Today's blockbuster trade sending Dwayne DeRosario to the New York Red Bulls just gave one of the best teams in MLS ANOTHER star player and has fans in New York talking MLS Cup.
Just how good is New York now? Here's how the starting lineup looks like now:
Yes, Greg Sutton started the season in goal, but Coundoul was the starter last year and is starting this week. Either way, New York will have a player with national team caps on his resume in goal. It will still be the team's weakness, but looking at that lineup it doesn't stop this lineup from looking like the strongest in MLS.
The team will be hurting badly come the Gold Cup, with nearly half the team likely to be playing in the tournament, but when this unit is together, it will be tough to beat.
What do you think of this squad? Are the Red Bulls the new MLS Cup favorites, or is Real Salt Lake still the team to beat?
Share your thoughts below.
Final thought, just did some very quick research and am starting to wonder if long-term development of talent/franchise is in the DNA of this mgmt…short-term seems to be a trend. See article below. We gave up Mac, Tchani, Williams/Des…for Ballouchy, DeRosario, a Norwegian asst coach with no knowledge of MLS or american college players. Where’s the character and commitment here? Who’s to say Ream and Agudelo will not be sold for another washed up “star”?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/n/notts_county/8413678.stm
All of us Red Bull fans want and now fully expect the team to win the Supporters Shield and MLS Cup and the CONCACAF champions league. But before we pre-annoint them with the treble, let’s see them stay healthy because key depth just left with the trade.
What’s frustrating to many Red Bull fans is that Soler and Backe, who have been absolutely terrific in many player decisions, unnecessarily gave up too much for De Ro.
Also, the team is exposed for the Gold Cup, which puts more pressure on the team to start to build an unsurmountable lead beforehand. And do they have an answer to RSL or is the team further away from that answer due to less depth?
The full effect of the trade might not be felt until a couple of years from now when Backe, and maybe even Soler, are no longer around. We’ve seen it before: acquiring Djorkaeff and Galvan Rey and parting with Pope and Clark. I fear that this may be too much about winning now but if the treble is secured then it will all be worth it. Let’s go De Ro; bring us the treble.
Did you really just put Rooney II and Kassel in the same thought as Tchani, Agudelo, Ream?
Where are you from Rob? Long term Metrostar/NYRB fans have been through a lot of bad management, and we deserve better. Thank God for questioning fans. So you like 32 yr old Canadian mnt “superstar” DeRosario over 21 yr old future US mtn Tchani. What am I missing here?
I guess Hans and his Norwegian staff are monitoring these comments? (kidding, I think)
God I love New Yorkers. Only people on the planet to turn a good thing and make it entirely negative.
Thank god we got an upgrade on the number 10 spot, and the management see they made A mistake with Ballouchy. They haven’t made many mistakes, but at least they aren’t stubborn enough to ignore the mistake. Go RBNY.
+1, 100%
And how silly does the Ballouchy trade look now? Trade a talented athletic winger in Mac Khandji for a very average Ballouchy who has not impressed and is now relegated to the bench based on this DeRosario trade (Tchani I will love your game in Europe and for the US MNT no matter who trades you!). Is anybody steering this ship? Sorry, I have to vent….it’s great that Red Bull have cash, but aren’t we looking for more? In the management and coach and direction and player selections? After all we’ve been through!!?? I guess if we look back to how the Mexican national team performed under Backe and his camp (even if he was only an assistant), we have only ourselves to blame if we are surprised.
My friend Alejandro Bedoya told me today that he just signed an MLS contract. You heard it here first.
Oh, and RSL would win
An RSL-NYRB MLS Cup would be the best played and most entertaining MLS Cup in a long time. I don’t want to use the word “ever” because I have only been a fan of soccer for 4 years, but I do know we would be seeing some high quality soccer.
It takes time for a team to gel and you’re snatching up players that are older although they are definitely great players. So you’re telling me that this is a win now team but in the game of soccer, success comes from chemistry and cohesion. When Jason Kreis came in to RSL and basically overhauled everything it took 2-3 years for the team to come together. They might’ve had lesser talent and arguably could still have lesser talent but no one can question their recent dominance. Snatching up aging stars and trying to make a championship team is a strategy that has been tried and failed time and time again and in 1-2 years if we optimistically predict success the star players will be well past their expiration date. A group of individual stars does not make a team. But then again I just don’t like DeRo. I’ve always loved Henry and Ream and Agudelo are going to be great. But I just have a feeling that this won’t work out that well. They’ll be good no doubt, but you can’t buy a championship.
PLEASE, ARE YOU KIDDING ME. I cannot tell you how much confidence i have lost in the NYRB franchise over the past weeks. They fire a highly reputable former US national player and coach in RIchie Williams, replace him with a Norwegian friend of Hans Backe…and now they give up a 21yr old 6’4″ treasure in Tony Tchani (ask T.Henry…”a young Patrick Viera” he said of Tchani), and replace this future EPL competitor and US World Cup player for a 32yr old over-the-hill head case from Canada (last world cup??) whose highest achievement is a 2nd division team in Germany. Makes you wonder what “division” the NYRB management might qualify for…. Have to be honest, I have 0 confidence in this management and coach. I am crushed.
RSL fans are very passionate (not saying that NYRB fans aren’t) and add a lot to the stadium. In fact Rio Tinto was voted 2nd most intimidating place to play in (1st being Quest Field) by MLS players. So Zacalie has a very valid and convincing point.
