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Red Bulls sign Sutton, complete deal for Robinson

The New York Red Bulls' roster makeover has now included a pair of former Toronto FC players.

The Red Bulls announced the signing of goalkeeper Greg Sutton. The veteran Canadian netminder lost his starting job to rookie standout Stefan Frei at Toronto FC last season before eventually being waived.

The Red Bulls have also completed the acquisition of midfielder Carl Robinson from Toronto FC. According to team sources, New York acquired Robinson's rights from Toronto for a fourth-round draft pick.

The deal came after Toronto FC reached a deal with Robinson to buy out his contract. Robinson will cost $125,000 against the Red Bulls 2010 salary cap.

A Welsh international, Robinson was a solid contributor for Toronto during his three seasons with TFC, though his high salary and the arrival of Julian DeGuzman made him expendable in Toronto. With New York, Robinson should start in central midfield. Joel Lindpere's outstanding form in central midfield makes a Lindpere-Robinson pairing a strong possibility heading into 2010.

Our take on the signings? Sutton obviously impressed New York in spring training but for my money he's an MLS back-up who seems unlikely to challenge for the starting goalkeeper job. Robinson is another story. He's a solid veteran who should step in and start for the Red Bulls.

What do you think of these signings? Still hoping the Red Bulls sign a playmaker? Not crazy about the team's goalkeeping options?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Yves, I am confused about the rights retention argument for teams in MLS. Toronto owned Robinson and traded him for a fourth/third round draught pick. That one is simple Toronto released Rohan Ricketts but still retains rights to him and I believe this is why he can’t get picked up by anyone. Toronto released Greg Sutton but appears not to have any rights to him when he signs with another MLS club. When does a team retain the rights to a player and when does that expire?

    (SBI-If a player is waived during the season, they go through waivers and their rights no longer belong their former club. That’s why Sutton went straight to NY with no trade, he cleared waivers last season. The same should apply for Ricketts. He hasn’t signed in MLS because nobody wants him or because MLS won’t pay him what he wants.)

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  2. Lindpere is a career left winger, but he’s been playing in the middle and actually looks good there from what I saw in Florida.

    I’d play Stammler at RB/DR as that would address a pretty glaring hole in the line up right now.

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  3. Haig:

    Why don’t you take your socialist/communist agenda somewhere else. In fact, why don’t you take yourself to one of the countries that has the system of government you love so much and see if you can get yourself a chunk of someone’s hard earned money given to you while you bad moth them?

    This is not a political blog Lefty McLefterson.

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  4. I’m not rich and have never been close to it.

    You are the one who loves getting screwed over and doing it to everyone else. Who gets screwed over when there is no league? You guys make me sick. You don’t even wait for the league to have any money before you try to destroy it. YOU probably work for a greedy and corrupt union.

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  5. a player’s contact with a mls club expires. he goes overseas, plays, then wants to come back to mls. somehow that original mls club still has his rights?

    im not sure hilarious even begins to describe this situation.

    and aristotle you are one dumb cunt

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  6. Come on Haig. The day those rich guys created the league was a great day and opened up over 200 more jobs in professional soccer.

    Another thing…Those rich guys earned their money doing something besides MLS and most have not made anything or little on their investment so the wages are as low as possible because MLS is just starting to grow and does not have many fans or great TV ratings unlike other major sports leagues around the world.

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  7. Alexander Haig is a Marxist?

    I’m confused.

    From the outside it sure looks like Tchani is going to start the season on the bench. Robinson and Stammler in an “empty bucket” anyone?

    (SBI-It’s more likely to be Lindpere and Robinson to start the season. Lindpere is more an attack-minded central midfielder than defensive midfielder.)

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  8. I’m not even in a union, so much for Aristotle’s intelligence.

    Either he’s rich and greedy, or a dimwit who loves getting screwed over.

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  9. “how someone might be rich”

    I don’t care about other people being rich.

    What I care about is if their money comes at the expense of making everyone else poorer. And you should be too.

    If you’re not rich, you should be worried about declining standards of living and our children being poorer than us.

    If you are rich, you need to think about whether the residential fortresses in which the wealthy live in countries where workers have few rights are worth living in, and whether a private army to defend your property is worth the bother.

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  10. Yea, it’s about time you Union guys destroyed something else. Pretty soon there won’t be anything left for you to destroy. You’re even taking down states and countries now. What a proud lot you must be. You’re so greedy and corrupt you would rather destroy something completely, including your members, than think about how someone might be rich.

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  11. “It will be a sad day for MLS if they strike”

    It was a sad day when a bunch of rich guys decided that they needed to create a legalized cartel to keep wages as low as possible.

    It’s about time Americans fight back instead of letting the rich turn this country into a banana republic.

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  12. It will shamefully go to waste if they go on strike. I can’t understand it – this is a league that is trying to get into the mainstream not run out of steam! It will be a sad day for MLS if they strike

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  13. I’m surprised that NY would use a foreign slot on a backup goaltender. Does Sutton have some sort of US residency?

    Given the large number of holes in the NY lineup and limited means to collect good US players, the foreign slot must be valuable.

    Weren’t there plenty of US goaltenders capable of being a MLS backup?

    Burse was waived and is available. Matt Jordan has done well in Montreal along with a half-dozen other good goaltenders in USL.

    Nothing against Sutton but the move doesn’t make sense.

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  14. Robinson is another good pickup for RBNY. My fellow Norwegian (my dad and all my grandparents were born there) seems to know what he’s doing.

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  15. I still think the Bulls should have kept Danny Cepero instead of Sutton. Robinson is a good acquisition but not sure what that means for Stammy!!

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  16. Robbos contract wasnt over, he just signed a two year last year. hes a great player who had an off year but was also unneeded as that position is full and he was heavy on the cap. He will also be a great leader in the dressing room and with the younger players.We do for the most part love and respect him and wish him luck, except against us.
    Take care Robbo.

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  17. wasnt robinson’s contract over with TFC? Red bulls just traded for his rights so the negotiation is between Robinson and the Red Bulls for a new MLS contract.

    Please correct me if im wrong

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  18. Robinson declined a lot last year. It all depends on price. If the red bulls aren’t getting at least half his contract paid for by TFC it’s not a good move.

    (SBI-I have been told Toronto is paying a portion of Robinson’s salary.)

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  19. Robinson is a excellent signing – he brings some of the real quality that the team has really been missing in the center midfield. Additionally, he provides depth at the center back position as he can play that as well.

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  20. Sutton was solid in Toronto considering the defence we’ve had in front of him.

    I think it was a combination of Frei and getting a concussion at the Gold Cup that led to him eventually being waived.

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  21. It’s kind of strange that we sign robinson who plays the same role as stammler. I guess they’ll compete but it’s a shame that one of them will have to sit on the bench. Maybe stammler or robinson will be tried out at right back…

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