According to SBI, Major League Soccer have blocked New York’s $200,000 bid for Atlanta Silverbacks striker Macoumba Kandji. The reason? MLS think $200,000 is too much for an MLS team to pay a USL team. The 23 year old Senegalese striker has been one of the top players in the USL First Division this year and has been one of Juan Carlos Osorio’s top targets. The Red Bulls traded Zach Thornton to Chivas USA for allocation money which went towards the bid for Kandji. Juan Carlos Osorio will now have to look at their other MLS based targets to find the forward they’ve been chasing for the past few months after the departure of Jozy Altidore. 

My Opinion? I think this is another heavily questionable move by Major League Soccer, which did nothing to justify the “Major” in its name. The league has not allowed the Red Bulls to bring in another quality player, which they can afford, and would help improve a franchise. MLS needs New York to be one of the top teams in the league, seeing as they are located in arguably the biggest market in the United States. The move stems from a MLS-USL rivalry, which is one of several things hindering the progress of the sport in this country. This begs the question, are MLS teams outgrowing Major League Soccer and its questionable transfer practices? Whether its the discovery claim rule(which most managers in the league seem to agree is absurd), questionable transfer decisions, or incredibly low salary cap, I think its quite clear that this league needs to change. 

What do you think of the decision? Are the single entity structure’s days numbered? What would you tell Mr. Garber about this decision? 

According to Soccer By Ives, New York Red Bulls have traded backup goalkeeper Zach Thornton to Chivas USA for future considerations. Thornton didn’t make a league appearance for New York, although he did start in the exhibition match against Chivas. The move should give Chivas USA an experienced goalkeeper option after Brad Guzan’s transfer officially went through today. The move will also free up some cap space for New York, who are in the market for a striker.

Rating: 3(Likely)

According to several reports out of Norway, IK Start are close to capturing New York Red Bulls defender Hunter Freeman. According to reports, Freeman would join the Norwegian side in January, after his 4 year contract with NYRB is up. Freeman has been capped at the U-23 level, and has made 11 appearances so far this season. IK Start are currently in 2nd place in Norway’s 2nd Division after being relegated last season. The 23 year old joined New York from Colorado in 2006, and has since been one of New York most consistent performers. What do you think? Would this be a good move for New York? Hunter?

Looking Back & Looking Ahead

Our game against the New York Red Bulls this past weekend was another wild and entertaining match.  The beginning of the match was sort of back and forth, sort of disjointed, and it took about 15 minutes for the match to settle down.  We got on the board first, silencing the crowd at Giants Stadium, when Edson made a good run on the left side of the field from a perfect Beckham ball.  Eddie was able to get endline, turned the corner, and served a ball across the box, where Carlos was on the other end to bury it with a solid header.  It was great to see Fish get on the scoresheet for the first time this season and hopefully he’ll continue to gain momentum.

New York scored the next two goals with Van Den Burgh striking a second line shot and a pretty goal from Juan Pablo Angel.  On the next one, Angel found himself in the box and hit a cheeky little chip shot to put the Red Bulls up 2-1.  New York continued to pile on the pressure but we were able to keep the same scoreline.  Late in the match, we switched to a 3-5-2, bringing on Alan Gordon.  With the late change, we were able to create a good rhythm in midfield and pushed for the equalizer.  In stoppage time, Landon whipped a ball in from the left side that put the Jon Conway on his back foot and it found its way into the back of the net.  2-2.  With a newfound sense of confidence and energy, we continued to push for the win in stoppage time and nearly stole 3 points on the road when Landon hit the post about a minute after his goal.  It was a crazy ending to the match.  It ended 2-2 – we’ll definitely take a point on the road in the hot conditions, on turf, and it was a good game for the fans to watch.

After a couple days off for the All-Star Break, everyone is back in town and training hard again.  It’s clear that everyone kept their fitness because the sessions have been sharp and everyone looks refreshed and ready to go.  We’re back to conference play this week as we head to Texas to take on FC Dallas.  Dallas is another team who has tied a number of games recently so both teams will be pushing hard, looking for 3 points.  While we’ve been picking up points through draws, we could really use a 3 point victory to put us back on the right track.

This Week

As I said we’re all back at work now, getting ready for Dallas this weekend.  The hard work continues…

This past week was quite nice.  Because I did not make the travel roster for the New York game, I flew home to Pennsylvania when the team left for NYC.  I haven’t been home for about 6 ½ months so it was nice to go home and spend time with my family.  I hadn’t seen a cornfield in so long and forgot what cow manure smells like – and hopefully I’ll forget that odor again soon. 

