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Red Bulls sign Spanish centerback Armando

Armando Lozano Barcelona B (Getty Images)

By FRANCO PANIZO

The New York Red Bulls can cross off signing a third centerback from their to-do list.

The Red Bulls announced on Thursday morning that they have signed Spanish defender Armando, who joins the club after most recently playing for Spanish second division side Cordoba. Lozano, 29, will be added the New York’s roster after he passes a physical and the club receives receipt of his P-1 Visa and International Transfer Certificate.

“Armando provides us with another experienced option at centerback and we are delighted to have agreed to terms with him,” said Red Bulls sporting director Andy Roxburgh. “He has played at a good level for many years, serving as the captain for Barcelona’s B team in the past, and we are excited to bring his leadership and technical qualities to our club.”

Prior to playing for Cordoba, Armando had stops at Mexican outfit Veracruz and Barcelona B. He has also played for several other clubs in his career, including Levante and Malaga.

The signing of Armando helps the Red Bulls address one of their areas of concern heading into the 2014 season. New York was down to three centerbacks after parting ways with starter Markus Holgersson earlier this month, but now has some added depth ahead of what will be a busy year.

Armando joins Jamison Olave, Ibrahim Sekagya and Matt Miazga as centerbacks on the Red Bulls’ roster.

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What do you think of the Red Bulls signing Armando? Expecting him to fit in well at the club and in MLS? Think he will wind up becoming a starter?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. You don’t understand soccer if you are crying for a “number 10” for teams like the Red Bulls, Galaxy, and Seattle. They already have them in Henry, Keane, and Dempsey who play the creative, withdrawn forward or “number 10” role. But if you ask for some creativity on the wings, then that is a different story. All of those teams could use some skilled wingers.

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  2. I’m tiered of reading about Armando coming to the red bulls. Wow this is the story that doesn’t go away! Funny thing is that this is the only red bull signing of note. Convey signing equally disturbing! I think in a year the pundits will say it was the sophomore jinx, but the reality is that the league especially the eastern conference has improved on paper at least and the red bulls thinned out. Yep they lost their depth and have not improved! But hey they get paid to make the big decisions so maybe petke knows something we don’t. Convoy is a beast and regains blazing speed and Armando becomes the next olave. Doubt it though!

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  3. So does he go by just his first name? Or are the headline and first part of the article incorrect? Later the article calls him by his last name.

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  4. Man this is a scam. Guy played in the mexican second division! He’s just living off putting on a Barcelona jersey a couple of times!

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  5. Glad to see there’s a now second former Barcelona player on the Red Bulls’ roster. Now we just Xavi and we’ll be all set. 😉

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  6. No on ever heard of Lindpere either, and he was a good signing for NYRB. I think this moves is really good in the sense that adds depth and should be able to push the competition between the centerbacks for starting roles.

    @Curva Sud – What?! I hope you’re just trolling and don’t really mean what you just typed.

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  7. Just like I’m not bitter that Olave got a red card in Houston and totally handicapped us in that match as well as the return leg. It would have been a different story with Olave in the mix but he decided to lose his mind and committed a serious foul play. But no, I’m not bitter.

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    • I have wondered why no one in the press or on the club called Olave out for that ridiculous move. He was a beast for RBNY all year, but that decision cost the team dearly. Imagine the reaction if it had been Holgersson, or (gasp) Marquez.

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  8. No one had heard of Holgersson before he arrived, and he worked out pretty well, though his transition to the league took some time. Hopefully Armando can play as I still haven’t forgotten about Sekagya’s blunder against Houston in the playoffs. Would rather this guy start over him…not that I’m bitter or anything…

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    • Cut Sekagya some slack. I cringed at the blunder too, but if you remember watching the game, about 2 secs. before he made that blunder Sekagya quite obviously got injured.

      It was a mistake resulting from attempting to continue while injured that occurred a split second after the injury. Hard to blame a guy for a “blunder” under those circumstances.

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      • I’m not saying it isn’t petty, or that there were extenuating circumstances. Usually I’m quite able to forgive and forget, but for whatever reason, I’ve had a difficult time letting go of that one.

        Normally I shrug off the usual Red Bull/Metro playoff collapse, but that one caused some significant pain…

      • Mark — To quote Bill Clinton “I feel your pain.” I really thought RB might do something last year. Personally, I had a harder time with Olave’s red card than I did with Sekagya’s injury-induced gaffe.

    • Holgerson came from a championship team. He was a right back. The transition period was due to change in position and playing with rafa not the MLS quality!

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  9. I don’t see how this guy could be a DP. I doubt the red bulls would use a DP slot on a guy that even soccer nerds have never heard of.

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    • As a NYRB supporter myself, I just don’t see what to base such optimism off of. There are few of last season’s leading teams who got stronger and some bottom-feeders who got better. I am not saying this coming season will be a disaster but I don’t feel like we got better.

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    • I don’t think RBNY needs a #10 playmaker. As Petke said recently, playing with an old-school playmaker requires you to change how you play plus it’s a little old-fashioned. I’d like them to sign a defender as the 3rd DP but most of all I’d just like them to use the third DP slot, it’s inexcusable not to. There might not be anyone that’s a fit who is available now but in the summer they need to make a move.

      I agree they didn’t get better. Pretty much the same team as last season minus Espindola, Holgersson and Barklage. Well Carney too but that’s addition by subtraction.

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      • This is the problem with being NYRB. They want the huge dp so they hang onto the slot for the summer window when the top Euro talent is available. They sometimes hold their roster hostage for a signing that won’t come until midseason or may not come at all.

      • Even if a DP was signed for RBNY, why would you want it to be a defender? I couldnt’ call RBNY ‘cheap’ with a straight face so I’m not sure if you are being serious or not. DP hit the salary cap that means that you will need to trim down your roster, when you have players getting raises after a successful 2013 season, you have to be frugal with how you spend your money because of the MLS salary cap. For example, RBNY received OLAVE and ESPINDOLA because Real Salt Lake couldn’t afford them. Olave was a Godsend for RBNY last year, Real Salt Lake wouldn’t have let him go if there wasn’t a salary cap.

      • I’d want the new DP to be a defender because that’s where they need help. They scored the most goals in MLS last season so that’s not as high a priority for me. A backline of Kimura, Olave, Sekagya and Miller could certainly be improved upon!

  10. Glad that NYRB found a White player to fit their business plan. The team has been jettisoning White players to move toward a 100% “diverse” roster.

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  11. While he has a Barcelona shirt on in the picture, he’s actually a bench warmer for Cordoba, a mid-table second division side in Spain. RBNY signed him for depth but given the ages of Olave and Sekagya, he could be playing quite a bit.

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    • I’m not sure how anyone beyond of a Cordoba supporter could. Hopefully he brings something to the table. Hopefully part of what he brings is competition on the training ground which provides a catalyst for Miazga to progress. High hopes for that kid.

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    • Veracruz is a low MX team, Cordoba and Barcelona B are Adelante (Sp. 2d div.), Levante and Malaga are mediocre La Liga. Not unlike England, everyone knows ManU’s first XI and even some subs but you get below that and you have to be an obsessive.

      With that CV who knows what they are getting. Koke flushed at Houston a few years back with a CV that included Malaga A and B, as well as Marseille and Aris. He now plays for Blooming in Bolivia.

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