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Report: Boyd agrees to personal terms with Red Bull Leipzig

FUSSBALL - BL, Rapid vs Groedig

By DAN KARELL

Terrence Boyd could be returning to play in Germany next season.

According to a report in German publication BILD, the U.S. Men’s National Team forward has agreed to terms with RB Leipzig, which achieved promotion to 2. Bundesliga for the upcoming season. The report states that a transfer fee of 1.5 million euros ($2 million) has been discussed, however, nothing has been agreed to yet and Rapid Vienna are reluctant to let Boyd leave.

The 23-year-old Boyd is coming off another strong season for Rapid, scoring 15 goals in 29 Austrian league matches, and added another five goals for the club in the UEFA Europa League. In his two years in Vienna, Boyd has scored 37 goals in all competitions.

Boyd’s contract with Rapid runs through the end of the 2015 season, meaning that if Rapid want to make a profit off his transfer, the best time to sell Boyd would be this summer. Otherwise, Boyd could leave on a free transfer in 2015.

Boyd has made nine appearances for the USMNT in his career and was a member of the 30-man preliminary World Cup roster before being one of seven players cut from the final squad.

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What do you think of this report? Do you think this is a good move for Boyd? Would you like to see him playing in a top division? Do you see RB Leipzig moving up to the Bundesliga soon?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Depending he would get a decent contract Leipzig could be a perfect fit for Boyd. And Leipzig is a great town with lot of history and culture. Only a little more than an hour drive from Berlin.

    Especially if Leipzig can battle for advancement to 1. bundesliga.

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  2. The Austrian Bundesliga is not bad. Most teams in the league have a very good approach to playing the game similar to the German Bundesiga. The biggest difference is the talent pool feeding players to the clubs and $$$ for players outside of Austria. Americans from MLS would do well in Austria and become a better complete player. A yank already in Germany would do better to stay in the Bundesliga or Bundesliga 2. I believe Terrence Boyd, and Klinnsman, knows this too.

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    • If anybody seen awhile back a preseason game between Red Bull New York and FC Red Bull Salzburg in a preseason match or was it a friendly? Red Bull New York got schooled!!!!!!

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  3. interesting development. i think there are positives from any of the moves that he has coming at him in addition to staying at Rapid. looking forward to seeing how this plays out.

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  4. Very ambitious club. They want to be a Bundesliga team in 2 years, and they have the monetary backing to make that happen. I have heard rumors that Julian Green is likely to be loaned to a 2 Bundesliga team this upcoming season; I wonder if it will be RB Leipzig? It could be fun to see Boyd and Green playing together next season.

    But Wigan and Sporting Lisbon are also in the hunt for him.

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  5. I don’t understand everyone saying this is a bad or lateral move. If you know anything or just read up on RB Leipzig, you will know they are an ambitious club with their sights squarely on the top division and they have the money and backing to do it. This could turn into a great move if it goes through. Not to mention it puts him in a great spot to be seen by scouts for other clubs. I hope this happens…I don’t know what type of offers people were expecting! I’m a huge Boyd fan and think this could be a smart move.

    FYI…the 2 Bundesliga isn’t horrible, Hamburg just barely avoided being a member of it.

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    • Yes, I agree. This is an ambitious club flying through promotion after promotion. This move is a bit of a gamble, but might have large payout. Bottom line, though, is playing time.

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      • “Bottom line, though, is playing time”

        Bingo..

        As it stands, Terrance Boyd rates pretty high in terms of the USMNT..

        He already toiled in the lower levels of the Bundeliga and would be familiar at least with the style of play and the players on the field..

        Im sure the higher level folks @ Leipzig have attempted to sell Mr. Boyd on the benefits of signing with the team but if the reports are true the Wigan and Lisbon angle seem equally compelling..

        Not speaking for Boyd but the each option seems well suited for the player..

        As for th MLS is on par with the Championship or 2. Bundesliga crowd:

        Probably not the case..

        Of course, these comparisons lack bite because MLS teams simply don’t compete with Championship sides in any way shape or form..

        (well, I’m sure folks like Henry or Villa or even Nesta wrestled with the choice between MLS and the English Football Championship)

        Yes you have seemingly relevent examples like the “success” of players like Luke Rodgers and Lloyd Sam with MLS teams..

        How do you know these players would not have success given an opportunity in Portugal or France…

        The league remains far from the level of play that most will no doubt see in a few years time frame, but state of the current product probably rates a littel higher than most folks are willing to admit..

      • Yes, MLS has seen improvement with player development teams and youth development. MLS has not gotten better with coaching as a whole. Too much NCAA influence in coaching and the NCAA MLS draft. Slowly former professional players are becoming coaches. Like any coach some are good and some are not good. Kinnear and Porter have my respect. MLS is slowly evolving to a professional culture from top to bottom. This is good to see. I just hate the English EPL influence in the game.

    • Personally, I don’t get why he went out of the frying pan and into the fire. Both cities have a strong case of xenophobia. Racist people in Vienna just mutter stuff under their breath in Wienerisch. Most of the younger people are pretty open minded.

