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Red Bulls trade for Galaxy goalkeeper Gaudette

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Photo by ISIphotos.com

The New York Red Bulls added goalkeeping depth Friday, acquiring Los Angeles Galaxy backup Bill Gaudette in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2014 MLS Supplemental Draft. 

With rookie Ryan Meara as the entrenched starter in New York, Gaudette will fight Jeremy Vuolo for backup duties while providing experienced insurance on the depth chart. Meara has been nursing a minor hip ailment this week, and while he is not expected to miss any time, Gaudette's presence accounts for the worst-case scenario.

Gaudette started three games — including a 1-0 loss to New York — for the Galaxy while Josh Saunders was on leave, but with Saunders returning to the field and Brian Perk ahead of Gaudette in the pecking order as well, the 30-year-old St. John's University product became expendable. The Galaxy were not left with two goalkeepers for long, signing former UCLA and league pool goalkeeper Brian Rowe Friday as well.

What do you think of the trade?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Galaxy signed Rowe today. Former UCLA product just like Perk. Clearing cap room I suspect.

    And actually it’s Perk who is kind of overpriced. I believe he’s earning more than Saunders.

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  2. Too bad for Bouna…He got his shot when the the Red Bull defense was pitiful. He’s better than Vuolo or Gaudette.

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  3. There’s a “Gonzo risk” that you point out where they’ve put their bet all on one player basically. LA stunk for weeks because that CB then went down. If Saunders got hurt…..

    But from their perspective, if they can keep him healthy, Saunders was enough to win the trophy, is cheaper than Ricketts was, and now Perk and the pool signee will be cheaper than Gaudette. If Arena thinks Perk is better than Gaudette, then why pay your third guy a 2d string salary?

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  4. From LA’s perspective a potential 3rd string goalie at his price ($60K) is nuts. Most other teams have a clipboarding reservist playing for the minimum in that spot. Totally expendable and Arena is not a ditz about managing cash/ roster space. There’s a reason he keeps MLS teams competitive.

    Now, from NY’s perspective, he is at least a backup to them. In fact, devil’s advocate, Meara, young prospect and all, has a 1.5 GAA, Vuolo has not played a minute; Gaudette had 1.6 as a rookie but 1.2-1.3 GAA in his two working seasons since. NY’s GA of 27 is higher than every team down to 8th East place (and equal to Dallas in the West!) and sticks out like a sore thumb for a team that high in the table. Ironically, Gaudette is the most expensive NY keeper, so that perhaps suggests that Backe is nervous whether he’s getting enough from skimping on keeper dollars. Recall preseason the talk was whether they’d left themselves hanging on GK by ditching Coundoul etc, and by the stats that’s not necessarily a defeated argument.

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  5. So LA only has 2 keepers now…? O_o

    and the other one is PERK!

    It’s amazing, the Galaxy had the best keeping roster in all of MLS by miles and now have 1 great keeper and 1 avg with no one else…

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  6. why do the red bulls constantly give up draft picks? i do understand about needing an insurance keeper. just tired of losing draft picks (and going into the draft with only 1 or 2 picks), particularly since it is possible to get decent players in the draft (i.e. meara)…….

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  7. NY needed a third keeper. Teams with fewer than 3 keepers on the roster cannot use the MLS goalkeeping pool, so, however unlikely it was, there was always the change of Meara getting hurt and then Vuolo also getting hurt or suspended, and then NY would have no keepers and wouldn’t be able to use the pool.

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  8. I’ve always liked Gaudette, and used to wonder why he never got more of a shot in MLS. But watching him in the LA games, he is just a hair below the MLS keepers in athleticism and surety in his decision-making.

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  9. I have never been impressed with Gaudette… Hopefully he is better than in the games I saw him play vs the Bulls over the years.

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  10. I really think he didn’t do a standout job for the Galaxy, at least in the 3-4 games he played in that I saw. In fact I think he was winless in between the poles for LA.

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