Wrapping up some Red Bull notes for my Tweeps, from Hot Stove rumors to the new NPSL team.
First off, they’re fielding an Under-23 team in the National Premier Soccer League. They’ll play in the Atlantic Division of the Northeast Conference, joining the Maine Sting, New Hampshire Rapids, New York Athletic Club, Morris County Colonials, Brooklyn Italians and Long Island Academy FC. They’ll play home-and-away, a dozen games with division champs going to the conference finals on July 17 or 18, with the winner the National Finals from July 29–31.
“We are very excited to enter the NPSL, which is one of the top men’s amateur leagues in the country,” said Red Bulls director of youth programs Bob Montgomery. “It gives the Red Bulls a chance to keep the top homegrown players through their college careers.”
Now, for the bad news. Yes, the roster will include most of the core from the 2009 Super-20 League National Championship team that thrashed Chivas USA 7-0 in the final on Aug. 2. And sure, it’ll give them a place to play their college-age academy prospects, like Maryland’s Matt Kassel and St. John’s Walter Hines.
But the thing it WON’T do is serve as a reserve team. It’s amateur-only at the moment, so Giorgi Chirgadze _ who helped the Super-20 team to the title before becoming the club’s first academy signing _ wouldn’t be able to play in it. Neither would rookies looking for plating time (like Irving Garcia), or veterans recovering from injury (like Chris Albright).
*** Rookie Tim Ream saw his collegiate coach Dan Donigan leave St. Louis yesterday. The Trenton-born Donigan returned to New Jersey to take over the helm at Rutgers.
“He was great at St. Louis. It seems that this was a family move as he’s from New Jersey. Now I’ll be able to see him on a weekly basis,” Ream said. “I think he’ll do a wonderful job at Rutgers. He is a real players’ coach. I wish him all the best with his new position.”
*** The Red Bulls still have Frederic Jonson on trial. He arrived yesterday and has been training with them. The left-footed centerback was with Vasalunds IF in Sweden. He was apparently the team MVP at just 22-years-old, but saw his side get relegated from the second division.
*** Reports in Austria have linked the Red Bulls with ex-German National Team striker Alexander Zickler.
Why would they be after a random 35-year-old forward? Well, Zickler plays for Red Bull Salzburg, where he was scored a league-high 22 goals back in 2006 and was named APA Footballer of the Year. But Salzburg just signed 27-year-old Roman Wallner, the Austrian Bundesliga’s top scorer, so that could surely make the aging Zickler surplus to requirements.
Here is some video of Zickler in action beating Blackburn. Do you think there is any truth to reports of Red Bull New York’s interest; or do you think Salzburg is just trying to get out from under his contract? Disappointed they can’t use their U23 club as reserve team for the likes of Chirgadze and Garcia? Holla at us….