Rio Tinto over RBA?! Come on kid…don’t be stupid.
+1, Miller sucks big time.
WOW. This is going to be the BEST season in NY EVER!!!
To answer the title in this post, I say absolutely the RedBulls are the team to beat in the EAST, but that was the case before this trade. Now do I think this will make them more of a threat to RSL? Yes absolutely, ONLY if they stay Healthy (I am looking at you Henry) and if Sutton or Bouna dont make silly mistakes to kill them.. I still would put RSL as the team to beat at this junction however we shall see how this RedBull team meshes as the season progresses….Can they be better then RSL? Yes I think so, but right now RSL is still tops, this from a Redbulls fan.
Five games during the month of June for the Red Bulls: the Crew, the Revs, the Timbers, the Sounders, and the Fire. I am worried, but the schedule definitely could have been harsher on paper to the team.
As far as being the team to beat, I already thought this team needed to win MLS cup for it to be a successful season, so I guess it doesn’t change my opinion.
I’m not crazy about the deal as I like Tchani a lot, but DeRo is an excellent player and he’ll fit in better with the current squad which is built to win now. Borman is a nice MLS squad player, inexpensive and versatile, and the draft pick should be a low first round pick as I’d expect NY to make the finals with this roster.
I agree with most posters that the games against RSL will be fun to watch.
Looking forward to seeing the team tomorrow night at RBA.
*over the course
Yeah, Im guessing (hoping) he meant as a first team, and they very well might. Yes, of the course of an EPL season, they would be decimated. I can;t wait to see this first team though.
beat me to it.
now that’s just weird
And don’t forget that a monster Tchani is gonna be in Europe in a couple of years, not in MLS.
A lot of things that have 0% chance of happening would be hilarious if they did happen.
Yes but that is an awful analogy because the Marlins are getting a new stadium.
The Red Bulls already HAVE their new stadium.
The Marlins situation is most comparable to the Revolution or DC United: playing in an NFL stadium that doesn’t suit their sport.
it’s not easy to draw sell-outs every game. Even the Yankees don’t sell out every game. The high quality HD television broadcasts also keep people home.
Look at the NFL. Most people would be happy staying home on Sunday afternoons and watch a bunch of games in HD rather than spend all day going to one game in the upper deck.
If the Red Bulls stay around 20,000 for the time being, that would be fine.
I’m not worried about it at all.
Right now I’m watching the Mets-Marlins game. It’s their opening day and the stadium is less than half full.
LOL
the future ? i dotn think the future gives a crap about us, the only thing that matters in this trophy and thats what we want . without that trophy the future can kiss my you know wat
Impressive starting 11 but what happens to their record during gold cup?
Most replacements seem like big drop offs on talent where as RSL has considerable depth at all positions.
This has to be the closest mls version of the Yankees.
I appreciate your enthusiasm, but I don’t think the squad is strong enough for the long haul of an EPL season. I think they could be competitive in the LC but ultimately lack of depth would sink them. However, for an MLS squad it is very strong.
ill tell u how red bulls= duh winning!!!
nasty, too good, incredible, amazing am i missing anything else???
No, Tchani is still going to be a great player. He fights better in TFC’s system…Win/Win for both sides
I wouldn’t call them the ‘team to beat’ just yet. We’ll see how they gel. RSL looks like the only team in the league right now that looks unbeatable. They are scary good.
RBNY will be tough if they stay healthy. (a major problem for Henry) and Agudelo will no doubt hit a slump at some point. (all young players do. Though his bright spots have potential to be very bright)
If nothing else comes of the deal, RBNY dumped 2 ‘sub-par/OK’ players for one very good player. Short of DeRo dying on the flight over or becoming a quadriplegic 2 seconds after stepping on the field for the first time, there is no way this is ever a bad deal made by RBNY titles or no titles.
Watch TFC sweep the rest of the league now. That would be hilarious.
They make different Brands of them
Now if THIS team can’t draw people to Red Bull Arena, you have to worry about the franchise and if they’ll ever draw.
In a game, or a few games? Yes. For a season? No. Lack of depth would sink them in the long run. But I’m really impressed an MLS side can take the field with a player this accomplished at every position.
LA needs more speed if they want to keep up.
So glad Ream and Agudelo get to line up on such a strong side, great for their development.
I’ve always loved him as a player. Really pleased he’s on my team now
Wow. Your not serious are you?
You are nuts if you think this team could be mid table in the epl. Red bulls has a handful of nice players but no where as consistany across the first 11 and the bench as mid table epl sides. The would be relegated over the course of an epl season.
That is one impressive looking team….on paper! Seriously, I would love to see RSL v Red Bulls in MLS Cup Final. And I’m a Dynamo fan.
First thing I noticed.
It would be funny if they play like the Knicks. HAHA.
Pele next?
Backe, Henry, and Marquez won’t put up with a MeRo attitude..and as far as play is concerned, he can be himself in this system
RSL won’t be playing as many games as Columbus did last year. They won’t be in this year’s (2011/12) edition of CCL.
Come to think of it, that’s not true. With the extra 4 games in the league schedule, they will be playing as many or more. I think the fatigue will be felt more evenly league-wide, though. Last year RSL balanced a heavy schedule and still came out roses. No reason to think that they won’t be able to again this year, barring serious injuries.
Did you forget about Hertzog, Hot, Rooney, Paullo, Nielsen, Kassel, Lassiter???
yeah, but they’re putting them where it counts, CB and up front.