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Red Bulls Update

Here are some Red Bulls news and notes following Tuesday’s training session:

Head coach Juan Carlos Osorio said that the club does not have plans to bring in Venezuelan international Jorge Rojas for a trial. Osorio stated that he is familiar with Rojas and rates him as a good player who would not need a trial to be signed, but Osorio believes he is out of the club’s price range. Whether that changes would be up to Rojas. One thing Osorio did not do is deny that the club is interested in the player.

Chris Innes will spend the next two weeks with the Red Bulls and is not bound by the MLS transfer window since his contract with Scottish club Gretna was terminated. He did mostly fitness training on Tuesday.

Dane Richards said his knee is ahead of schedule and thinks he should resume full training very soon. Richards believes he will be back playing well before the June predictions set out when his injury was first revealed.

Osorio had no news on the Lider Marmol situation but sources close to Marmol have told SBI that MLS has rejected a counter-offer from Marmol’s representatives of $150,000. Sources say Marmol was offered a $100,000 contract, which he turned down. Neither side appears ready to budge and Osorio stated today that he doesn’t foresee the Red Bulls waiting beyond this week for a resolution on the matter.

Matt Kassel continues his adjustment period to first team training and there is still no word on when his contract situation. He is expected to train with the club throughout the week.

No word yet on who the Red Bulls will use in central defense in place of suspended starter Jeff Parke but Carlos Mendes is a strong candidate for the position.

Comments

  1. Not to jump on Matt anymore, but the issue here doesn’t have to do with Ives but rather with Osorio not communicating effectively to local media.

    We’re now in the fourth month that Osorio has had with this team and we’ve been waiting since even before Osorio to pick up key signings for the ’08 season. Just as a reminder, at first there was no information on potential candidates. Then there were a few rumors that Osorio quickly denied, all the while promising a centerback, an attacking midfielder and a left-sided midfielder and saying these signings were on the cusp of happening. Now we’re seven days from the close of the MLS transfer window and the club still hasn’t filled in any of the key signings it needed since the Arena era.

    There has been disappointment after disappointment. Even excluding some of the ridiculous rumors or conjecture — like Renteria or Yepes — Osorio has not given us the names of any of the players he was seriously considering and has not even effectively pointed Ives to where he was looking despite numerous conversations.

    Vargas was exciting, then a disappointment. Same with Liguera and now Rojas. The only real possibilities implicitly or explicitly confirmed by Osorio have been Conde (fiasco) and Marmol (fiasco). I’m expecting more from this coach, especially considering we traded a first round pick in the draft for him and that could have been a starting centerback for us.

    With all that said, I want to point out that Osorio’s comments on Rojas sound like posturing. Seems like he’s interested in signing this player and really just trying to negotiate the price (which hasn’t been disclosed) down. This is just bargaining. I wouldn’t be surprised if Rojas is indeed signed… especially considering Osorio saying he doesn’t need a trial. Frankly I’m praying that Rojas gets signed because we can practically get to the playoffs if we do well in our first 15 games before the allstar break and summer transfer window.

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  2. We are in the end of a transfer market session, and this coach has zero plans to improve the team. That, or he has the best ‘poker face’ I have ever seen. I doubt that a signing of any team improvement significances is going to occur before Friday. We Red Bull Fans are so jaded, that we allow statements like ‘lets wait until the coach finds the best player, even if that means the summer’ to pacify us. It no longer holds weight for me.

    Who truly watched us play on Saturday? Sure we won, but we were ‘outclassed’ in that game. The only thing separating us from the Crew is Angel – else that could have been the team in yellow. This team lacks a midfield (more than 1 missing piece) that can hold the ball. I know…injuries. But if Dane Richards is our savior…I am converting. Based on JCO’s actions to date, I have no confidence that he will be able to attract and obtain talent in the summer transfer market. By then, one of three things will have happened:

    No fans

    No results

    No coach (see above)

    The only thing good about Saturday was the weather. JCO – sign a squad that can compete now!

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  3. Matt,

    Feels like you are confusing rumors with “interest that doesn’t work out”.

