With the Red Bulls having lost starting defenders Jeff Parke and Diego Jimenez as well as backup Gabriel Cichero, their defense is thinned-out and their fans stressed out. And the news that Babajide Ogunbiyi isn’t under contract has added to the hysteria.
Since MLS hadn’t offered the big Nigerian a deal before the Red Bulls drafted him in the second round, he decided to finish school at Santa Clara and won’t join the team until March _ if at all. Still, sporting director Jeff Agoos said the team knew he wasn’t signed and understood the risk, but claims Ogunbiyi’s decision is about education, not compensation.
“It’s always a possibility when players aren’t signed that anything could happen. They could go abroad, go to the USL, stay in school. All those are things we know,” Agoos said. “We’d hoped in picking him that he’d be able to come in and immediately start preseason with us, but to Jide’s credit he said I’m about to finish up school.”
Santa Clara is on the quarter system, finishing on March 16 or 17. But even though the 6-4, 212-pounder is a finance major, Agoos insists this decision wasn’t about finances per se or trying to wrangle a better contract out of Red Bull/MLS, but about getting a diploma.
“We laid out what our preseason is going to be, because if he does stay the entire time he’d join us at the end of preseason,” Agoos said. “I said I’ll respect your decision whatever you want to do. We’d love to have you in here. If you do decide to stay in school, just understand there’ll be a lot of catching up to do, but we do want to see you in here as early as you can
“We want him to come here. The only discussions we’ve had with Jide and his agent Patrick McCabe have been about school. As far as I know, those are the only issues. I respect him for wanting to stay in school that’s a difficult choice to make. It’s a very mature decision he’s had to come to.” Agoos said Ogunbiyi looked into the possibility of finishing online or at Rutgers, but it wasn’t feasible with the core courses needed.
When I asked Juan Carlos Osorio about how feasible it was for a green rookie like Ogunbiyi to make up the lost time _ remember, he’s raw technically and just switched from striker to centerback halfway through this past collegiate season _ the coach said he’d have to see him practice first.
As far as other possible defenders linked with Red Bull, sources said the team would definitely be interested in Gregg Berhalter if the former U.S. National Team member becomes available. The 35-year-old Tenafly (NJ) native’s contract at 1860 Munich runs out after this 2.Bundesliga campaign, meaning he could join the Red Bulls midseason.
Well, except for MLS’ ofttimes-arcane rules. National team players can’t be discovery picks, they’d go via allocation order, like Brian McBride did to Chicago. How long does a player have to be retired to not be a Nat? Nobody seems to know; sounds liked an arbitrary case-by-case scenario.
But the Red Bulls _ who were No. 1 on the allocation list last year _ have now dropped to 13th after it reset. So either way, unless Berhalter flat-out says I’ll only sign in New York, forcing a deal to be worked out with San Jose for the top spot, him coming to Red Bull is about as long a shot as me winning the lotto. And I don’t even play the lotto.
Another rumor floating around is that Red Bull was the MLS club that the Washington Post alluded to as having interest in Gonzalo Martinez. It makes sense, since he’s left-footed, played for Osorio at Millonarios in 2007, is a Colombian National Teamer, and is available after United didn’t pick up his $245,000 option. But my sources say they just don’t see it being likely.
