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Red Bulls acquire Convey in trade with TFC

BobbyConveyTFC3 (MLS)

By DAN KARELL

One of the New York Red Bulls needs heading into the offseason was a talented winger who could provide accurate service, and the club addressed that on Friday in a big way.

The Red Bulls announced today that they’ve acquired Bobby Convey from Toronto FC in exchange for the Red Bulls’ first-round selection (No. 15) in the 2014 MLS SuperDraft and their first-round pick in the 2016 Supplemental Draft. Convey, who was out of contract and opted-out of the Re-Entry Draft, has agreed terms on a new contract.

“Bobby is a very experienced player who we believe can make an immediate impact on our squad,” Red Bulls sporting director Andy Roxburgh said in a statement. “We have been looking at him for some time, and he will add quality on the flanks. Bobby’s technical ability will certainly provide us an added dimension.” 

The former U.S. Men’s National Team player is joining his third club in the last 12 months after starting the 2013 MLS season with Sporting Kansas City. He was dealt to TFC last May in exchange for a third round selection in the upcoming MLS SuperDraft, playing 21 times and contributing one goal and four assists.

Convey enters his 15th year of professional soccer at the age of 30 after being signed by D.C. United as a 16-year-old in 2000.

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What do you think of this news? Excited to see a box-to-box winger join the Red Bulls? What does this mean for Johnny Steele’s future with the club? Do you expect Convey to fit into the starting lineup?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. I watched him when he played in San Jose. I never thought that he stood out considering his reputation as a youth player. I don’t know about his attitude. He just didn’t impress me.

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  2. Been a Convey follower since his DCU days. Brilliant at Reading but never recovered from the serious knee injury from the WC. I kept hoping for the best for him when he returned to MLS but after several years, have come to the conclusion that his injuries prevent him from ever returning to his best form and that for whatever reason, he seems to be poison in the clubhouse. I’d really like to have a more positive view but he has now been with several top managers and good teams and hasn’t been able to make it work.

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    • I like the cut of your jib Beckster. I concur with your analysis, and I’m not very excited about this move. Hopefully he’s productive, but he’s been so mediocre and it’s been reported in multiple stops that he’s very prickly and not a good locker room guy, that I don’t know that I can cheer for him, especially if he takes time away from Johnny Steele, who worked very hard and had a very good season.

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  3. I always remember Convey being paired with Eddie Lewis in the World Cup game against Czech Republic. Disaster. Hopefully he can get close to his Reading form with RBNY.

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  4. Wow, TFC gives up a 3rd round draft pick for Convey, and gets a 1st round pick and a 1st round pick in the supplemental draft. Nice dealing there.

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  5. I don’t know how to feel about this trade. He’s only 30, so it’s not like he should be put out to pasture. But I haven’t followed TFC enough to get a measure of his play. If what the other commenters are saying is true about a difficult attitude, I hope Petke will assert himself and show who’s boss (as for Henry and Cahill, I don’t have to hope because there’s no question of that).

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    • Also, I hope they start working on that defense. Surely there are some good defenders on the cheap somewhere? In the academy? In Latin America? In Europe’s lower leagues (maybe the English Championship)? Africa or Asia if he’s especially daring?

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    • Convey’s a ‘team player’ until the first time he’s dropped. then he’s the brooding diva in the corner who spends all his time texting on his phone, and sucks all the life out of your locker room.

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    • He improves a very good team that has to win right now given Henry’s age, and he won’t be in Brazil for a month next summer.

      Why such a drastic reaction?

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    • This article doesn’t mention it but RBNY got Toronto’s second round pick in the draft so basically they moved down from 15 to 22 and gave up the supplemental pick in 2016 which isn’t a big deal. Didn’t give up much really.

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  6. I like Convey. But 2 first round draft picks for a 29 year old who has had his fair share of injuries? Add to that the reports that’s he’s not the nicest guy or easiest to get along with (players and coaches) and I’m 50/50 on this. Maybe 55/45 in favor. What do you think?

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    • RBNY traded their low first round pick for Toronto’s high second round pick, so essentially only moved down a few spots. A first round pick in the supplemental draft is worth FAR less than a first round pick in the Superdraft, so RBNY really didn’t give up too much for Convey.

      Whether he’ll turn out to be worth even that… we’ll see.

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  7. Few Americans ever played at as hig a level as he did during Readings promotion campaign. Yet since then, he goes someplace, plays well, falls out and moves on. This is a guy that World Soccer magazine listed as the 12th best young player in the world at one time, way ahead of Beasley and Donovan. His career since that peak with Reading can only be considerd a disappointment.

    That said, good move for Red Bulls…Maybe Petke can get something out of him that other coaches failed to do

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    • Didn’t he also lose a significant amount of time to a knee injury? I forget what the specific injury was, but I thought the recovery took longer than originally anticipated and that he hasn’t quite been the same player since. But, your point is spot on, he has had some bursts of good play, fallen out of favor and moved around. At 30, this could very well be his last move.

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      • Yes, he was hurt at Reading and i think he was out of commission for over a year. He was also responsible for bouncing us out of the first playoff match at RBA.

      • Acquaintances within Quakes organization were always complaining about his attitude. At that time (2010-2011), his success at Reading made him act all prima donna. Hopefully he’s matured and is willing to bleed a bit for his team. If not, I don’t foresee him faring well with Petke.

      • That sort of thing has always followed him around. He was injuried and that did cost him a chance to really show his stuff in the EPL. But even factoring in that, he’s been a disappointment. There is still time for him to turn it around, however, at least on club level

      • From what I remember, he just didn’t wanna play LB and had everything to say about it when Yallopmhad him there for a period and then after their public spat, he was benched for half a season.

        Why he was benched after initially playing at sporting, now that is something that could possibly give a person some insight to his character

    • Apparently that World Soccer writer was smoking crack. Maybe Hunter S Thompson was his hero. Convey is basically the original version of Robbie Rogers. Speed, injury prone, ball striker with questionable football intelligence and vision. You get a lot of that with wings – just look at Adam Johnson: same profile. A lot of these guys get overrated early in their careers because of the lack of good wide players and the sexy, obvious nature of speed and ball striking, but they never really develop the nuances of their games. NYRB definitely is in dire need of some speed on the wings, so this helps in that sense but I’m not even sure how much speed Convey has left.

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      • I think you just have something for wingers with boyish looks.

        Convey has a hell of a left foot and will instantly be the Red Bulls best flank service player as well as give them another weapon on dead balls.

      • Not saying he can’t be an asset if utilized correctly. I was more responding to the original post about his one time elite prospect status. Heck, Robbie can be an effective guy too if motivated. Being NYRBs best flank service option won’t say much, though, since he’d be the only one. He’s capable of providing good service but equally capable of proving a host of head scratchingly boneheaded moments per match. A left side of Miller and Convey would be scary for NYRB supporters and opponents alike. His injury history and old legs are also scary.

      • He has pretty good field vision for a guy who by all accounts is partially blind in one eye. I could never figure out how he manages to be so good with crosses with no stereo vision.

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