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Here are some Red Bull notes to chew on before they start the Dead Man Walking portion of the season Saturday against Chivas USA:
Captain Juan Pablo Angel practiced with the team yesterday, but by himself today. He’s still listed as questionable, and it’s hard to say if he’ll go against Chivas USA. But I know the team physician Dr. Riley Williams said he wanted the striker symptom-free from his grade 2 concussion for a week before he let him play, and it hasn’t been a week yet…
Midfielder Jorge Rojas trained today and is also listed as questionable. Left back Alfredo Pacheco is back from El Salvador’s World Cup qualifier and trained today as well. Personally, I wouldn’t start either one of them, but that’s just me. I’d go with Austrian newcomer Ernst Oebster at left wing. He looked good early in Trinidad before wilting in the Caribbean heat _ I assume it ain’t quite that steamy in Salzburg _ but I think he needs to play the rest of the way. And I’d start second-year South African Danleigh Borman at left back, not based on Pacheco’s fatigue but overall poor play.
Dane Richards, after a decent performance in Jamaica’s friendly against Ecuador Wednesday at Giants Stadium, practiced partially Thursday and fully today. With Mac Kandji already ruled out _ yet again _ and Angel questionable, it seems likely Richards finds his way into the lineup up front.
*** Argentine signee Walter Garcia is expected to arrive shortly, just waiting the final touches on his paperwork. It’ll be interesting to see if the 25-year-old defender will be able to regain the form that made him a highly-sought after prospect in South America before struggling in Europe.
*** Meanwhile Mexican defender Randy Scott Santana’s trial ended yesterday. The former Tecos teammate of Diego Jimenez is flying out today. I’ll try to find out if there was any outcome, but like I told you before I got the vibe he was a longshot for this year and more of a guy to keep an eye on for training camp _ that is, if Jeff Agoos and/or Osorio are around for 2010.
*** Lastly, I’m told that the Red Bulls are aware of young Napoli attacker Vincenzo Bernardo’s interest in MLS, but they haven’t yet had any real internal dialogue about pursuing him. And what’s more, a league source said the club did NOT put him on their homegrown player’s list, so they won’t have any sort of edge or claim to him even if they wanted him.
