Photo by Yellow Card Journalism
The New York Red Bulls revamped their roster this off-season, but in doing so, they left little room for rookies. As a result, three draft picks from the past two years have departed for, or are about to depart for other opportunities in the days leading up to the Red Bulls' season opener vs. Seattle on Thursday.
Babajide Ogunbiyi, the No. 18 pick in the 2009 MLS Draft, is heading to Europe for a trial with Norwegian second division club Nybergsund, sources told SBI on Wednesday. A 6-foot-4 central defender who impressed at the MLS Combine, Ogunbiyi chose to skip the Red Bulls pre-season training camp in order to finish school at Santa Clara.
That decision, combined with a refusal to play for a Developmental salary, put his chances of joining the Red Bulls in doubt. According to a source close to Ogunbiyi, the Red Bulls offered him a senior contract, which he planned to sign, but the club pulled the offer a few days after making it. Patrick McCabe, Ogunbiyi's agent, refused to comment on Ogunbiyi's negotiations with the Red Bulls.
If Nybergsund sounds familiar, it is because it is the club where former Hermann Award winner Joseph Lapira signed with after passing up a contract offer with MLS.
In other news, the Red Bulls traded the rights to 2008 second-round pick Eric Brunner to Columbus for a conditional 2011 draft pick.
Brunner signed with the Crew on Wednesday. Brunner was the No. 16 overall pick in the 2008 MLS Draft. Brunner was a standout for Ohio State University and returns to his native Ohio. Details of his contract were not made available by the Crew, but sources have confirmed that Brunner was signed to a senior contract.
For those who missed it earlier today, Red Bulls draft pick Jack Traynor, the No. 29 overall pick in the 2009 MLS Draft, has left the Red Bulls have rejecting a developmental contract offer. He has joined Norwegian club Aalesund on trial.
So what should we make of this seeming waste of draft picks? The Red Bulls won't be complaining too much about Brunner, who the club never came away impressed with. Head coach Juan Carlos Osorio will point out that the club drafted midfielder Luke Sassano in the 2008 draft and Sassano, the No. 32 overall pick, has emerged as a quality prospect.
The Red Bulls will be hard-pressed to explain away the failure to sign Ogunbiyi, who was selected with the draft pick the Red Bulls secured in the trade that sent Dave Van Den Bergh to FC Dallas. The Red Bulls did also swap first-round picks with Dallas in that same deal, a swap that allowed the club to land Jeremy Hall, who has been one of the team's pre-season revelations. The loss of Traynor will be offset by the retention of midfielder/defender Nick Zimmerman, who sources say had a stronger pre-season than Traynor.
What do you think of these developments? Mad that the Red Bulls didn't sign Ogunbiyi? Not too worried because of the additions made to the roster? Surprised the Red Bulls and Crew actually completed a trade after years of failed trade talks between the clubs?
Share your thoughts below.
If Ogunbiyi gets a contract from Nybergsund, he’d be the third American on the roster. Along with Lapira, Connor Tobin, a defender from the University of Vermont signed with them last month.
If Don Garber wants the league to expand to 20 teams something needs to be done about the Developmental Contract situation. Otherwise, we wont have a talented enough base of young, American plays to put a quality product on the field. These are players who would rather play in MLS, but are heading to 4th rate European leagues because they cant earn a living wage here. It’s got to be especially tough for players drafted by Red Bull New York, DC United and the Revolution because the cost of living in these areas is so high. Good luck trying to find a place to live and paying car insurance and other expenses on a Developmental Player salary in Northern New Jersey!
I would advocate raising the Developmental Player salary and having it be exempt from the cap for a period of 2-3 years. Teams shouldn’t be penalized for drafting well and young players should be able to earn a living wage.
I agree with nigrin that I don’t believe Ogunbiyi ever wanted to play for RBNY (or maybe even the MLS). Perhaps he was throwing himself out there just to see how he fared, but always planned to go overseas if/when the opportunity presented itself. I don’t blame Osorio or Agoos for this (even though it’s sad to see him leave) because I’m sure they’re making a decision based on a lot of factors that we may not be able to see. I’m sure if the salary cap restrictions/roster sizes were adjusted, Osorio & Agoos would’ve worked harder to keep him. I don’t agree with everything Osorio does, but I don’t doubt that he has the best interest of RBNY at heart…and I support the moves he makes.
Looking forward to tonight!
Xerez’s president was arrested last night 🙂
Once Ogunbiyi said he wanted to finish school I knew he wasn’t coming… His ego was too big to fit through the RBNY door!! I am sorry we didn’t squeeze more out of Columbus for Brunner as they have been screwing us over players (ie. Szetela) for years!
@ Matt M who said
“The Valderama’s and Lassiters just killed the American guys on the pitch. Now, those huge numbers rarely get put up anymore.”
