Photo by Howard C. Smith/ISIphotos.com
In the end, there just wasn't room on the New York Red Bulls' roster for a pair of young, untested players who happened to come through the team's academy to continue their development.
The Red Bulls waived midfielder Matt Kassel and defender Sacir Hot, both Homegrown Players, on Friday. Both played sparingly in their rookie seasons in 2011, with the bevy of experienced and international players ahead of them on the depth chart proving to hamper their development and integration with the first team.
"Unfortunately, with the talent on our squad, we cannot guarantee that Sacir and Matt will play in first team matches," Red Bulls sporting director Erik Soler said in a statement. "They are both young players who need more games and we will help them find positive situations where they can succeed and develop."
Instead of opting to seek loans for the players or attempting to cultivate their games even further, the Red Bulls cut them loose, signifying the latest piece of evidence that young, domestic talent will have a hard time breaking through in the organization under the current regime.
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