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Red Bulls agree new deals with Robles, Miller

Luis Robles

Photo by Howard C. Smith/ISIphotos.com

By DAN KARELL

Whether they make mistakes or not, the New York Red Bulls have sent a strong message of their belief in the ability of Roy Miller and Luis Robles to win the club an MLS Cup title.

The Red Bulls announced on Monday that they have signed both the left back Miller and goalkeeper Robles to new contracts, tying them down for the 2014 season. Per league and team policy, terms of the deals were not disclosed.

“With one of our goals being to create long-term continuity within our roster, we are very pleased to have signed Roy and Luis to new contracts,” Red Bulls sporting director Andy Roxburgh said in a statement. “Both players were important players for our team in 2013, and we are happy to keep them in New York.”

Both players committed costly errors at separate times during the season, but at the same time also came up some stellar plays. In Robles’ case, the 29-year-old made a number of tremendous saves on his way to 17 wins and 11 shutouts, including three in the Red Bulls’ final six matches. Robles also saved a league-best three penalty kicks.

Miller meanwhile was injured or on international duty for most of the season but had his best spell in April and May. Following a horrible decision early in the season to encroach in the penalty area against the San Jose Earthquakes, Red Bulls head coach Mike Petke gave the Costa Rican international some extra time to clear his head, and after the international break, Miller came back with purpose and a newfound sense of belief.

Though he missed the last ten games of the 2013 season with an Achilles injury, Miller played 17 times for the Red Bulls, 16 of them as a starter. Miller is expected to miss up to one month next season as he’s a very likely call-up to the Costa Rican National Team for next summer’s World Cup in Brazil.

Reports late last week originally stated that the longest-tenured Red Bulls player would leave the club and return to Costa Rica. However, those reports turned out to be inaccurate.

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What do you think of this news? Glad to see Robles and Miller sign new contracts? Do you see them playing even better next season? Where else do the Red Bulls need to upgrade?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Miller is garbage. The only positive things people can say is that he had a good 1/2 season last season all the while forgetting his crap play the seasons before. When the most positive thing people can muster up for you is “better than Carney”……people should get the hint that he sucks. take away his famous errors and you still have someone that carelessly turns the ball over constantly….most players you have to pressure to force an error from them…not MomemtumkILLER! he will gift you the ball with a nifty heelpass

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  2. Miller is awful. One half season of decent play at best does not erase the crap he put on the field in seasons prior. RBs deserve whatever brilliant play he can come up with this year…the man gives the ball away constantly yet no one remembers because his other f-ups are that much more monumentally obvious that people have to focus on them & forget the mediocre play. Miller Miller the momentum killer….perfect opportunity to get rid of that liability and of course RB resign him….on April 13th….with a one-eyed winger…..JK i would take an all blind Convey over Miller any day.

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  3. This isn’t a question specifically of SBI, but why is it grammatically correct to say “Red Bulls agree new deals” instead of “Red Bulls agree TO new deals”? I see it all the time in the English press…

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    • Exactly what I was going to say. It’s annoying. Let’s just agree we don’t need to adopt the British way of saying everything. If we talked like that in our own jobs it would not be welcomed

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    • He’s been harshly criticized, and often with good reason, but I think that warts and all, Miller is still a better player than Barklage.

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    • imo it had to be health concerns. miller played like crap since 2010, do we now believe this past 1/2 season that people are praising is how he really plays? amazing that a club would settle for last minute performances to renew contracts, & forgetting about the fact that he cared so little that he did not even know the rules to the league.

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      • Saying he played like crap is a little harsh. He’s actually played some pretty good soccer most of the time. However, you can’t hide the fact that his biggest mistakes come in the biggest games, and so I can understand why he’s painted with the “crap” brush. The truth is he’s a good MLS fullback for the money he makes, and team’s need guys like that to win in this league.

    • After the SJ debacle, he played very well. If he’d been healthy come playoff time, they wouldn’t have the disatrous David Carney out there to pass the ball directly to the opponent right in front of goal and may have won the series against Houston.

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