    Just because they aren’t signed doesn’t make the interest untrue.

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  4. I say we ban the person who suggested banning Matt!:)

    Did you ever notice how a few people will pander to Ives by attacking anyone who is even remotely critical of him?

    Give that man a brownie Ives!

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  5. I know Ives has already absolved him, but I would like to stick up for Matt in offering criticism. Ives is a professional reporter, he can and should be able to handle critiques to his story, that is what is great about a free press. Sorry if it is ranting, I just didn’t like seeing the reaction to “ban” a person from commenting on a site for asking critical qusetions. Keep up the great work Ives! Any scoops on the Philly naming progress? We’re getting anxious down here and I don’t want to wait until the summer naming contest.

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  6. I am with Ives on this. Lider Marmol will be one of those players MLS will miss out on because they are f’n boneheaded!!

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  7. I actually prefer that Osorio takes his time picking players. At least that way, we might avoid another “Garipe” or “Canero” situation.

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  8. Ives,

    Have you heard anything on the Joao Pinto rumor? Is there still a second player coming in for a trial or was the player supposed to be Rojas and so there is in fact only one player on trial. Also, did Osorio identify the defender that was mentioned that he was afraid would not be signed by the deadline? Can we get a summary of what the story is here? I’ve been trying to follow but am a little confused. Thank you for all your great work with the Red Bull updates.

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  9. Folks, nobody is getting banned. Matt is a regular and while I didn’t like him linking me with some bogus rumors at least it gave me a chance to set the record straight.

    I have absolutely no problem with criticism or concerns as long as it comes in a respectful manner. Matt is okay in my book.

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  10. Don’t ban Matt, he’s not being a jerk. Actually I like comments like his because they allow Ives to set the story straight. Sometimes I think people mix up rumors they hear elsewhere (maybe from these comments?) with things he’s actually written and put his stamp on.

    If the team is actually after a player, I want to know, regardless of whether or not the pursuit is successful.

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  11. Michael F. – I didn’t say anything disrespectful toward Ives and I went out of my way to say that I appreciate his insights on RBNY.

    He can ban me if he wishes, but I think that would be a bit childish, don’t you?

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  12. but ives, if the MLS agreed to Marmol’s 135k he’d still most likely get picked up by chicago… it seems to me that while he may be used to and chooses to play with NY i doubt he’d object to just playing period… and if a mere 35k extra is what would get him to play i cant see why the MLS would care as its from the team’s cap not the MLS as a whole who would pay the difference (as i said before im sure both teams would be willing to fork over the extra 35k…

    in you opinion Ives, if the MLS agreed and chicago picked him up do you think we’d have another Conde situation??

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  13. I don’t understand this. Why does the league have any say what Marmol gets paid? Why is it not up to the team?? If we want to pay him why can’t we pay him? I don’t get it.

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  14. Ben, Marmol is training here because he wants to be here. Marmol is free to do what he wants and if he wants to train here then that should probably tell you where he wants to play.

    If I had to predict the outcome of the Marmol situation I see it ending with Marmol going back to South America and MLS missing out on a quality player that it could have easily had.

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  15. A good question is still left there from Matt, why is Marmol training with NJ when Chicago has priority over him. Is it JCO trying to put pressure on the league/Chicago by letting Marmol get used to NJ. I wouldn’t put anything past him.

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  16. Matt, the Rojas interest is legitimate. I have that from a source I trust completely. Obster is also someone the club was interest in bringing in.

    As for Liguera, I NEVER touched that rumor. I left alone the Liguera, Ronald Vargas and Wason Renteria rumors because I knew they were all completely baseless. The only mentions they got on SBI were when Osorio shot them down publicly.

    I trust my Red Bulls sources and will put them up against anybody else around.

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  17. I thought we said that the second player was having visa issues. Who is the second player if it is not Rojas? The story went from this player is here to he is not here and not identifying the seond player who is on trial. Who is on trial then? Who is the second player? Is there a second player?

