Sutton’s statistics are nothing impressive really. 34 appearances and 33 starts with TFC over the past five season, compiling just 7 shutouts and a rather unimpressive 10 wins, 20 losses and 4 ties in the process.

Wow. Does that winning percentage wreak of 2009 or what?! Ok, ok, he did better than the team did, but still!

Sutton’s late addition comes on the heels of fan favorite Danny Cepero’s release, which will make the veteran keepers job that much more difficult this season. Bouna, though reliable and a solid stud when healthy, does have question marks surrounding him, and it will be up to Sutton to supply a steady presence in the backline if and when the Senegalese big man goes down. If he doesn’t measure up, bet the house that Cepero’s cut will be his measuring stick.

And by the way, salary information is currently unavailable.

On a side note – the Bulls now have 4 – yes, count them, 4 – TFC originals on the squad; Greg Sutton, Kevin Goldthwaite, Andrew Boyens, and Carl Robinson. Did someone hire Trader Mo as a consultant or what?

What do you think of the tradeoff? Is this the foreign keeper that has been rumored about for some time? Or are the Bulls still searching for a number one keeper, and entertaining the idea of a three man spot for the netminders? Is Sutton the right choice for the job? Share your thoughts with us below.

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Let’s check out the lineup from the first and second half and dive right in, shall we?

FIRST HALF

————Chin–Angel———-
da Luz–Oebster—-Ubi—–Richards
Borman—Ream——Petke—-Jonson
————-Cepero—————–

SECOND HALF

————Chin–Angel———-
Borman—-I. Garcia—-Ubi—–Richards
W. Garcia—Ream——Boyens—-C. Johnson
————Guadette—————-

Goal By: Dane Richards, assisted by Juan Pablo Angel, Austin Da Luz

Here are some observations:

#1 – Good to see Walter Garcia on the squad. Why? Because he is the lone Argie on the team, and I would love to have one of my countrymen on the squad! Garcia trialed with Leeds, failed his assessment, and has come back to the Bulls to try and secure his spot. This season, the Argie defender will have no excuses in his performance; he joined the team in woeful match readiness late last season. He managed to play only one game in his three months with the team.

#2 – Trialists! If you noticed that “Jonson for Johnson” switch at the half, it wasn’t a type-o.

22 year old Swede Frederic Jonson is currently plying his trade with 2009 Swedish division bottom dwellars Vasalunds. All I can find on him is that he plays some leftback and possibly some central defense as well.

Bill Gaudette, goalkeeper for the respectable Puerto Rican Islanders side, and formerly of the Crew, is also trialing with the team. Gaudette has enjoyed great success in the former USL-1 division, earning the 2008 GK of the year award. He would definitely give Coundoul and Cepero a run for their money as a starter.

#3 – Hans Backe is a classic Scandinavian coach in that his concentration stems from creating a uniform back line and growing the team from that point. Hunter Freeman spoke to me recently and noted that the concentration of the defensive line as a unit was a major part of the Norwegian system (Hans backyard). Backe has already been emphasizing these aspects of the game, as evidenced by the last few reports out of La Manga from RBR. Defensive error was a major, cataclysmic flaw to the Bulls 2009 system. Though only a friendly, a 1-1 draw in the middle of a downpour against a quality side is a good sign of progress to that end.

#4 – For those whom worried about the back to back to back friendlies being played at La Manga, ease your little hearts: neither Mac Kandji, Goldthwaite, Sassano, Mbuta, Tchani nor a host of others played today. Expect to hear more on them, along with other trialists and draftees, in days to come.

#5 – There was no report of a 4-5-1. And that hasn’t happened in over two years. Thank your lucky stars people.

Share your thoughts on this afternoons action, player movements, or other nonsense after the jump.

UPDATE: RBR just posted a complete report of the game, and oh my, does it ring positively. Check it out by clicking here.

Osorio compiled a 12-27-13 record in two years with the team, but paradoxically lead the team to the MLS Cup Finals last year for the first time in club history. Expectations were high entering the season, further supported by the many signings that were supposed to reinforce the winning core of the team. Obviously, that never came to pass. And so was the story of Osorio’s 2009; nothing worked out as expected.

In a team statement, Managing Director Erik Stover focused on Osorio’s accomplishments rather than his failures:

“It has been a difficult season for Juan Carlos and he felt that it was in the best interest of the team to step aside. I want to personally thank Juan Carlos for his efforts with the Red Bulls organization. It was under his leadership last season that the team won the Western Conference Championship and reached the MLS Cup Final for the first time in franchise history. We wish him well in his future endeavors.”

And as for Osorio? His final words contained a long awaited mea culpa to the fan base;

“I want to apologize to the fans for the results this season. I want to thank the players for their hard work. I would also like to thank the club for the opportunity to coach the team for the past two seasons.”

In the end, what will be Juan Carlos Osorio’s Metro Bull legacy? Will he be remembered as the team leader and motivator, who found the right formula late in a mediocre season to carry the team into the MLS Cup Final for the first time in franchise history? Or will he be remembered as the deer in headlights coach who could not find his way out of a season long losing streak? One thing is for sure; in the end, Juan Carlos Osorio finally showed accountability for this disaster of a season by resigning, whether it was forced or otherwise. And that accountability was something Red Bull fans have been waiting to hear for a long time now.

And so the Bulls move forward with Richie Williams,and the future is certainly filled with question marks. Does this coaching change bring back your interest in the team? And what are your thoughts on Osorio’s firing (gee, I wonder)? How long till Agoos is cooked? Share your thoughts.

