After such a see-saw season by the New York Red Bulls, the 2012 off-season has begun with some training stints overseas with Tim Ream and Juan Agudelo visiting a few clubs in Europe. Back at Red Bull Arena, General Manager Erik Soler has seen what needs the club has to have to avoid the problems the side occurred.
The positives right now is that he is expecting both Agudelo and Ream to return to the team, picked up the option on Joel Lindpere’s contract and is looking to sign him to a long term deal. The real surprise of this club has been the play of the Estonian who has done a great job for the club.
Dane Richards will remain and Soler has told the local New York media that Frank Rost might come back on a lesser salary and is looking for another center back while hopefully using the third designated player spot for a creative midfielder during the summer window.
But when it comes to Mexican national team captain Rafa Marquez it sounds like he will be in the midfield permanently and after a lengthy two hour meeting after this past season ended, he would be staying with the club. Well it sounds like that announcement has changed.
Just recently certain sites have uncovered rumors about Brazilian side Flamingo already having negotiations with Marquez about ending his contract with the Red Bulls and MLS so he can sign on a free transfer. If this does happen then the Red Bulls will have two of their three designated player spots open.
Where was this change in attitude from Marquez? He came over when Barcelona didn’t want him anymore and played very well. He scored a big time goal at BMO Field against Toronto FC and made several fantastic assists to Thierry Henry, who converted them into the back of the net.
In a Goal.com article he has said “Red Bulls know that I cannot be on a team that does not have the same expectations from me.” Also said that the league in Brazil is growing faster in every way and for him it’s a worthwhile offer. Is the Brazilian league growing faster?
I find that a little bit troubling as we all know the five time World Cup champions have produced so much world class talent at the same level as Argentina. The only problems that I’m aware of are the financial situations when these great clubs like Santos, Palmeiras, Gremio, Sao Paulo and Corinthians can’t keep their top players.
But once again the only players that have come here from Mexico and left on good terms are Omar Bravo, Cuathemoc Blanco, Nery Castillo and that’s it. Pavel Pardo is still with the Chicago Fire and will continue next season.
I would’ve hoped that the problems that arose from Marquez when he returned from injury at the Gold Cup final would be put to rest and that he can have a better season in 2012. Sadly for him it looks like he has decided to whine his way to Brazil.
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Best. News. Evar.
Don’t let the door hit you on your disruptive arse as you leave.
it aint no secret players want a better environment to play in. up
the cap space, allow free agency and autonomous clubs. those
aspects will make the league more attracting to players. i mean
brazillian soccer is brazillian soccer ive watch their games on gol
tv and they are very very entertaining to watch and very fast pace.
and thats were marquez thinks soccer is being played. plus marquez
hasnt been well recieved by fans and staff. money can go along way
to convincing a player to come and play but if the actual work
space isnt so friendly to marquez then i dont blame him for wanting
out. sure he was out of line at times but no doubt he tried to make
it work on his end. its just about being in a competitive league
and if he finds that in Brazil then so be it.
Total Crap. Marquez has been garbage. He could play with the 10
best players in the world and he would still be garbage. He is not
leaving because of cap space, free agency or autonomous clubs. He’s
a tool and players, fans and coaches figured this out and want no
part of him.
im not saying marquez isnt being paid enough or that he’s
complaining about the fact the league doesnt have these traits; im
saying that because of those things the league isnt attractive
enough for prime players to come, thus all the good talents leave
too early and good talent dont want to come till theyre ready to
retire thus quality is low. i guess he feels that they cant
‘compete’ with him. is he right for saying that? no but it isnt the
first time players said something along these lines, most
interestingly not the first time a red bull player complained about
the players (Frank rost trashed his teammates one practice). but
lets put all that aside ill admit thats a seperate argument but i
felt that Marquez honestly tried to make it work. i felt he did try
to put effort in his game. i mean i blame more Ream than
Marquez.and whether Marquez seems right or wrong by fans its true
Red Bull hasnt really been too focused on meaningful goals. Backe
didnt show up to the USOC game in order to compete in what was it
the Audi cup? spent the whole middle of the season mucking it up i
mean this was a team that was #1 in the east how did they drop all
the way to the bottom? whether Marquez was right or wrong one thing
is true, Red Bull NJ is a crappy club .
Ream had a down season but was still better than Marquez, who was
awful as a player, teammate, and supposed leader. Good riddance to
this arrogant tool.
You are completely nuts, you need some serious help, Marquez is
garbage and so are you.
Marquez is horrible to this league. He has done nothing for this
league but bring his garbage rep with him. He thinks he’s bigger
than Team, League, and Players in the league. He’s not. He’s
nowhere near as good as he thinks he is. And he was never THAT good
to begin with. His reputation in the footballing world is horrible,
nobody wants him anymore. Go to Brazil, get schooled by real
footballers like you did in Spain.
You are taling out of your butt, nut job.
