Photo by David Bernal/ISIphotos.com
Joel Lindpere might not be a Designated Player like Thierry Henry or Rafa Marquez, but he arguably means the most out of anybody to the potential success of the New York Red Bulls. That makes the club's announcement Tuesday that he isn't going anywhere anytime soon all the more notable.
Lindpere signed a new multi-year contract with the club, allaying fears that the integral midfielder would leave the club for other options when his previous contract expired.
"Joel has been an important part of our progress over the last two seasons and has become one of our most popular players because of his work rate, performance and commitment to the club," Red Bulls sporting director Erik Soler said in a team statement. "We wanted to reward him with a new contract to recognize his efforts and are excited that we agreed to a new contract with him."
The Estonian was voted the team's most valuable player in 2010, his first season in MLS after joining the league from Tromso in Norway. Last year he started all of the club's 34 league matches, accounting for seven goals and seven assists. He also scored the game-winning goal in New York's wildcard playoff victory over FC Dallas that lifted the club to the conference semifinal round.
What do you think of this development?
Share your thoughts below.
He’s always reminded me of Danny Murphy.
NYRB have hit pay dirt! Joel has to step up to the plate. 😉
And Ballack spurns Montreal for NY….I think this has been known for awhile. He comes in the next transfer window.
Cooper is going to thrive with NY and Conde is a beast
um..no
Players like Joel and Dane and Luke and Timmu have been solid contributors and hard workers. I’m very glad Joel was resigned.
Awesome. Love that the team looks largely stable for the next few years.
Finally, RB does something right!!
Well done Soler, Hans, and Lindpere. I love this guy…he shows up to NYRB bars in Brooklyn and stuff sometimes.
YES. Vital player. Very happy to hear this.
All of NY’s moves this year have been spot on.. this truly is the best team on paper bar none.. no one will predict it now given what happened last year, but this truly is a much deeper and better club…
IF I said a wide reciever has Zakuani speed would you have a problem with that ? I have said it and I doubt you would. This sounds like a 70-80s conversation.
Don’t worry SportsCenter will catch a clue about soccer in America eventually.
Oh yeah bad analogy, The Super Bowl is gridiron football’s equivalent of MLS Cup, not World Cup.
Every NJRB fan has a big smile on their face after hearing about this. Heart and soul of the Red Bulls, thank you Bolton.
Great move. Very skilled and very honest player.
I know what you mean, and I felt silly making the comparison, but, you know…that’s what an analogy is. Likening two unlike things.
You’d be hard-pressed to find a player in football (in the global sense) who plays like Lindpere. He’s the classic semi-athletic grinder that you find in American football, basketball and especially hockey. He’s an offensive player whose work ethic helps him transcend his limited skill set. I guess you could compare him to Dirk Kuyt. Or Michael Bradley, maybe….?
Really? I think Cooper was a horrible move and they are really gambling on Conde.
They’ve been making SOME right moves this offseason for a change!
It bugs me when people make soccer analogies using other sports. “The Super Bowl of soccer = the World Cup”…for example.
I know you were only trying to illustrate a point and didn’t mean much harm by it.
I just hope the soccer culture here in the States can develop to a point where we, the seasoned fan and the casual fan, don’t have to resort to that anymore as it’s been done in the past.
Anyway, moving on…
PAY THE MAN! lol
Amazing to think Red Bulls got something right…
Lindpere is the most solid Red Bull player. Love Henry but he’s too much of a lone wolf and inconsistent. Joel is always a worker.
Good move by the team to reward one of it’s most consistent performers. Well deserved, and I hope he continues to play hard and exhibit all the qualities that the fans have come to expect from him.
In case I didn’t make it clear: I think Lindpere’s great. He’s like Heath Miller, tight end of the Pittsburgh Steelers. He doesn’t win many games on his own, but the team can’t win without him.
It’ll be interesting to see how it plays out. I met Lindpere at a function last year at which he spoke. Whose idea was it to have an Estonian soccer player behind a microphone? I wouldn’t say he was eloquent. But he was frank. And even though he was speaking as a Red Bull, he was clear that his goal was to play hard enough to get a chance to move to a better league. Those were his exact words. I think he would have been thrilled at the EPL, but also happy with Bundesliga, Ligue 1, Eredivisie.
I wonder, now that he’s got his contract and that there are no Ajax scouts in the stands, whether he’ll be demon force he was last year. Or maybe this makes him a true leader (does he get a poster hanging in that warehouse by RB Arena?) , and he drives the rest of the team to play with his kind of tenacity. How we’ll know: Medhi Ballouchy tracks back on defense? Lindpere is in charge in the locker room.
And the guy who suggested that Henry’s presence on the field raises the level of play? He’s right.
How did you feel during the most important game in your club’s history when your coach left Adu and Torres on the bench for a player who had not really player in two months because he was so bad… only to have to sub him out at half time because he once again confirmed that he was terrible.
Henry elevates the game of everyone on that team while he’s on the pitch. He deservedly wears the armband.
Seeing a rival take care of one of their key guys with an extension the same day the Union trade Le Toux instead of taking care of him is just salt in the wound. Dammit all to hell.
have you ever notice the elevated game when henry is on the pitch… lindpere is a crucial part in carrying out plays.. Henry leads.
Some good news for NYRB fans, for a change.
Glad they extended him. They should give him the captain armband instead of Henry as well.
Thank Christ. Most consistent and reliable Red Bull the past 2 years. So happy we’ll have him longer.
Good to see a quality player retained by the league. Looking forward to the upcoming season!