Interview: John Wolyniec

By: Dave Martinez | March 19th, 2010

woly When the rest of the team quit last season, there were a precious few who continued to put in their utmost effort on the pitch, day in and day out. One of the few is MLS veteran and New York native son John Wolyniec.

“Woly” has made a living off being the Bulls good luck charm and morale booster. In that role, the Staten Island striker has become a fan favorite, and a main stay for the Bulls.

Here is John talking a bit of CBA, this seasons expectations, and of course, Red Bull Arena.

DM: As the teams labor rep, how are the CBA negotiations going?

JW: I can’t really speak on how negotiations are going other than they’re going. We need an agreement to play, and we’re hoping that happens.

Should fans be optimistic at least?

(long pause) It’s on going (long pause) and that is the best sign I could say. As long as they continue to go and the league understands we need an agreement to play, hopefully, things get done.

Moving forward, what are your first impressions of Red Bull Arena?

They really sparred no expense. Red Bull has done a really high quailty job. I couldn’t be more excited, or more grateful.

How was the pitch?

It is a little loose right now, but a few days of sun and dryness will probably help that. So I am pulling for the weather. Watch the weather station the next couple of days, but it’s supposed to be nice! The last couple days have been alot of rain, so I am pulling for that.

Get’s you ready for the Santos game I’d guess . . .

Ya, obviuously, the first game in here is a big deal. And to play somebody of that quality, that quality of a club is exciting in itself to play that game. On a turf high school field it would be pretty exciting! So . . . it’s pretty amazing to be playing in this stadium and to have such a team to play.

What do you see your role being this season?

That’s always a tricky question. But hopefully I will be playing as much as possible. I am going to treat every week as a chance to start. And I want to be at the top 11. If not, I will give my best off the bench. As a person who has been around the league and this club for a number of years, just allow my experiences and my optimism and excitement for the stadium to go through the team and help them understand how important and how amazing this is.

Wonderful. Oh and a belated congratulations to you! You were voted TheOffside’s Red Bull Player of the Year last season!

Thanks, I appreciate that. It is important to me what the fans think. I play hard for a reason and I am grateful that they appreciate that, and I will continue to do that as long as I can.