Red Bulls head coach Juan Carlos Osorio spoke to the local Red Bulls media on Tuesday and removed any doubt about his intention to return in 2009. He also made some revealing comments about his plans for the 2009 Red Bulls.
I will post quotes shortly but for now, here were the main talking points from Osorio:
Osorio plans on returning in 2009. He has received job offers and interest but has turned down the offers and rejected requests to be interviewed. The Red Bulls approached him about an extension beyond 2009, but he is not ready to discuss one yet.
He revealed that it is his preference that the team only has one designated player and that the second DP slot would be better served on acquiring multiple players. While he didn't come out and say he wants to trade the second DP slot, he basically agreed that in order for the team to be strong enough to compete in multiple competitions, it needs to deal the second DP slot to acquire multiple players.
Osorio revealed that he plans to bring back Jorge Rojas and Juan Pietravallo. He believes that both showed signs of being productive players early on and that they should be able to contribute more with a pre-season under their belt and a chance to adjust to the league and living in the United States.
Osorio stated that he plans to bring Jon Conway back next season and cited the team's participation in the Champions League, U.S. Open Cup and MLS as a reason for keeping Conway and Danny Cepero.
Osorio said the Red Bulls are doing everything they can to bring Dave Van Den Bergh back (though team sources tell me the club are trying to bring him back at a lower salary than the $240K base salary he earned in 2008). The impression I got from Van Den Bergh last month is that he is ready to head to Europe if he has to rather than take a salary he doesn't feel is fair.
What's my take on all this? It makes plenty of sense for Osorio to want to wait on an extension. I also think the idea of dealing the second DP slot is very smart because, let's face it, carrying two DPs on an MLS salary cap doesn't leave much room for upgrading the squad as much as the team needs to be upgraded (especially with CONCACAF Champions League looming). As for Rojas and Pietravallo, both players did show well early on because struggling late. Rojas played well in his playoff run vs. RSL and I do think both players could be solid starters if given a full pre-season with the team. I also think it wouldn't shock me if one or both of them is sold to Latin American clubs before next season.
What do you think of these developments? Share your thoughts below.
