By BRIAN LEWIS
As the Red Bullsâ search for a striker draws _ moving from players like Costa Rica’s Jonathan McDonald to USL penom Macoumba Kandji to a still-undetermined Caribbean _ itâs becoming clearer and clearer that it wonât be short, easy or cheap.
Coach Juan Carlos Osorio saw several of his targets on last weekendâs scouting trip to Costa Rica, but Herediano coach Paulo Wanchope _ who played for Osorio in Manchester City and again in Chicago _ didnât want to sell the best of the lot, Jonathan McDonald.
âNo, they have a good forward there but my conversation with Paulo was very straightforward,ââ Osorio said. âHe has a couple of players that he doesnât want to trade, a couple players that he thinks are very good at the moment for him, and heâs one of them. So thatâs not a player we can (get).ââ
So what about his two lesser-known teammates, Fabian Rojas and Franklin Chacon?
âHe has two other players that I like,ââ Osorio said. âBut to be honest the player that I like the most is a guy that didnât play. I saw him the following day in a friendly match. I think in the long run that trip might prove to be productive but for just immediate solutions, no.
âThere were two good players in different positions that eventually may be important for us. But at the moment the strikers I like on that tram, itâs a strain for Paulo and he doesnât want to move them.ââ
Osorio and assistant Richie Williams flew Friday to watch Atlanta Silverbacks striker Macoumba Kandji play vs. Miami. The 23-year-old from Senegal leads USL in goals (10) and points (25) and the Red Bulls have the top discovery claim on him, but Atlanta wants $200,000 for him.
Considering they’ve used the $400,000 from the sale of Jozy Altidore to get Jorge Rojas and Gabriel Cichero, that may be too rich for Osorio’s blood.
âSomebody somewhere doesnât quite understand the rules of the league, because for that money, itâs very difficult. Itâs not easy to say that much for a player. In this league $200,000 is a lot of money,ââ Osorio said. âIf Iâm honest itâs a lot. Everybody is entitled to put a price to what they have, but I think for that money itâs a lot.
âI think theyâre looking at the European market more than MLS market. I canât fault them for the way theyâre thinking. I can only say regardless of the ability of the player _ and he has ability _ itâs a lot of money for this league; so we have to be careful as to how much weâre going to spend and where.
âAt the present moment, heâs just one of the options we have. We have to make a decision soon but there are other options weâre considering and discussing at the moment.ââ
One undetermined target is a Caribbean, and two are in MLS. And no, Carlos Ruiz doesnât fit the mold. Think more like Coloradoâs Omar Cummings, although he isnât one of the two because the Rapids have no intention of giving up a cheap speedster. But clearly a player of that type.
