had acres of space to work with. This could be caused by a lack of familiarity with the system, insinuating that there is definite room for improvement. Jeff Parke and Carlos Mendes provide a solid foundation, as both are above average MLS defenders. Kevin Goldwaithe, however, is not the answer at left back. His string of uninspiring performances was highlighted by cheap giveaways and an overall poor level of play.
Oscar Echeverry and Juan Pablo Angel- Juan Pablo at times looked visibly frustrated by the lack of quality service to him, and failed to score in any of the three games. While this in itself is not too concerning, given his pedigree and level of commitment shown last year, his partnership with fellow Colombian Oscer Echeverry is. Signed by Osorio from Atlético Nacional, Echeverry is expected to be the main cover for Altidore when he leaves in the summer for Olympic duty. However the two did not seem to be on the same page playing together, and some of Echeverry’s decisions were indeed questionable. He seemed too eager to take on defenders instead of opting for the simple pass. What makes the Altidore/Angel partnership work so well is Jozy’s ability to hold up the ball and Juan Pablo’s clever runs away from the ball. Echeverry does not seem like the ideal target man that would make Angel effective.
Kevin Goldthwaite’s 16th minute header from a set piece was enough to see New York run out 1-0 winners against FC Dallas at home. The Red Bulls were on the offensive for the majority of the game, controlling possession, and limiting Dallas to only two shots on goal, while New York managed 7. New York was able to grind out the result, missing both of their Designated Players(Juan Pablo Angel and Claudio Reyna), and low on strikers after the departure of Jozy Altidore to Villareal. The official New York Red Bulls blog, Red Bulls Reader, has post game reaction from the players and manager here. What did you think of the game? 
Multiple sources out of New York are suggesting that Claudio “Captain America” Reyna is currently considering retirement after a recent injury. The defensive midfielder signed a Designated Player contract with the New York Red Bulls in 2007 and has made 27 appearances to date. The 34 year old has grown increasingly injury prone over the last few years, and following his latest injury, Red Bull staff admit they are unsure of when he might be able to return to action. Claudio has enjoyed a long successful career, starting at University of Virginia in 1991. After graduating Reyna moved to Germany and played 5 years with Bayer Leverkusen then Vfl Wolfsburg. Reyna then made the move to Rangers in Scotland becoming the first american to captain a european side, earning thenickname”Captain America”. After 6 years in England, playing with Sunderland and Manchester City, he made the return to his native jersey. Reyna had been a staple in the United States Mens National Team for most of his career, earning 112 caps and playing a major role captaining the side in a successful 2002 World Cup. It’s unfortunate to see a player of Reyna quality struggle with his health, it’s looks likely that his great career is coming to an end very soon, whether this season or at the end of this season when his contract with RBNY expires. What do you think? Should Reyna hang up the boots this season? Wait till the end of the season? 
