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.
“SBI-The Red Bulls have him listed as having been born in Georgia.)”
I hope he is at least a US Citizen.
(SBI-Please stop plugging other outlets Harry.)
anybody found the vid of his two goals against inter milan?
thanks
ok, i read that he was Brooklyn-born. Awesome American Youth in MLS!
(SBI-The Red Bulls have him listed as having been born in Georgia.)
edit*= Altidore^^^^
If he is American cool. If not….well how many more recent U-20 talent in MLS is going to be not American, while our U-20’s go to pratice 2x times a week in college ball.
I hope Jonathan Agudelo 16/17 year old Red Bull acadmey player on the current US U-17 team, who is #2,#3 Striker on the deepest US team ever gets signed to Red Bulls soon for a senior spot.
He is listed around 6’0 and 180 ibs. = Altiore Size baby
How did NY get a pick for Conway if they waived him? I thought that waivers nowadays revoked all rights to a player?
(SBI-You lose the rights sooner than you used to, but teams still have rights to players who are waived, at least for that season. It’s MLS Al, are you really trying to pin down some sort of logic and consistency to league rules?)
@Matt Thanks for introducing a voice of reason. People are getting way too ahead of themselves here. Slow the f down please.
I want academy signings become a trend. There have been some good NCAA players but I think we need to stop protecting them and start getting the cream of the crop from either area (college and academy).
Is red bull able to sign additional academy players or are there still limitations imposed by the league?
Hey, I like this kid’s name and he can score goals too. I also understand he’s quite a ladies’ man. I like, I like…
And I know talent when I see it. I scored more goals in the history of the North American Soccer League, my friends.
Giorgio knows goals. I will take this kid under my wing and it’s going to be 1978 again, baby!
I like it, and it’s about time.
Considering Ives says he’s a native of Tbilisi, Georgia I would think that answer would be obvious. Do people here read the actual posts, or just the headline and the first sentence?
Posted by: sonicdeathmonkey
lol, guilty as charged. I actually read most of it, but obviously not that. 🙂
Indeed RogerW, that isn’t the 2009 kit.
He’s already wanted by Inter Milan!!! That’s why RB signed him up…don’t want to let him go so easily:) His two stunning goals against Inter last year is still well remembered, here and in Italy as well. Oh, and he’s extremely strong physically, so don’t worry about him! In this photo he was 15-16, now he’s 18! Kids do change quickly:)
Maybe we can call him – Gosinhno – of course he will have to score goals for that to happen.
Apologies, Justin: Sakartvelo it is!
Anyway, just to echo the sentiments of other members, there’s no guarantee he’ll be a star (or even a starter), but I wish him the best of luck and hope he’s the type of player RB has been looking for.
The Red Bulls made him captain?
Josh – better to say Sakartvelo these days, NOT Gruziya!!!
Josh, for the leagues sake, lets hope he’s more like Rico, Clint, and Wolff and less like Jason Moore (another Georgian).
very cool.
It’s great to see an academy player signed. I hope he does well and has a long career with the Red Bulls. The Red Bulls have invested 4 years into this player as well as many others. The academy system will only succeed if the MLS teams get more out of them than a fan base and bragging rights for developing other teams stars.
agreed matt
Will you guys drop the US National Team crap?
No one on this post has heard of him until five minutes ago and we’re already talking about starting him on the US Nats?
There’s dozens of these kids coming out every year. They are not all going to be stars.
Good luck, kid.
awesome! let’s get the young guns in quick!
Hell yeah! Another Georgian, just like Cletus, Wolff, and Rico Clark!! Oh, wait… 🙂
Seriously, I’m glad RB signed him, and I suspect that if there’s a chance he’ll get a whiff of action with the USMNT, he’d elect to play for the US for the simple reason that we tend to qualify for the WC and Gruzya (Georgia) faces really long odds trying to qualify out of UEFA. If no US coach is interested, then I can see him choosing Georgia, but only if (like Alvarez) it’s his only chance to play int’l football.
I hope he plays for the USA
Giorgi! GAUMARJOS!
Shoot. I was hoping tbilisi was just outside of Atlanta.
sorry to kill the mood. sounds to me like they signed this kid to light a fire under kandji’s ass.
*IF* Jeff Agoos spearheaded this signing *THEN* this is my prediciton: The kid never plays a second for metro. He gets traded to Galaxy for some ridiculous 6th round draft pick and goes on to become the next Altidore. Either that or he stays here and blows. And yes, he could definitely use some of the “supplements” that conway may have left in his locker. If someone farts in New Jersey, they are bound to knock this kid over.
JFed with the “but.” You asked for it Chris.
HE CANNOT PLAY FOR METRO IN THE 2009 SEASON. He can only train or play in exhibition games. Looks like we won’t see him in action for a while…our only hope is if Ives goes to a practice and gives us the scoop on how this kid looks…
ives you forgot the “but”. with jeff agoos in charge theres always a “but” when it comes to this team
so im afraid to ask, whats the “but”
Uh… alrighty then. He looks like he’s 15.
Finally. Relax the guidelines even more please MLS
Since he is Georgian, maybe he can teach Khaladze how to put the ball in the correct goal.
how many players have MLS teams signed from their academies?
FINALLY
The question is whether he’s an American citizen
Hopefully he can eat at the team cafeteria for free. He looks like the wind would blow him over. Maybe Conway left some supplements in his locker.
Considering Ives says he’s a native of Tbilisi, Georgia I would think that answer would be obvious. Do people here read the actual posts, or just the headline and the first sentence?
This just in… Chirgadze has declared his desire to play for the Georgian Nat’l team rejecting an offer from Bradley earlier today
so, will he be declaring for the Azurri soon? 🙂 (i have no clue what his heritage is)
What kind of player is he?
He better not be the next Rossi.
HUZZAH!!
Ives must have added that after my question, or i just skimmed past it.
(SBI-Skimmed)
dev
there’s an MLS rule that keeps the Red Bulls from signing Dilly Duka i thought?
nice to see us dipping into the academy, hopefully rules change and we can do it more often
Was it announced if this was a Gen Adidas or just a Dev deal?
(SBI-Not siure if it will be announced, but I’ve been told it is a developmental deal.)
About damn time. We have had so much talent in our academy for years. It’s about time we put it to use. It can’t hurt after the season we are having.
Really? Not Dilly Duka, Johnny Exantus, or Matt Kassel?
I mean, not to say this kid isn’t any good since I’m sure he is but I can’t help but wonder if the only reason they signed him is because he was the only one willing to sign a developmental contract.
(SBI-Duka wasn’t eligible to sign as an academy product for the Red Bulls. Exantus didn’t impress the team enough this year and Kassel wasn’t signing a Developmental Deal.)
Cap him now! ; )