By BRIAN LEWIS
Apparently Juan Carlos Osorio has seen enough of Guillermo Imhoff, with the left-footed defenderâs trial coming to an end today. But that doesnât mean that heâs completely closed the door for good on the Argentine, or on Scotsman Chris Innes, either.
Visa issues were preventing Imhoff from playing in Fridayâs reserve game at Toronto, but Osorio said heâd done enough homework to be abler to gauge what the 25-year-oldâs strengths and weaknesses are, and the club felt comfortable bringing the trial to an end.
âOn Guillermo, weâve seen him for a couple of weeks, and we want to allow him to go back and take a look at other players weâve had in,ââ said sporting director Jeff Agoos. âWe had Chris Innes in here, weâve had Guillermo and weâre looking at some other players, so weâre going to make a decision in the next couple of weeks. Thereâs no need for Guillermo to stay here.ââ
When asked if Imhoff was in the same boat with Innes, the former Gretna captain who had trailed and been left in a holding pattern, Agoos said âYes. We havenât made any decisions on that position yet.ââ
New Zealand international Andrew Boyens made the trip to Toronto, and is expected to play in Fridayâs reserve game against his former club.
âHeâs playing in the reserve game (Friday) for sure,ââ Osorio said. âAt the moment thatâs the plan to have an answer for (Boyens) by this weekend.ââ
Osorio has said he has at least two more defenders in mind, one of whom is playing now and whose season will come to a close in the next week or two _ unless his team finds itself in league playoffs, forcing the Red Bulls to wait. It wonât affect much, because even if he comes on trial then, he still canât sign until the summer window.
âWe donât know right now,ââ Agoos said. âWeâre trying to look at as many guys as possible, so we may, we may not. It depends on the timing.ââ
He also has another high-profile _ and more expensive _ defender that will be out of contract in the summer that heâs eagerly awaiting, and heâs loath to do anything that would jeopardize that signing. But Boyens is more of a right-back, while Imhoff _ and this mystery man _ are left-footed centerbacks, so that bodes well for the reasonably-priced, 24-year-old Kiwi.