I was actually at the game in the stands with my family so I got an interesting perspective on the match.  Both of my brothers, my little sister, my mom and I made a day trip, getting to the game early for a little tailgate action.  My little brother, Zarek (a member of the US U-20 National Team pool), has his driver’s permit right now and he got in some good highway driving practice on the trip from Lancaster, PA to East Rutherford, NJ.  Because concessions are ridiculous and we didn’t feel like paying $15 for a hotdog and a Gatorade, we decided to put together a little tailgate so that we could eat a good meal before the game.  My older brother was the meat man and made shish-kebobs and burgers while my mom packed all the sides.  It was a great idea and it was a great day for my family.

My family was decked out in Galaxy gear to support the team.  I, on the other hand, wore camo shorts and a plain T-shirt because, well, I felt that was more appropriate for me to wear that.  At one point a loud, drunk lady in front of us turned around and looked at us.  The drunk lady was supporting the Galaxy that day although I don’t think she qualifies as a fan.  Slurring her words she said “You’re cheering loud and have nice clothes on.  You guys are great Galaxy fans…except for you.”  She pointed at me. “You’re not wearing Galaxy clothes and you’re not a real fan.”  If she only knew…

It was great to get some home-cooking.  Although I cook myself some pretty good meals every night (I just bought a Crock-Pot), there’s nothing like having Mommy or Nana cook for you.  My grandma makes the most amazing Puerto Rican food and I spent hours at the dinner table stuffing my face with bistec con cebolla y papas, arroz y frijoles, y platanos fritos!

I also made sure to bring my Sega Genesis back with me!  I’ve already spent many great hours playing NBA Jam, Streets of Rage 2, RBI Baseball (only the Home Run Derby), and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  I also love to play the old FIFA ’94 and FIFA International games – they’re so great.  Man, this machine takes me back…

Finally, I want to wish Zarek, Coach Thomas Rongen, and the U-20 MNT luck as they take off for the Northern Ireland Milk Cup this week.  It’s a big tournament and wish them the best!

Around the World

For today’s “Around the World” segment, I wanted to take a look into the upcoming Olympic Games.  I love the Olympics and can’t wait for the games to start on 08/08/08.  Cool date.

By now, most of the teams have entered into the final preparations with their full compliment of players.  With no real drama in player release, the US team is currently assembled at Stanford University getting ready for the first match.  The process of having players released is quite different for other nations as some of their eligible players are important members of big European clubs.  There is a strong tug-of-war between club obligations and international opportunities forcing some U-23 players such as Kaka, Messi, Diego, and Rafinha to fight against their club who refuses to release them to participate in the games.  There are countless examples of this and it forced FIFA Chief Sepp Blatter to issue a statement reiterating that clubs must release players under 23 years old to play in the games.  Believe it or not, many people in the soccer world do not weigh the Olympic Games strongly in terms of importance.  Now with those important details out of the way, let’s look at the groups:

Group A’s immediate favorite is a stacked Argentina side and the race for second place in the group should be interesting.  Australia, Serbia, and Ivory Coast will battle it out for the other spot in the knockout rounds.  During the Toulon Tournament a couple months back, we played Ivory Coast and they are an athletic, explosive, and dangerous team that is capable of making it out of the group – and I think I read that Solomon Kalou is on the roster.  To be honest, I don’t know much about Australia and Serbia but if they play like their senior sides, they will be organized, tough, and result-oriented.  It will be interesting to see how this group ends up but count on Argentina to put on a show.

Group B is the Group of Death.  There are 4 strong sides, all of whom are capable of making a serious run at a medal.  Many people feel that Holland is the favorite in this group but I feel that it’s not as open and closed as many people think.  The Dutch certainly have a strong side, headlined by Ryan Babel, Affelay, and over-aged legend Roy Makaay, the Oranje have what it takes.  Japanese teams are always fast, fit, and technical and this team will be no different.  Many of the players will be similar to those who represented Japan in the Toulon Tournament and they showed well there.  Nigerian sides are always dangerous and have a strong history of winning international youth tournaments.  They have the talent with players like John Obi Mikel and Victor Anichebe of Everton and many of their other players play at a high level in Europe.  The US team is, arguably, the best that we’ve ever fielded for the Olympics.  With a mix of European-based players and MLS players, we have a team of seasoned players who have been on this type of stage before in youth World Cups and Full National Team Caps.  Going to these types of international competitions, it’s important to test yourself against the best in the world.  The US team will have the opportunity to do this and I feel good about our chances.