Obster has been linked to a move here sporadically since last year. The 25 year old has wanted to make the move sooner, but the mother/sister club just wasn’t letting him go, despite relegating him to bench duties for most of the Austrian season. Even so, he was with the team twice as they won Austrian league titles in 2007 and 2009.

It is expected that the young player will sit either behind Angel and (*forward name here) or claim that gaping hole left on the wing by Dave Van Den Bergh.

What are your thoughts on this signing? Will we see Obster debut against the Galaxy? Habla away!

image credit: ny post blog

Thanks to the folks at RBR for the hook up.

With both clubs primarily focused on righting the ship late into the season, the big guns should be getting a rest, and some bench players will have the opportunity to see the pitch and possibly compete for starting minutes in the process.

Since I can’t seem to find even an amateur feed of the event, I’d be happy to direct your attentions to live running commentary of the event from two very reliable sources:

- Red Bull Reader has their representative at Buck Shaw, ready to report the action, which you can follow along here!.

- TheOffside.com Alumni (San Jose blogger) and now big shot SBI Correspondent (good job buddy!), Sean Rubio, will be tracking the action live as well at SBI Mafia Central. Click here for the action!

Both RBR and Sean at SBI give a great and detailed account of the game, so follow along, cross your fingers, and hope for the best possible result.

We’ll be back tomorrow to recap all the action. But feel free to leave your comments below.

This week, I am “dumping” a lot of stuff on ya’. So get your “open new tab” buttons ready! Links galore are coming your way!

- We start off with the slowly dying publication known as “The New York Times.” Some of you may have heard of it. Anyway, Danny Cepero has taken over Jozy Altidores slot as the NYT Pro Soccer blogger, and has put up a beautiful, must read piece on the less than glamorous lifestyle of a star MLS player. It is actually very endearing. Check it out.

- Have you heard about the season opener in Seattle against the Sounders? It’s a sold out affair. Take that Mariners!

- Here is a link talking about Becks return (and exit). If all goes as planned (which I dont think will happen), his first game back will be against the Red Bulls. My favorite part of the link? “To a July 18 game at the New York Red Bulls, in the suffocating heat of the East Coast summer and on artificial turf (both of which he loathes).” Good. The booing won’t make it any easier. If it happens.

- How close is Celades to signing with the Bulls? This Close.

- Jeff Parke has resurfaced overseas, this time on trial at Anderlecht. This is one blogger that has his fingers crossed for him. Go Jeff!

- American Soccer Blogging Godfather Ives Galarcep reports two Boca Juniors products are currently training with the RB organization; Nicolas Villafane and Gabriel Quirulef. I hope these two work out better than past bosteros. I am one Boca fan with his fingers crossed.

- And speaking of the backlines, MLS has a good article up about the possible facelift that is underway in the Red Bulls defense. A definite read for a Wednesday morning.

- And finally, the Bulls roster is under compliance. From here on out, every player they sign will mean a player released. Let the games begin.

Have a great day everyone! Ill be back later if anything exciting pops.

Pretty cool stuff actually. Danleigh Borman, Luke Sassano and David Roth show us what the life of a rookie can be all about (and boy, am I ever happy that my modest apartment is better than a pro players hole in the wall). Very funny original content from The Reader, and definitely a skit I will be keeping track of all year. They have to do more of this – give the kids a face and character that the fan base can hold on to. Interviewing Roth briefly this past April, I can only imagine this show being alot of fun.

Go check it out! Click here! Or check the video below . . .

First off, good looks to “BriGuy” for this find on the Red Bulls Reader.

You have to love Danes flip into nothingness – but more needs to be shown of that spectacular goal celebration.

Check out the highlights. Leave your comments.

Jorge Rojas, 30, a Venezuelan National veteran with 78 caps to his name, and the infamous Chris Innes, former captain of the bankrupt and dying Gretna FC of SPL, are now on trial with the Red Bulls.

I knew there was a reason I waited till the 13th hour to put up my season preview . . .

Jorge Rojas, whom, if I recall correctly (should google this), assisted and scored a goal in 2 games against Haiti recently, is a left back or left wing – two positions we have coveted for quite some time. If everything falls into order, Rojas would be our starting left winger, moving Dave Van Den Bergh to the CAM role, and Claudio Reyna could join Seth Stammler for a devastating twosome in front of our defenders.

Now that is a step up!

As for Innes, he is actually participating in team training as I write this. He was a major reason for Gretna’s spell in the SPL from ‘05 – ‘08, being largely credited for the ascension into the big leagues of SPL, and being largely credited for their demotion (but only because he was injured during certain spells).

Though Goldie and Leitch played admirably against the Cows, a person of Innes reputation and credentials should be afforded the opportunity to see what he can do. Sure, people downplay the talent or talent level of the SPL, but how many do the same to the MLS? Who know – Chris Innes may be that missing piece to the puzzle that will create the formidable backline we have been dreaming of.

IMAGINE . . .

With these signings (cross those fingers!), they will have a team that could take them to the Cup.

——-Angel—-Altidore——–
———-Dave VDB————
Rojas——————–Richards
——–Reyna—Stammler——-
—-Innes—-Parke—-Freeman—
———-Conway—————

Appetizing no? DVB, as displayed Saturday, has no fear of taking a shot. He will be backed up by Magee. Reyna and Stammler will compliment a solid and experienced backline, which will make 1st year starter Jon Conways life much easier. The wing play, when healthy, will be some of the best in the league (backed by two solid rookies in Borman and Sassano). And with those starting three, we can have a bench with Goldthwaite, Leitch, Mendes and Brunner.

Not bad at all (especially in a league notorious for very little quality depth).

Looks like we may be flexing that allocation money-muscle after all!