Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Red Bulls Release Chinn and Garcia

On Monday, my Viper's Nest colleague Glenn Williams identified second year players Conor Chinn and Irving Garcia as two of the most vulnerable Red Bulls as we approached the MLS roster compliance deadline.  Today, both players were waived. Their departure shouldn't come as a massive surprise.  Neither played a minute of a league game in 2010, though both contributed in friendlies and during the US Open Cup qualification stages. [Edit. My friend Homebrew corrects me on Chinn. He did make sub appearances five times, for a total of 29 minutes.]

Chinn's most memorable moment as a Red Bull will no doubt be scoring against Juventus in the friendly at Red Bull Arena last summer, a game in which Garcia (pictured above) also turned a few heads. Both showed flashes of skill, but were never able to crack the first team. We at the Viper's Nest would like to wish both players the very best as they take the next step in their careers. Given the addition of Corey Hertzog in the Superdraft and RBNY's abundance of midfield options, the moves make sense, even if they signal the dissolution of last year's "Baby Bulls."  We should see still more roster movement as the season approaches, with Teemu Tainio expected to sign a deal and the Red Bulls still pursuing midfield options.

Also today, the club announced the appointment of David Lee, formerly part of the staff of English club Exeter City, as performance analyst.  Lee will be tasked with helping improve team performance through video analysis and opposition scouting. Meanwhile, the firings of Richie Williams and Des McAleenan remain murky, with some outlets claiming the moves were part of a "power play" by Erik Soler and Hans Backe, while other sources informed us that the two were fired for cause. We may never know the full story. Whatever the case may be, the Red Bulls are clearly back on the market for coaching help. Could we see Mike Petke step in on an interim basis?
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