Group C is will go to a ridiculous Brazilian team and the race for second will be like Group A.  Tradition and the paper roster says that Belgium might be the next strongest team with Vincent Kompany and company, but don’t count out the host nation.  Asian teams are always a handful and don’t be surprised to see China in the knockout rounds.  Sorry to New Zealand but I don’t know if they can compete after a near guaranteed entry due to Oceana qualifying.  I say Brazil and China from this group.

Group D immediately stands out because of the mix of playing styles.  I think it’s safe to say that Italy will go through led by highly rated Sebastian Giovinco who put on a show at the Toulon Tournament and New Jersey-born Giuseppe Rossi who had a great year at Villareal.  Count on the Italians to be organized defensively, composed all over the pitch, and dangerous as they link up in the attacking third.  I think that CONCACAF’s Honduras will be the odd man out of this group as Cameroon and South Korea battle it out for a quarterfinal spot.  This group will be interesting to watch as there will be four different styles on display.

After the group stages…blah blah blah…I can’t wait to see the Argentina-Brazil matchup.  Not only is it a great rivalry but it will be an amazing match to watch with the players these teams have brought – that’s what they Olympic Games are all about.  With all of this in mind, I honestly feel that the US team has what it takes to take home a medal and surprise a lot of people.  We have the players, the experience, and the coaching.  But only time will tell…

Q & A

1.  What are your thoughts on Abel’s release? And his comments about coach Gullit? There is also a big rumor going around about Donovan potentially moving to the premiership, any thoughts? Dig the blog! I saw The Dark Knight by the way, it was AWESOME!

-Melissa H

Melissa H – A lot of hard-hitting questions here!  Personally, I really like Abel I’m sad to see him go.  I respect him so much for what he’s done in the game and he was a great locker room guy.  At the same time, I understand that a decision had to be made and I definitely respect the decision that was made.  Clearly things went bad between Coach and him and created a poor working relationship between the two.  I wish Abel the best of luck in the future and thank him for helping me adjust.

I’ve also read all of his recent comments and I have to say I was surprised to see him express his feelings so explicitly.

Next, when someone is playing as well as Landon has played this year, there will always be speculation about a move.  It happens on all levels, in all nations.  I’ve read the reports and right now it’s all just talk but all of the discussion is warranted.  Of course, if this talk is true and Landon was to leave it would be a big blow to the team.  But it would also be important that he considers all options, the pros and cons, and makes the best decision for him and his family. 

I’m aware of the cop-out answer these questions – haha.

Told you The Dark Knight was great!2. Julian, I was curious to know your predictions for the upcoming Premier League season. Repeat for Man United? Will any of the promoted sides stay up? Thanks!

-Steve D, San Diego

Steve – I can’t wait for the upcoming EPL season.  I think it’s going to be an exciting one with lots of drama and I don’t think that Manchester United will win it.  3 in a row would be unbelievable and I just don’t see it happening.  The only time there’s ever been a 3-peat is when Man U did it from 1998-2001 (thanks Wikipedia) but I think that this will be Chelsea’s year.  If Scolari is able to hang on to Drogba, I think that they’ll be set for the title.  I look at their depth and they could field two strong sides.  They’ll be hungry after the way the end of last season panned out and they will be itching to go.  So I say it now: Chelsea.

For those of you interested, this is my EPL Fantasy Team: Peter Cech, Chris Kirkland, Glen Johnson, Jonathan Woodgate, Paul Scharner, David Wheater, Paul McShane, Cesc Fabregas, Deco, Stewart Downing, Niko Kranjcar, Simon Davies, Fernando Torres, Peter Crouch, Dave Kitson.  I’m feeling confident with that squad!3. I was curious, while playing in a game, do you ever hear any specific people in the crowd? Do you chuckle a little bit on the inside if someone yells out something amusing? Or are you so focused on the game that you don’t hear any of that?

-Shorey K

Shorey K – Usually when I’m on the field I’m focused and naturally block things out.  There are times, however, when a single person or group can be heard.  If you go to the corner flag, it’s impossible not to hear some heckling.  And I’m sure the streamers are impossible to ignore.  It’s really easy to hear people while warming up on the sidelines.  These types of comments usually go something like “you’re just a bench player” or “stop running…you’re not going in!”