      But Leipzig, like most of former East Germany, has a neo-Nazi problem. Not as bad as Dresden, but it’s there.

      As a black Austrian-American (no, I’m not making this stuff up), I say, go west young man.

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      • So he should hamper his deveopment as a player because of
        xenophobia??

        I’m sorry but are you calling for a “fear” based decision..

        Terrance boyd can potentially encounter a very difficult
        situation in any region of the world..

  6. A more reliable source (Greg Seltzer) regarding Yanks in Europe stated today to hold the presses. The impending move and announcement by RB Liepzig are inaccurate. They are interested but so are Wigan and Sporting Lisbon. No club, right now, is winning the race but all three are making proposals to Rapid Wien.

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    • Sporting Lisbon makes the most sense out of the 3. Portugal a very good league. A lot of the Colombian forwards went thru portugal or are currently there like Jackson Martinez

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      • It’s a top heavy league, outside of the top 3-5 and especially the big 3 it’s a very weak league overall. Doesn’t draw well attendance wise either, well under 10k I believe.

  7. I can’t believe this for a second, even though it’s Bild, this early in the summer. Surely there are better offers out there.

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  8. Found this when looking up the team:

    http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2014/mar/06/rb-leipzig-sending-shockwaves-through-german-football

    Although its 2.Bundesliga, the team clearly has bigger things in mind. In that sense, maybe this is a sneaky-great move. From what I understand, the knock on Boyd is that he’s still a bit rough around the edges. Getting consistent playing time in a second-tier league can be better than sitting on the bench in a top league (see: Edu, Shea et al), and he won’t have to transfer to move to the top league if they get promoted. People shouldn’t be surprised if this team is in the Bundesliga in 2015-2016.

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    • Off topic, but this brings up another interesting point: is it too late for Shea? He has immense physical talent, but was never really forced to learn the finer points of the game. He needs to play, somewhere, and not just sit on the bench (or not even make the squad) for Stoke. I think this upcoming season is very important for his career.

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      • Of course it is not too late for Shae, he is only 24. Shae made a move to a much better team while dealing with a lingering injury. That is pretty much a guaranteed recipe for it not to work out. With that said all he needs to do is get fit and work hard. He has the physical tools to be a good player. Only US fans would give up on a player like shae at age 24.

      • Certainly not giving up on him. I have always liked him as a player, and he has too much raw physical ability to just throw in the waste bin. However, he does need to come in from the wilderness and get some playing time somewhere. Hopefully, he starts the season on loan somewhere. Though it was different circumstances, Agudelo’s loan spell in Holland seems to set a good precedent. Holland, or even Belgium, might be a good place for Shea, if there is any interest.

      • the USMNT pool is not deep enough to produce 30 25yr olds every four years that are USMNT-worthy- thus there is plenty of opportunity to re-commit and get 2nd and 3rd chances… Beasley, Davis, Wondo, Beckerman, DeMerit in 2010

      • It’s not too late for Shea or anyone trying to get on the 2018 WC squad. They’ve got the Olympics, Copa América Centenario, Gold Cup, and probably the Confederations Cup along with what ever their club situation is.

    • Interesting article. Definitely seems like a good move for Boyd after reading that. Also, how about Red Bull takes some of that 100 million Euros and signs a third DP for RBNY instead of trotting out Armando every week?

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  9. Seems like this is a lateral move at best and I wouldn’t think being on what is likely a bottom table 2nd division German team is a good place to get noticed. That’s a fair amount of goals to not get noticed by a top flight league in some country.

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    • Not a lateral move at all. 2 Bundesliga is much better than Austrian Bundesliga. I guess you’re not familiar with RB Leipzig but they will be a promotion candidate.

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      • this is what i find annoying. everyone seems to be an Austrian Bundesliga expert now. at least at Rapid he was getting Europa league games.

      • Whoa whoa. Guys are you trying to say the Austrian league is better the B2 or Championship? If you are please leave this site and never comeback.

    • Not a bad move. If you can accept the alarming regularity of turnovers in MLS, then 2.Bundesliga is better in this aspect. Players make good decisions with the ball rather
      than force passes when they need not to.

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  10. I don’t know how good the 2.Bundesliga is – any German soccer experts who can tell us? Is it as good as the Championship?

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    • Not as good but not a pushover either. It’s good he’s getting out of AUSTRIA. He doesn’t have the resume to just make a BIG MOVE as he’s not on the WC squad.

      but should be good for him to return to germany and play/score, get in the Bundesliga within a year or 2.

      he’s only 22/23

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    • I saw some games online when Kenny Cooper played there, and was surprised at the quality of the league. It is tactically faster than MLS, very organized and disciplined.
      I think it is as good as MLS if not better.

      The Championship is lot more running and less technical than 2.Bundesliga. Same level of players; they won’t have the players who can finish consistently as the EPL or Bundesliga level. They have work in progress or journeymen type of players.