I don’t understand why the MLS would just let him go and negotiate
for free, couldn’t they get a transfer fee out of him? That part
makes no sense to me.
His reps are probably blowing smoke to the press with respect to
that. They’re probably trying to lie/hype things up to improve
their negotiating leverage.
I said he should have been sold last year after he made those
comments about Ream to the press.
Rumors that someone else is interested. Yeah, there is a rumor out
there now that I am thinking of running for president, please tell
my employer…………………The guy was trash on a team that
finished 10th. IF anyone was interested and NY could sell him they
would have already done it.
Who cares if they finished 10th, right? They still made the
playoffs and had a shot to represent MLS in CCL, right? All that
matters is the playoffs, right?
Sorry but the MLS playoff system is one of the worst I’ve ever
seen. The whole Wildcard thing is so juvenile. The whole playoff
thing is juvenile. Their shouldn’t be playoffs. 1st place = you win
the league, not some stupid cheap trophy they give you to feel good
about actually doing well in the league.
I was being sarcastic. Charles is always on here bashing single
table/euros but once it fits his argument he smashes RB for
finishing 10th place. Charles you can’t have your cake and eat it
to.
My mistake then lol
I agree with Robert, they made the playoffs, barely…..but they
had ZERO shot in the playoffs. Is that better ? Single table guys
bore me as much as the current EPL season.
The numbers are in Charles and Americans seem to favor EPL over
MLS. Ratings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am actually following the English league. Pretty exciting. Wake
me up with Manchester plays Manchester.
Charles, RAAAAAATINGS, RAAAATINGS! Tape Delayed EPL Match > Live
MLS Cup 0.8!
I don’t really get what your point is ? Are you asking me if I am
smarter than some guy with a tag of ManU1999 who watched Man U play
nobody ? Yes, yes I
am………………………………………..There have been
the Euro followers for the full 35 years I have been
watching/playing/coaching soccer, they are free to do so, to me
they are very casual fans and I am free to feel superior to them.
Well there goes another Mexican player out of the league. He has
that attitude most Mexicans have about MLS and everything in
general, they think they are better than us and that we should be
lucky to have them. Fuck off, let him go to Brazil, where he will
be played once, then they’ll realize that he is not that good
anymore, not that he ever was, then they’ll sit him on the bench
the ready of the season. He will be back in Mexico in one season,
the only place he’ll get the respect he thinks he deserves. I only
respect a couple of Mexican players, who came over here and gave
the league the respect it deserves. Paco Palencia even defended MLS
when a Mexican reporter tried to make it sound like an amateur
league. Hey we are still developing, we’ve only been around for 16
years. The Mexican league has been around for a long long time, and
what have they accomplished? The US always makes it further in
World Cups “nowadays” so what has their old ass league help them
achieve? Marquez is a tool. He, like many Mexican players, think of
Spain as this football heaven! But what have they done there as
well? Aside from Hugo Sanchez, a true goal hound who also has that
holier than thou Mexican attitude, they are all bench players. I
mean honestly, anybody here could be champions with the caliber of
team Barcelona posseses. They haven’t missed him since he left,
what does that tell you? Good riddance tool, keep butting that hand
that feeds, see how far that takes you!
I think he was pretty good at Barca when he was at his peak. He had
a few injuries and got Pique returned from Man Utd and cemented his
place ahead of Marquez in the pecking order. The fact Barca haven’t
really missed him doesn’t tell us anything other than Marquez is
not as good as Puyol and/or Pique. That’s hardly a sign of a bad
player – to be fair, 99% of top level center backs playing the game
are not as good as Puyol and/or Pique.
Didn’t mean to write the word “got” in that second sentence. Should
read: He had a few injuries and THEN Pique returned from Man Utd
and cemented his place ahead of Marquez in the pecking order.
The correct name for the Brazilian club mentioned in the article is
Flamengo, not flamingo the bird.
Flamengo/Flamingo – when Feuerstein is writing, these things are to
be expected.
Thank God he left. This league is shit.
Crawl back in the hole troll…..one he didn’t leave, two a hole
fits you well.
You crawl in your hole, whiteboy. You’re just mad cos Mexico reigns
supreme over you.
by the ‘whiteboy’ reference i am guessing you are a pocho and not
mexican, so i will treat your comments accordingly . . . but a
couple of questions: 1) do you know the year when mexico last won a
world cup elimination game? (hint: you probably weren’t even born)
2) as most FMF guys say CONCACAF is worthless (to discount unwanted
gold cup losses), remind me what happened the last 2 times mexico
and USA met in a ‘worthy’ tourney (hint: copa america and world
cup). answers: 1) 1986 2) 2002 USA world cup win, 199X copa america
USA win point made, at best US/mexico are even at the national team
level. please spare me the worthless banter that isn’t backed by
facts.
Let him leave, this will give our club N.Y.R.B. 5.4 million to
spend on youth and develop our team into a champion contender for
the cup this season.