Dude – Roy Lassiter is a Raleigh, NC native who played his college soccer right here at NC State. He was born in DC, but grew up here; he *was* one of those Americans… And yes, he really was that fast.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Lassiter
per topic: i know someone already mentioned this but i think that the whole lump of the DP salary should go to the owner… they already pay >1M whats an additional 400k when he raises ticket sales, merch, etc…
that 400k could easily go to improving the salaries of many players on the squad…
Goalscorer24- to be fair, Mikkel did play for the US U20’s, but shortly after played for Norway’s youth team against the US…
if i were Rongen i would see that as he’s made his decision… however, for anyone who’s on Bigsoccer.com, Mikkel is answering questions in the YA section…
he hasnt heard from Rongen, and he’s been raised in an environment where it’s unheard of him to call him…. however, many of us have told him to contact the USSF and Rongen and express interest… which he decided to do, and by looks of this article, id say he got a hold of someone 😀
Until MLS can afford to eliminate the Development salary spot, this will continue to happen.
DC United had a similar problem a few years ago when Jay Needham refused to sign with United and went to Puerto Rico instead. From what I understand, Ben Olsen has told a lot of rookies to take a really deep look at whether they want to help the league make its case to keep the developmental salary rate.
Generally, the Bulls/Agoos/Osorio have been pretty astute. But in this case, they seem to have dropped the ball, going for more expensive foreign acquisitions. Sure he’s a project; but the reality of tight rosters is that you can’t float a little extra to keep a player who might be worth the trouble in a year or two. And in a position that needs depth.
Sorry, Saw the info about a senior contract afterwards.
-Dan
Hey Ives,
Do you know if the Red Bulls at least offered Ogunbiyi a contract so that they retain his MLS rights?
Thanks,
Dan
I think this is another example of how ill-prepared Osorio and Agoos are about evaluating players. Osorio is said to be meticulous about coaching, etc, but I wonder how prepared he and Agoos are when going into the draft.
Eh. Not all the rookies were going to make it anyway.
It certainly makes the Van Den Bergh trade baffling. Not signing a draft pick in a vaccum is understandable, but trading with the knowledge this sort of thing might happen just seems bizzare.
ives, how about a poll what type of salary structure/increase/developmental league fans want? my take is that the fans are mostly backing the idea of a moderate pay increase, with rookie contracts higher (MUCH higher imo) and an effort to keep/develop low 2nd round picks who are American. Anyone have any thoughts on how the league will respond to fan sentiment/player requests? I would hate to see a strike at this point, but if management is too stingy, I could understand it from the player perspective.
…or am i just being a drama queen?
Thanks Ives, more proof you’re the greatest.
Okay folks, the offending comment was removed and the offending commenter has been banned. It’s sad that we have deal with that kind of stuff, but it has been dealth with.
If anybody needs proof that MLS is thriving and growing….the person who disparaged MLS on this post has the same cranial capacity to call black people ‘blackies’. Hmmm..yeah
Agree with JoeW.
With a dozen US players going to Europe every year, the talent pool is obviously widening.
I remember sitting the bench in the German third division entitled you to a starting spot on teh US National team.
In my opinion, in twelve years, MLS has gone from High English league 2/low league 1 to high league 1/low championship.
Am I the only one pleased with that?
Bear in mind that it is the American contingent in MLS that has improved. If anything the foreign contingent (due to the influx of massive salaries in other countries) tend to be considerably less famous (Becks excluded obviously) that the guys we had in 1996.
The Valderama’s and Lassiters just killed the American guys on the pitch. Now, those huge numbers rarely get put up anymore.
The tops scorers were two americans (granted Angel was hurt).
Give MLS some props for getting a bit better every year. Yeah, we’re three or four decades away from Madrid or Milan.
But who would have imagined twenty years ago that an american soccer league that average higher than $20K per player would last twelve years?
The viability of MLS depends on the quality on the pitch. Improvements have to be made in the highschool and colledge levels so that the players come out more ready for the pros(MLS).
If the Red Bulls were never that impressed with Brunner, why did they draft him? Either way, it is a mistake (though likely a minor failure).
Ogunbiyi was great at the combine. I hope that he does well in Norway.
The cap will be increased, I think first it should at least be indexed to inflation. Otherwise, it’s effectively shrinking every year.
This is ridiculous. To have this repeatedly happen to our team is unforgivable. Ogunbiyi seemed like a great prospect and now he’s gone. Typical Red Bulls and typical MLS. Developmental salaries are a joke. The cap need to be dramatically increased. We’ve waited far too long for it.
I just got back from Bergen, Norway. I wish Brann would look to America….or anywhere for that matter. They are a far cry from when they won the league two years ago with Ramiro Corrales. They just lost to a newly promoted club 3-0.
Losing Ogunbiyi is a loss. Bigger than we think. We can’t keep getting nothing from our draft picks. Can’t believe the Red Bulls couldn’t figure out a way to sign him. Actually I can. It’s the Red Bulls.
I was just reading down to see if anyone had responded to Flopper’s post. That kind of nonsense has absolutely no place on a board like this, or anywhere else – you’re a f*ing disgrace. Ives, please delete his post and remove him from the site if possible.