      Red Bull Leipzig have an interesting history. They were bought by Red Bull few years ago and moved up pretty quickly.

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      • The tail end of the EPL and the Championship is where you cross over from continental ground game to traditional English hoofball. There are exceptions but the sheer bulk of tough kickball sides starts to accumulate.

        People are all England England England but past a certain point the native style is to whack it to a Ching type player like the dynasty era Dynamo.

    • I’d say B.1, EPL, B.2, Championship, in that order. Most MLS teams are Championship level, but I’m not sure they pay as well. For top MLS players I see lower EPL or B.2 as lateral other than salary.

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      • No way B.1 is better than EPL. Yes, Bayern is better than any of the EPL teams right now and Dortmund is up there, but after them the league is weaker. For reference, look at what a sad Man Utd who finished seventh in EPL did to their german opponent (Schalke?) in the group stage of the Champions League this year.

      • Yes way the Bundesliga is better than the EPL. Zee Germans play the game, tactically, the correct way. A majority of Bundesliga rosters are German. In contrast, a majority of EPL rosters are filled with foreign players who play that continental ground game from mainland Europe. Should you require anymore proof of evidence look at the 2014 World Cup results.

      • B.1 is actually years ahead of the EPL examples:

        Youth teams- B.1

        Money- EPL

        Stadium/ Infrastructure – B.1

        League structure – B.1 (I still don’t understand why SPL and BPL aren’t one)

        Balanced Playing field- B.1 (Never really have to worry about Sunderland type teams in this league)

        anf the German league actually reflects the state of soccer in the country. I can’t say the same for England.

      • SPL and BPL separation.

        Home countries. That’s what it comes down to. Sure, you’ve got a few Welsh sides in the English pyramid, but those are anomalies. Heck… No one was even sure if Welsh clubs could take English-earned spots in European competition until two years ago.

      • I don’t want pro/rel but it’s almost like there are two leagues within MLS. The tactical Sounders, Galaxy, RB, Timbers and Sporting all lower EPL/B.1 teams and theres Chivas USA, Montreal, Philly, and DC all 3. Liga type teams.

      • I guess it depends if they are allowed unlimited DP salaries, eh? There is a reason the MLS is not on par with European top leagues. They don’t make enough $ yet.

      • Obviously, that applies to any league in the world. But even teams like Sounders and SKC as they are right now with their players, which is what the argument should be about, would be relegated in most likely any of the top 5 leagues.

      • Most MLS teams are not Championship or B2 level. Those teams have deeper depth then any team in the MLS.

      • correct

        Bradley Wright Phillips is owning the MLS and he couldn’t get a game in the Championship. He’s a League 1 player.

  11. Surprised the 2. Bundesliga’s as good as he can do. I know the Austrian league isn’t that great, but he is a goal-scoring machine and you’d think he’d have piqued interest in some other top flight leagues.

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    • He’s not a goal-scoring machine. 15 goals in a very weak Austrian league is not going to impress too many people in Europe. One Jonathan Sorian, who I’m sure no one has heard of, scored 31 goals in the Austrian league last season.

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      • you mean Soriano that was a Barcelona youth product? He is very good and scores a bunch for Red Bull because they are the best in the league by a wide margin… RB Salz scored 110 goals as compared to 63 and 68 by the second and third place finishers… put Boyd on that team and he scores 25

      • Sorry Espanyol youth product… I just looked him up but recalled he played for Barcelona B for quite some time… still a good good player.

      • You don’t know what you’re talking about. Literally nothing you said can be further from the truth. The top few teams in the Austrian league are extremely talented and Red Bull Salzburg has a stable of extraordinarily talented players. Soriano is highly sought after by Everton and there is a very good chance he plays on them next year, so no, he is not a nobody AT ALL. They also have a plethora of hugely acclaimed prospects, just a few of which are Kevin Kampl, Valon Berisha, Sadio Mane, Alan… Expect all of these players and more to play, very possibly star, on top teams in top leagues very soon. This summer, they have just signed Massimo Bruno, an incredible Belgian winger from Anderlecht who is every bit the talent that you see on the Belgian national team. He is just 20 years old and is fully expected to be well on his way to true stardom. The kid is absolutely, unequivocally, extraordinary. This is an, indubitably, premium starlet who was thriving at Anderlecht and who took his game to Red Bull Salzburg for the next step in his career.

        If all this isn’t enough evidence for you, Ante Roguljic, a Croatian soccer prodigy left Croatia, with their premier youth development factories such as Dinamo Zagreb and Hajduk Split because he insisted that Red Bull Salzburg in Austria is the “best academy in the world for young teens.” Austrian soccer and their league is nothing to sneeze at in the slightest. The player you named is hugely sought after by a highly respected and extremely competitive team in the Prem and many of the top prospects in the soccer from across the world go to Austria to develop into premium professional players. You ignorance does not match the reality of the situation. In the future, please refrain from attempting to propagate misinformation and stick to what you do know.

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