The New York Red Bulls made two massive moves ahead of their three games in seven days homestand that starts with Sunday’s clash with the Seattle Sounders. Early Friday, the Red Bulls sent a 2014 draft pick to the LA Galaxy for keeper Bill Gaudette. Gaudette, lately the third stringer for LA after Josh Saunders return, played collegiately at St John’s and is considered one of their best products ever boasting a 43-13-12 record from 2001-2004. Gaudette is the veteran third keeper coach Hans Backe has been searching for all season. Gaudette was not brought to NY to be the starter but was brought here to help the young Meara and Vuolo develop and guide them in their early careers. However, Gaudette could see time between the posts for NY as early as Sunday’s match with the Sounders as rookie goalkeeper Ryan Meara is listed as questionable in regards to his hip.
New York’s other move was the blockbuster trade of Dane Richards and allocation money for Sebastien Le Toux from the Vancouver Whitecaps. Red Bull fans remember Le Toux as a member of the Philadelphia Union from 2010-2011 seasons where he scored 25 goals in 62 appearances for the Union. Le Toux was also the first player signed by the Seattle Sounders when they moved from the USL First Division to MLS. Richards was the second most capped player for New York, behind assistant coach Mike Petke, as well as having the second most minutes logged for the team. He was the last of the players remaining on the roster from before Erik Soler and Hans Backe took over. Richards had 21 goals in his 147 appearances but brought speed to his game. Ultimately, he more often than not failed to use his speed properly as he sent in erratic crosses and shied away from taking players head on. While Dane was always a great guy to talk to and was loved by the fans, this move was a business decision, not a football one says coach Hans Backe. Backe told reporters after Saturday’s training that he expected Richards to go on trial in Europe somewhere after his contract expired in December. If this is true, then New York made a smart move. While Le Toux’s contract also expires in December, he adds much needed depth at the forward position for New York. This ends the Luke Rodgers saga after weeks of waiting for a response on Rodgers Visa decision. Erik Soler did say the team would once again try for the 2013 season to bring back the fiery Englishmen to Harrison but for now, it is over. Also, don’t expect to see Jan Gunnar Solli as a right back again if Brandon Barklage is healthy. Solli has been very impressive while playing in the midfield for New York, netting two goals and a couple of game winning assists playing from the midfield.
What do all of these moves mean for the Red Bulls? Well nothing if they don’t have a successful homestand. NY plays three matches in seven afternoons (Sunday 4pm, Wednesday 1pm, Saturday 2:30 pm) starting against third in the west Seattle Sounders FC. Seattle (8-5-6, 2-2-5 away) sit in third place in the west just like the Red Bulls (9-5-4, 5-0-2 home) do in the east. Both teams are fighting in the race for the Supporter’s Shield, which just got more difficult with San Jose’s thrashing of RSL, 5-0. Seattle is on the back of another Us Open Cup birth, beating Chivas USA in Seattle midweek, then traveling here to New York. The Red Bulls are coming off another lackluster performance and 2-0 loss in New England.
Besides Le Toux coming into the squad for much needed depth at forward, the Red Bulls are becoming healthier as the days go on. Markus Holgersson, Rafa Marquez, and yes, Thierry Henry are all fit and expected to play in the matchup. However, Jan Gunnar Solli and Heath Pearce are still both out with hamstring knocks. As I wrote earlier, don’t be surprised if Bill Gaudette starts in net over Meara who could be out with a hip knock. The return of Henry and Marquez and the injection of Le Toux could give the Red Bull the jolt they need on offense. Earlier in the season, New York was scoring goals for fun but was porous on defense. With the five game winning/injury streak, the table flipped. Now, nothing seems to be going the way of New York on the field. It will definitely be interesting to see how Hans Backe lines his squad up and the acquisition of Le Toux creates more questions about positions then it solves. Still, New York should be happy to have another proven striker in this league at their disposal.
The key matchup will depend on where Mauro Rosales plays. The last few games he has partnered up top with Eddie Johnson and has been deadly from their right flank. If this once again plays out, he’ll have Roy Miller trying to stop him from finding his way into the box and setting up goals. Miller has had a rough season but he has had patches of brilliance and smart defensive presence. If not, Rosales is going to have a field day feeding the speedy Eddie Johnson all day long. With Gaudette only having a single day to work with Conde and Holgersson, it could prove costly for New York.
With two more games to play this week, New York is lucky to be eating home cooking if Backe decides to continually use his starters with no rest. Captain Thierry Henry is unsure if he’ll start all three games but has said he wants to play in all of them though it is the boss’s decision. What’s the best move for Backe regarding his captain? Well, starting him today, coming off the bench against Chicago, and starting against Philly could be the correct course. Then again, with the weather we could have for all three games, no decision may work out for the best.
(image courtesy of newyorkredbulls.com)
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