as the news broke across the american soccer world last night, the complete reshaping of the new york red bulls was put into the bright lights.
with the addition of at least 3 new players (possibly 4) into the starting line-up as early as this saturday (depending on visa issues), the departure last month of jozy, and now the departure of claudio, the new york red bulls are a very different team than that which opened the season.
i'm glad claudio is retiring. it's hard to watch a former great fade into obscurity and limp along at the end of a contract when it's obvious he's not contributing anymore.
was claudio a great player? absolutely. he was one of the first americans to go to europe and play as a starter in one of the most demanding positions on the field - and he did it for many years. perhaps his best moment was the 2002 world cup, where the u.s. looked like a soccer nation for the first time.
however, as with everything in life, what goes up must come down. he came to new york with fanfare as a designated player and was expected to anchor a team that needed leadership. he showed flashes of brilliance, but as often noted in this blog, he just wasn't up to the task. he fell back too much, he didn't have the agressive attacking attitude he should have, and he was injured every other minute. he never established himself in this league and that's something he's going to have to live with.
i think his retirement is the best thing for everyone.
- he gets to say when he leaves instead of just riding out a contract until the end of the year and not helping out his team.
- the red bulls free up a roster spot and hopefully some money (though most likely not a DP spot).
- and the team gets to stop playing the wondering game when he's going to play midfield. the midfield now belongs to someone else. who? the red bulls are hoping the new rojas steps up into that role. we'll keep our fingers crossed.
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