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With Rojas on board, what next for the Red Bulls?

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As expected, the Red Bulls are set to sign Venezuelan national team midfielder Jorge Rojas. The 31-year-old is arriving in New York today and will undergo a physical on Tuesday ahead of signing a contract with the Red Bulls. He will not be eligible to play for the Red Bulls until after the July 15 open of the summer transfer window.

Rojas has the ability to play both in an attacking midfield role and on the left flank. His arrival should give Red Bulls head coach Juan Carlos Osorio a more reliable option in a playmaking midfield role, though he can also play left wing, which would free up Dave Van Den Bergh to play left back, a position he has been more steady at than Kevin Goldthwaite.

With Rojas set to sign his deal, what is next for the Red Bulls? A forward, defensive midfielder and central defender are all on the agenda, but Osorio may not be able to fill all three needs without making a trade.

Based on the club’s performance in recent weeks, what position would you like to see addressed next? Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. I find it hard to heap support of someone who hasn’t played a single minute in our league, or in my teams shirt. I’ll reserve judgement until after August is over. I think a month and a half should be enough time to gain a perspective on his talents and weaknesses. I would caution us all against thinking he’ll have a Blanco-esque impact. He may be a good player, but individual talent transferring into team results aren’t guaranteed. I am, however, very hopeful about this guy. And I’m pleased we’ve finally signed someone as we desperately needed it.

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  2. With Jozy gone and JPA slow to recover from his injuries, the team needs a strong forward more than a defender. I’d like to see this lineup:

    ——Angel——-New Acquired Player—–

    ——-Ubiparapovic——–Richards——-

    ——————-Rojas——————

    ———Stammler———-Mendes———

    –VDB–Boyens/Goldthwaite/Parke–Freeman–

    ——————Conway——————

    Subs: Echeverry, Magee, Wolyniec, Borman, Sassano, Thornton

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  3. If Osorio is looking for another forward option within MLS, there are some quality guys who are not receiving much playing time:

    Yura Movsisyan with RSL

    Ricardinho with Dallas

    Ruiz with LA

    and for midfield depth, I would add Dax McCarty to that list of quality players not receiving much time at present.

    If Ruiz were picked up from LA, I think our Eastern Conference opponents should be concerned.

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  4. Thank G-d. Finally some good news!

    For me, landing this guy was probably the big question mark. He can be played as an attacking mid or left wing, which gives Osorio a lot of options. I would think Rojas gets played in the middle and Danleigh Borman or David Roth are played at left wing in a 3-5-2.

    Now VDB can likely move to left back which is a spot that’s really good for him at this point in his career.

    I would like to see the team next address another center back, pull up Kassel as the attacking mid understudy and look to pick up another forward or a back-up for Richards at right wing.

    In any case, having Rojas is very good for the Red Bulls and I expect them to start making a move up the table once he’s on board. I wouldn’t be surprised if Angel “miraculously” recovers.

    But this is good for home games:

    ——–Angel—Echeverry/Megaloudis–

    –Borman/Roth—————Richards–

    —————–Rojas—————-

    ——-Reyna/Ubi—-Stammler/Mendes—

    ——VDB——Parke—Goldy/Freeman–

    And this for away games:

    ——–Angel—Echeverry/Megaloudis–

    —Rojas——————–Richards–

    ——-Reyna/Ubi—-Stammler/Mendes—

    —VDB–Goldthwaite–Parke—Freeman–

    So again, the most pressing needs are depth in defense, at forward and a back-up right wing. Even so, Rojas was the key piece they needed.

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  5. Well, I’m in the minority here, but a holding mid that can pass well and defend well in a 4-4-2 would be nice. Stammler, Mendes, Reyna … none of them are that guy.

    Parke and Bobcat are fine playing central in a back four. Richards is fine as second forward to Angel.

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  6. I still think RBNY will sign Thierry Henry as a DP next season. It’s out there, but, hey, people used to say that Beckham coming to MLS was a crazy idea that would never happen either. Henry is on the trading block and RBNY is opening a new stadium and needs a striker and publicity. It just makes sense to me.

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  7. “when does the DP slot go back to CUSA?? thought it was in 09′ but im not sure…”

    It was a three year deal, so 2010.

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  8. number that needs addressing is attacking midfielder, let Rojas play wide get an a mid, and another foward.

    a cb, left back and holding mid would aslo help

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  9. Howdy Metro fans. Isn’t Reyna’s contract up after this season? Will we have a open DP for next year? Thanks.

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  10. to have our best 11 on the field I think rojas has to play central. we have zero creativity in the middle. that should free up dvd and richards on the wings.

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  11. picking up a 31 yr to train and play at ur field?? how long till he obtains an injury?? they seem to plague your team…

    no worries, you’ve got a defender most likely coming in this summer…. once TFC takes Conde for the allocation spot, they’ll trade him to you for allocation money you’ve obtained from Jozy’s transfer…

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  12. Why do you want Reyna not to leave? What does he bring to the table,missing a ton of games and when he plays not contribute anything. The truth is many of the teams better games have been without him and when he plays he is never a standout performer. On top of the that it seems he could care less about his innefective play, he doesnt talk to the media and plays a pickup game while supposedly injured, thats a disgrace and total lack of proffesionalism.

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  13. El Pezcadito wouldn’t fit in this goup.

    What we need now is a steady central defender. As you can see, even without Angel, we could score only to allow goals scored on stupid plays. Role forwards could be paired with Angel and our midfield with Rojas is decent but our back is shaky.

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  14. i’m not a redbulls fan , so don’t kill me for this. but word is ruiz is on the tradig block, you guys wouldn’t be interested ? might be worth looking into.

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  15. Smorebs stole my thunder. I suggest that what’s next is to hold onto victories rather than donating points to other teams. It doesn’t matter how much you improve if you are determined NOT to win.

    I don’t want Reyna to leave; I DO, however, want them to bump him down out of the DP slot. Even if he was in classic Reyna form every time on the field, you can’t waste a DP slot on a guy who never actually GETS onto the field.

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  16. Yes, the Defense is the most glaring spot I’d say. I’m hoping this McBride situation forces Chicago’s hand into dealing Conde to us somehow. That would allow us to get Boyens out. He’s ok, don’t get me wrong, but I see him more of a backup. With Rojas, if we need to be more steady in defense say on the road, we can lineup like this…

    —-Angel—Echy/Woly—-

    ——–Ubi————

    Rojas————Richards

    ——-Stammler———-

    DVB–Parke—Conde–Freeman

    That lineup might just be able to fight their way into a playoff spot.

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  17. I think this is a clear ADIOS to Reyna. They will invest the time in Sinisa for a future roll or a setup for a trade.

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  18. I would say a central defender is the next need as Stammler has been solid in a 2 way role as of late, as has Sinisa. If (BIG IF) Claudio can come back the central mid-filed seems crowded. When Angel comes back, I become far less concerned with another forward since he, Wolly, and Richards seem to have some chemistry and while Goldie has been better in Central Defense, RBNY seems to be missing a defensive captain to break this pattern of stupid mistakes that lead to goals.

    Lets hope they can string together a game or two with out giving up a stupid goal (win or loose).

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  19. I think that a forward has to come in. Stammler is a good defensive midfielder. Goldwaithe and Parke have been decent in Central defense. The major hole is the abscence of a quality goal scorer.

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