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  18. Brett,

    I agree. Regardless of which team gets him. I think both the Fire and Redbulls have enough room under the cap and would be willing to pay that. MLS needs to pony up some money for a change and get the guy signed.

    I also want to thank New York for taking care of our boy. I appreciate the way the Red Bulls have helped him stay fit nad made sure that injury of his was taken care of.

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  19. I’m with Ives on this one. His priority is to break stories and give behind-the-scenes type information that we all crave and appreciate.

    There’s a lot of gray area between rampant rumor-mongering (which would be if he just posted any rumor that could possibly be conceived) and only posting something if it’s a certified fact. I personally think Ives navigates that gray area well, expounding on those rumors that have gained enough steam to be plausible and ignoring those that have no merit. There are a lot of deals that come up and are either aborted early or just don’t work out in the end for one reason or another. It’d be a shame if Ives was so preoccupied by people like Matt that we never got to hear about any of them.

    Besides, you think he doesn’t talk to multiple sources that have their hands closer to the pulse to determine whether or not each rumor has enough gravity for him to even bother? Maybe a certain move isn’t LIKELY, but that doesn’t mean that the team and player haven’t made some kind of preliminary exploration of their options. If someone has access to people familiar with the inner-workings of these tire-kicking phases, wouldn’t you want them to share it with you?

    And even if you DO think he’s guilty of rumor-mongering…does it not mean something that he goes directly to the source as soon as he has a chance to either verify or shoot down the word on the street?

    To me, the current Rojas situation sounds like there may actually have been some substance behind the rumors. It sounded like Osorio scouted him, talked to him, and possibly even made him an offer, but his asking price was too high. Maybe it doesn’t end up coming to fruition, but I know that I, for one, appreciate the access that Ives’ coverage gives us in any event.

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  20. You did write about Vargas, but I’ll leave him, Yepes and Valencia off since you say they don’t qualify. That leaves a few others, including:

    Rojas

    Öbster

    Liguiera

    Don’t get me wrong. I appreciate the insight you provide on the Red Bulls as much as anybody. Maybe there is just some frustration starting to creep in as player rumor after player rumor is dismissed by the organization and this Marmol situation drags along into the season.

    Really – is is THAT hard to find a few qualified, competent players?

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  21. Matt, there were reports about Rojas coming and I posted them. And Osorio didn’t say there’s no chance, only that he’s out of his price range and that he wouldn’t need to see him on trial in order to make him an offer.

    And Matt, please tell me the six player rumors I ran with regarding the Red Bulls. There have been a ton of Red Bulls rumors this pre-season with no merit, but I didn’t write about them except to shoot them down. I never wrote a word about Wason Renteria or Ronald Vargas or whoever the other rumor from a few months back, so give me even three names.

    I mentioned Mario Yepes and Juan David Valencia as possibilities, not as players the club was actually in pursuit of. Did you mean those players?

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  22. With all due respect Ives, how about posting player rumors only after you’ve had a chance to figure out whether they have any legitimacy? This is about the sixth time since Osorio arrived that you’ve put up a post about a potential signing only to have JCO shoot the story down the next day at training.

    Why is Marmol even training with RBNY if Chicago, as it seems, are the club more likely to sign him if he and the league can come to an agreement? We allow the player to retain his fitness, get him familiar with our system and tactics and then allow him to walk out the door to Chicago?!? Brilliant.

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  23. good to hear Richards is pulling through… while i am no rbulls fan, i do enjoy Dane’s flair that he adds to this league… it’ll be good to see him on the field..

    as for the Marmol issue…. why the F*$% did the MLS reject a 135k counter offer?? im sure it wouldve been an acceptable offer by either team in the running… personally id like to see this taken care of, and if the MLS are being stingy in hopes he buckles and goes back to the 100k offer then this is poor business by the league :-/

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  24. Love to hear Richards is ahead of schedule. And thanks for the RB insights. It’s great to have the season in full swing and great to hear to juice. Keep it coming.

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  25. MLS will have made it as a pro league when being apart by $35K is means the deal is 30 seconds away from a handshake agreement.

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