Well that’s all that I have for this week’s installment.  I hope that you enjoyed it and I’ll be back next week!  Take care.

-jules

According to multiple sources, LA Galaxy forward Carlos Ruiz could be on his way to New York. The Galaxy have been looking to unload Ruiz, for some time, in an effort to free up salary cap space and New York are one of few MLS sides capable of taking on Ruiz’s salary. Juan Carlos Osorio has been quoted as saying that he is interested in a striker abroad, and one striker that is currently MLS based. Ruiz has shown to be a goal scorer in MLS although he hasn’t been able to achieve previous seasons form so far this season. The LA Galaxy are in New York to play the Red Bulls on Saturday, and could negotiate a trade. I think this could be a good short team answer for the Red Bulls, the main question is whether or not Ruiz can stay healthy for the remainder of the season and find his past form. What do you think?

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.

Hello!

         Hope everyone is doing well.  Enjoyed your 4^th of July weekend, I did!  Where to start, well we played on the Friday night coverage game on Fox Soccer Channel.  If any of you watched the game, you’ll know that we had an hour delay due to a storm that was hovering over the pitch.  It was a long wait because all of us were itching to get on the field and take care of business.  Puerto Rico started their month long road trip and we wanted to get 3 points out of the match so that we could jump further up the table.  Fortunately we were able to get 3 points in a muggy and wet night in Miami.  Alex Afonso scored on a penalty set up by Sean Fraser.    I started that game and was pleased the way our team came out.  My ultimate goal as a defender is to keep a shutout and we did that, with some very good saves from our keeper Josh Saunders.    As far as the game we played well just need to play a complete game for 90 minutes, because we did a little more defending in the 2^nd half than we wanted to.

As far as the U.S. Open Cup, we did a franchise best of reaching the 3^rd round.  In the 2^nd round we faced the Atlanta Silverbacks at home, which was fortunate, because it’s very tough to play on the road, so we had a good fan support behind us egging us on.  We won that match 1-0 and were elated to play again in the 3^rd round and even more motivated to play against a MLS team.  We took on FC Dallas at Dallas.  I’ve never been to Dallas so it was definitely something I was looking forward to.  I know quite a few players on that team.  I played with Ray Burse at Ohio State as he was my keeper, and I played with Brek Shea and Blake Camp with the U-23’s in Toulon.  I also played with Abe Thompson and Michael Dello-Russo in my freshman year at the University of Maryland.    We lost to FC Dallas 2-1 which was disappointing but as far as how we played, we did very well.  The only drawback is we gave up goals in injury time of both halves. We gained a lot of confidence and came out pumped up for Puerto Rico.  Outside of Open Cup play we’ve been unbeaten.  We hope to continue that streak because it makes it a lot more fun.

For our upcoming schedule, we travel Saturday to Rochester to take on the Rhinos and it should be a very good game.  Rochester has had its ups and downs but are playing good soccer since they’re getting back some of their injured players.  That’s what we’ve been told in meetings.  I feel very optimistic with our chances of going in there and getting 3 points.  We just need to enjoy the game and be consistent the entire game.  After that we travel to Montreal to play in their great atmosphere.  They recently lost to Puerto Rico, so I’m sure they’re going to battle just as hard as we are to get a result.  It should be very entertaining and fun to play at Saputo Stadium.

         As far as my down time, we’ve had a busy schedule with some workouts scattered in our week of prep, so we’ve been busy, but I do find time to “jump on the sticks” as my buddies and I call it from back home in Ohio.  We play a lot of FIFA 08 on Xbox 360.  Actually I’m writing this Tuesday night and I’m going to play my buddy Brent Rohrer, who I played with at Ohio State in a game after I get done with this.  .  His roommates are all very good friends and avid Fifa players, so there’s always a game waiting. So that’s about it as far as what I’ve been doing.  Oh! I just finally went to the beach on our weekend off for the 4^th and had a good time.  It’s been some time since I’ve seen the ocean so it was a nice change of scenery.  

I would like to thank those of you who submitted questions and we’ll get to that part now.

