The New York Red Bulls signed their first Academy Product on Friday, adding forward Giorgi Chirgadze to the roster as a Homegrown Player signing.
Chirgadze has been a part of the Red Bulls Academy since 2005 as a member of the Under-15 team. Now 18, Chirgadze was a key figure in the Red Bulls Under-20 team's win in the Super-20 National Championship. He first gained wide notoriety for scoring two goals in helping the Red Bulls Under-17 team defeat Inter Milan's Under-17 team, 3-1, on Aug. 23, 2008.
A 6-foot-1 native of Tbilisi, Georgia, Chirgadze joins the Red Bulls as a Developmental Player.
In other Red Bulls news, the club dealt the rights to goalkeeper Jon Coway to Chivas USA for a fourth-round pick in the 2011 MLS Draft.
What do you think of the Red Bulls finally signing an Academy Player? Excited to see some of the club's vast young talent making it to the first team?
Share your thoughts below.
I played with him for a couple of seasons. He is great. Very strong on the ball (you wouldn’t be able to tell he is 18 from the way he is on the ball). They’d make better use of him as a holding midfielder.
Hope he gets his chance on the field.
Advocat, firstly he’s not Russian, the country’s name is Georgia! And then, he did grow up here in the US, and he IS coming from the Red Bull youth academy where he started in 2005, previously he also played in youth teams in Brooklyn, NY and before that in Georgia, when he was much-much younger. So, kudos to both, Georgian and US soccer schools! You have nothing to worry about, he is perfectly American…actually it’s a real American story of achievement. If you are looking for 100% REAL American players, than sorry sir, Comanches are not big in this sport:)
This is quite honestly BS. This kid is Russian not American. This is an American accomplishment? Tell me when we get a homegrown kid that was manufactured into a soccer player. Actually this is fraud. i want american kids born here. This is credit to the russian development NOT American.
Even if he was born in Georgia, why would he reject an offer from the US National team, if they put it on the table, to play for Georgia? How many World Cups has Georgia qualified for?
Since it doesn’t look like he has to shave he can save money on razors and like large on a developmental contract.
Jus’ wunna ‘dem Jawja Boyz.