1. One thing it shows is that it’s no longer rare for teams to find serious contributers from guys who aren’t first round picks. Some of these RBNY players were beaten out by guys further in the draft.
2. A second thing it shows is that the quality of American player is improving. How likely was it, say, 5 years ago that an American (not a guy with a European passport or a foreign player here on a college scholarship) would turn down a developmental salary to go to Europe? If you were drafted that low (and were American), you didn’t get offers from Europe and your chances of making there were, minimal at best.
I don’t see this as a matter for big concern. Now, if it happened for 3-4 consecutive years, that would be a problem for any MLS team. But any team in the NYC area is going to have problems signing developmental players because of the cost of living. And as Ives pointed out, there just weren’t many slots for rookies this year.
Why should RBNY bother spending a roster spot for someone who will take years to develop only to sign with another team and league at the end of their contract? We need every roster spot for someone who can contribute NOW in all our competitions: league table, US Open Cup and Champions League. We can use our academy — the oldest and best academy in MLS — to provide player development.
This was, of course, a direct outcome of a league more interested in signing cheaper talent from Latin America than developing its home-grown talent by bumping up the developmental salary to a level that’s sustainable. I like seeing the Rojas’s of the world play, but in the end if our top, homegrown talent has to play in the Norwegian second division to earn a living it means the league’s draft, and perhaps its management structure, is fatally flawed.
I guess you could take this as a slant on MLS and their contracts. But it doesn’t really sound like the Red Bulls were too enthused about any of these players. They are the ones who decided none of them were worth a senior roster spot. Its not like any of them rejected a senior spot and the MLS lost out on some top prospect. Carlos Johnson or the 17th pick in the draft? Ill take the international with my $80,000 please.
Yanks Abroad (link below) is reporting that Norwegian midfielder Mikkel Diskerud, who has duel citizenship has not heard back from the US about the prospect of playing for the US national team.
http://www.yanks-abroad.com/get.php?mode=content&id=4497
Please not another Subotic scenario!
I certainly hope that changes are coming to salary cap/roster size/developmental programs (though much of this, of course, depends on economics). We wont be able to get the full developmental potential out of MLS teams without them being able to develop our young players!
Please. Columbus isn’t fit for the trash lining the back alleys of the worst dive sururb in Scandinavia.
from TFC’s RPB board:
“funny twitter:
Paulbeirne3 years in to TFC…finally received a call from Ives Galarcep. I’ve arrived!’
Well, at least there will be more senior roster spots for players when the expansion process starts up again. That developmental salary is an insult.
The players need to bargain well when they step to the table to discuss the next CBA. Higher salary cap doesn’t seem unreasonable. I’m not saying break the bank, but add $1-1.5MM to the current cap, and guys could get paid higher salaries, and you could add additional roster spots for some of the unpolished talent. Then work on re-instating the reserve division so these guys get games, or have a couple of MLS reserve teams that play in the USL.
Also, a team like the Red Bulls who have other soccer clubs should think about signing Oginubiyi(sure I butchered that) or Traynor to the reserve team in Salzburg to get some competitive soccer at a decent wage until he’s good enough to take a roster spot in New York, and of course if the player would want to come back.
Disappointed about Ogunbiyi. With goldthwaite set to start I’d love to see this guy have the chance to challenge him.
WHo cares they’ll all be back next year when the salary cap is raised and the reserve league is revamped, probably a smart move on all of their parts. With so much news about expansion in a cba year this speaks volumes for what the new cba will be.
Simple: Money and the salary cap. It’s disgusting for developmental players earning $20,000 per year and nowhere near enough to live off of. This is what Eddie Pope and the MLSPA will be focusing on in the latest round of collective bargaining talks because this has got to stop. Even if more veteran players take a cut to help out these other players who are on pennies. Also None of the DP’s salary should count against the cap if they get all the millions. At the moment it’s $400,000 against the cap for all DP’s which needs to change. I love and support this league but the salary structure needs to change.
If the roster size was larger and the salaries were above $20,000, the Red Bulls may have been able to keep some if not all of these players. Let’s hope MLS gets this next CBA right.
With only 24 roster slots and more games (due to participation in more competitions), the Red Bulls need to have all 24 players able to contribute to first team action.
I don’t like the idea of any team I follow wasting draft picks. Having said that, the MLS draft is almost always more similar to MLB’s draft than other sports.
The vast majority of those drafted are far too raw to step into the league and start immediately. And it’s easy to understand why those players also do not want to sign low-money deals when they can just go to a crappier league somewhere else and make better money.
I’m surprisingly indifferent, but unless you get a very, very, very high pick in the draft you are always going to run the risk of this happening, at least until the salary cap is raised.
OK, Columbus is NOT Scandinavia, though the coastal elite may snicker that there’s not much difference.
It says more about the state of MLS than RBNY that all these players are headed to Scandinavia.