1.  Hey Eric, other than Soccer what are other sports you most enjoy watching/player? Do you support any specific teams? 

-Jimmy K, Jacksonville, FL

Besides soccer the sports I like to watch would consist of a few. I’ll throw in the teams I support with the sports that I watch. I like to watch hockey and I support the Philly Flyers.  My cousin supported them when I was growing up so I just followed them and became a big fan.  Was very excited to see them do somewhat well in the play-offs this year.  The Pen’s were just too good.  I like to watch all the Grand Slams for Tennis.  Recently Wimbledon was on and man what a final between the 2 best players in the world.  I’m a Federer fan personally.  Also like to watch Golf, especially when the Majors are on.  Tiger is unreal to watch, especially his last win at the Open.  What an athlete to win the cup with a bum knee.

2.  Eric, did you ever consider playing overseas after high school or college? Or were you focused on playing in the states.

-Steve G

As far as professionally, it was always a goal of mine, but to be blunt, I wasn’t good enough nor developed enough as a player to go straight from High School.  High School soccer is an enormous leap to the pro levels.  If the opportunity was there, I’d really have to sit back and think about it.  After college, since we went pretty far in the tournament I couldn’t talk with an agent until afterwards, so I didn’t know too much.  I was mainly focused on the MLS.  I was invited to the combine and performed very well there so I was expecting to play MLS.  I had known of a few options overseas, but I was drafted by New York so I was committed to them at the time.

3.  Heya, did you follow Euro 2008 closely? What were your thoughts on the tournament?

-Cindy W

Cindy let me tell you this; I was very impressed by ESPN to cover all the games in some shape or form.  When we traveled I knew we wouldn’t get the channel in our room, so I watched it online.   My two teams that I was rooting for were the Dutch and the Germans.  My family name is German, and I liked the Dutch since I was younger, when Davids played for them.  So to see both of them lose sucked, but the Germans put up a good fight.  They didn’t play well in the finals, but Spain was definitely the best team.  Their unsung hero was their Defensive mid, Senna.

4.  If you had a choice of a team(s) to play for around the world, who would you choose?

-Bob C

What a question.  You could go so many routes as to what league I like the best or where I’d go for money.  England has a very attractive style of football and they pay extremely well.  I’d probably say I’d want to go to a German club, probably Bayern Munich or Schalke, just because they both have a very rich history and compete very well in their league.

5.  First of, I love the blog! I was wondering, do you have a personal favorite formation? are you a more conventional 4-4-2 kinda guy, maybe 3-5-2?

-Jennifer C

As for formations, I’m more of a 4-4-2 kind of guy.  My style of game is reading the game and anticipating balls being played into the forwards.  As a center back you can do that, as long as you have cover with a 4-4-2 system.  With a 3-5-2 system the center back is forced to chase down balls launched overtop the outside back down the line, thus a lot more running.  With the 4-4-2 I have a little more freedom to play, meaning finding seams, passing the ball, splitting the midfield to find forwards and such. 

Thanks so much for reading, once again hope you had a good weekend and thanks so much for the questions!  Keep them coming! Email them to Eric@americansoccerreader.com

-Brunes

The New York Red Bulls have completed the signing of 22 year old Mexican defender diego Jimenez. Jimenez has been a target of Juan Carlos Osorio’s for some time and has finally put pen to paper. Jimenez has most recently played for Mexican club Tecos, and has played for the Mexican U-21 national team. Jimenez is also married to an American and holds a green card, meaning he shouldn’t occupy one of the club’s international player spots. What do you think of the signing? Will Jimenez help a very weak New York defense?

The Colorado Rapids released defensive midfielder Rafael Gomes last week, despite the fact the Brazilian had played in seven matches this season and seemed to provide depth at the holding midfield position. Gomes was signed in March from CD Santa Clara of the Portuguese second division. By cutting Gomes by July 1, the Rapids were able to wipe his salary of more than $100,000 from the books. Former Rutgers University standout Nick LaBrocca has started in the position that Gomes was originally slated to play.Colorado also announced they wear a third kit when take on Tigres next Wednesday night. The club will unveil the new look at a press conference Monday. It is unknown what colors will be on the kit.The Rapids take on the New York Red Bulls tomorrow night and will also have the largest Fourth of July fireworks demonstration in the state of Colorado.

According to Brian Lewis the New York Red Bulls are set to unveil new signings Jorge Rojas and Argentinian defender Juan Pietravallo on Wednesday. Pietravall is a 26 year old defensive midfielder who currently plays with Greek first division side Veria. The 26 year old has also played with Nueva Chicago and Belgrano in his home country, before moving to Veria earlier this year. Peitravallo made 3 appearances for Veria before agreeing a move to Red Bulls New York. What do you think of the recent signings by New York?