Photo by ISIphotos.com
Just a day after Jon Conway and Jeff Parke were suspended for 10 matches for violation Major League Soccer’s substance abuse violation, the Red Bulls addressed questions about the situation. Head coach Juan Carlos Osorio and captain Juan Pablo Angel addressed the media about the suspensions. Two people who did not address the situation were Conway and Parke. Both players were absent from the team’s training session in Montclair on Friday and neither has yet to make a public statement regarding their suspensions.
Here are some of the highlights from the interviews:
Red Bulls head trainer Rick Guter stated that substance the players tested positive for, androstatriendione, is not tested for by all American pro sports leagues (the NBA and NFL do not specifically test for it). Androstatriendione is a metabolite of the steroid boldenone, meaning it can trigger the production of boldenone in the body. Guter also said that the supplement that led to the positive test for androstatriendione did not have androstatriendione on the list of ingredients.
There have been conflicting reports on what exactly Conway and Parke tested positive for. The clearest explanation is that they both tested positive for androstatriendione, which is a metabolyte of the steroid boldenone. The players did not test positive for boldenone.
Osorio said the players were notified of the failed test more than a month ago but the team was not told about it until Tuesday. The players did not notify Osorio, who was informed of the suspension on Tuesday night. He stated that he was disappointed at not being told and that the team would have handled the situation differently if it had known about the suspensions.
Guter also said that the players did not come to him with the supplements in question. Players have come to him in the past to inquire about supplements and players have access to a hotline they can call to find information on supplements. Guter also said the team has been drug tested as a group three times this year. The team will not identify the supplement that caused the positive drug tests.
Osorio confirmed that Danny Cepero will be starting in goal on Saturday. Cepero has beaten out Terry Boss and Caleb Patterson-Sewell for the starting nod.
Red Bulls player union representative John Wolyniec stated that team officials are not supposed to be notified of failed drug tests until after the appeals process and punishment is determined, so the players kept the information to themselves as part of the standard procedure regarding failed drug tests.
Wolyniec stated that players are given lists of the actual chemical substances that are banned, and not supplemental products that may contain the banned substances.
Juan Pablo Angel on the suspensions:
“We were very surprised that Jeff and Jon tested positive,” Angel said. “As a team, we want to first of all offer them our support. We’re all behind them. I’m sure we’re going to miss them because they’re very important members of our team and very important characters in the dressing room.”
Here is the the lineup we are likely to see on Saturday against Columbus (or at least the first-team lineup that went through the paces on Friday:
—————Kandji————Angel————
————————-Magee——————–
Van Den Bergh—————————–Mbuta
———————–Stammler——————
Goldthwaite—-Jimenez—-Boyens——-Leitch
————————-Cepero———————
Jorge Rojas, Dane Richards and Gabriel Cichero did train, but not with the first team.
“We’ve got to respect and understand the drug policies of MLS,” Angel said. “I think it’s a wake-up call for all of us to be more careful of what we put in our bodies.”