The Zidane thread - merged with rumors.

Discussion in 'New York Red Bulls' started by metro1026, Feb 6, 2007.

  1. Oatmeal

    Oatmeal Member

    Dec 2, 2006
    SoccerScout where have you gone...any updates?
     
  2. CRSvideo

    CRSvideo Member

    Jul 24, 1999
    New York, NY
    I'm surprised this thread is still going. Entertaining.
     
  3. balatonsurfer

    balatonsurfer BigSoccer Yellow Card

    Jun 21, 2005
    Galbitown
    So? Rooney also has fewer goals in the EPL than Jay Demeritt and Bocanegra.
     
  4. MLSinHD

    MLSinHD Member

    Apr 1, 2004
    Boston
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    SoccerScout we need more updates...:) Hopefully he is still coming, although some on the Fire boards think he's going to them.
     
  5. FIFARay007

    FIFARay007 Member

    Feb 25, 2004
    CT
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    My point was that he came to NY for vacation and nothing came of it. It's called context. Don't take it out of it.
     
  6. j1mbr0wn

    j1mbr0wn Member

    Jun 3, 2005
    Newark, NJ
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Must be Ed Rooney you are talking about, since Wayne Rooney has 10 goals this season. Bocanegra and Demeritt both have 2 each.
     
  7. Oatmeal

    Oatmeal Member

    Dec 2, 2006
    I'l give this guys source the warrented two weeks, but a 1 week thing is also being mentioned for a signing by the Fire, so can red bull speed it up to the next half week? haha
     
  8. BorrachoNJ

    BorrachoNJ New Member

    Apr 8, 2001
    NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ
    Grace!
     
  9. Rooney20

    Rooney20 Member+

    Jan 8, 2007
    New York
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    The fire thing is compltely false...there was an article saying Zidane to Fire had a new angle...The chicago fan just said he had s aource....just to be a tool.

    I am also begining to htink this is false to since Soccer Scout is no where to be found.
     
  10. JoeW

    JoeW New Member

    Apr 19, 2001
    Northern Virginia, USA
    Steve Goff who I consider the Gold Standard for soccer journalism in this country has just reported for the second time in 3 days about the Zidane to Chicago rumor. He now says that based on a source that he knows and has been very reliable in the past, that the conversation between Zidane and Chicago (read: AEG) is on-going, serious and is likely to produce a decision by Monday.

    Goff indicates that Zidane wants to restart his career, feels it was tarnished by how it ended, does not want to go to Europe with a lot of media coverage and sensationalism. That Chicago and your team both made offers earlier and talked ended but that Zidane that restarted things with Chicago.

    I would guess that the decision to go with Reyna effectively precluded getting Zidane although it's also possible that Zidane would not have wanted NYC (media coverage kinds of stuff--though still not as bad as anyplace in Western Europe would have been).
     
  11. jevanvoo

    jevanvoo Member

    Nov 27, 2006
    Manhattan
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Why? You've been around long enough to know that we had 2 DP slots, Reyna only took one ;) Now I could see how if we had signed Materazzi, that might have precluded a Zizou signing...
     
  12. NYC_COSMOS

    NYC_COSMOS BigSoccer Supporter

    Jan 13, 2007
    Queens, NY
    Club:
    CA Vélez Sársfield
    Nat'l Team:
    Argentina
    Could you please post a link to the article. I'd love to see the rest of the article.
     
  13. Papin

    Papin BigSoccer Supporter

    Nov 19, 1998
    le côté obscur
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  14. The Cold Sea

    The Cold Sea Señor Mejor

    Feb 17, 2005
    The District
    Club:
    Chelsea FC
    Nat'l Team:
    --other--
    True, but you have to think of salary cap space and using the second DP. Dunno if there is any space in your cap to use the second DP. It's not a freebee. It has to count max MLS salary toward the cap. I wish one of the players would hurry up and leak the salary list the players union gets every year to the press so we don't have to guess where everyone's at....
     
  15. phillips10

    phillips10 New Member

    Oct 15, 2001
    Cranford
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    this Zidano to chicago then still sounds like a very longshot, but man if that ever happened RB would have to answer Chi and LA if not now then in the summer...
     
  16. viper

    viper New Member

    Jun 7, 2000
    Paramus, NJ
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  17. Swami

    Swami Member

    Mar 5, 2005
    Well, if we could get Zidane, it's a no brainer to dump some guys to free up cap space.
     
  18. Swami

    Swami Member

    Mar 5, 2005
    I'm not sure whom they could answer with. We can't get guys in their prime, so what other 30-34 yr old superstars are there out there?

    If Chicago got Zidane, RB would look pretty sad...especially if Delgado is the 2nd DP.
     
  19. JoeW

    JoeW New Member

    Apr 19, 2001
    Northern Virginia, USA
    Someone else posted the URL to the Goff article. FWIW, John Dyson who is at Bradenton said (after Goff's original post several days ago about Zizou and Chicago in serious talks) that he spoke to someone at Bradenton NOT connected with DC United and was told the same thing.

    Yeah, theoretically you could try and use a second DP on Zidane.

    1. Realistically, Reyna is your A-mid. People can talk about him being a D-mid but that's not really a good fit at his age. And Zidane really isn't a forward or winger--he's an A-mid.

    2. Yes, you've got two DP slots. One is used on Reyna who has a multi-year contract. Schoop is grandfathered in for this year and under contract for next year (when the grandfathering doesn't apply). You could always trade one (although I'd be very skeptical if that would work--Schoop is partially paid for by RB-Austria. I imagine that something me be able to be worked out but there would be some hurdles. I suspect that both Schoop and Reyna have guaranteed contracts so cutting one of them isn't likely an option). You could always take the attitude of sign someone for 2007 and worry about 2008 when that comes around. Certainly LA is in that position (but at least they can trade for a second DP). Doesn't mean it's unworkable, just that's it's very, very convoluted to sign Zidane this year.

    3. Cap-wise, it would be a struggle. Agoos said you can't afford a second DP cap-wise. Okay, maybe he was blowing smoke. You could certainly cut players. But the guys you'd have to cut would be making decent wage: Van den Bergh, Wattereus, Kovalenko--players like that. Not developmental or min. wage/roster bubble players.

    4. You made an offer to Zidane. He turned you down. Evidently he then re-approached Chicago after you made the deal for Reyna. I don't mean to imply that the Reyna deal influenced his actions, only that he didn't reapproach Red Bull NY.

    In any case, Goff says we'll likely have a decision by Monday.
     
  20. Prazan

    Prazan New Member

    Aug 28, 2006
    Prague
    It is clear from the preseason that Arena is leaning towards playing a 4-5-1/4-3-3 combination with three central midfielders. Zidane, Reyna, and Kovalenko would fit perfectly there.

    Link? Because everything I've read said that Schopp is only on loan for the end of last year plus this year. Given that he is going to turn 34, I doubt he would return in 2008 anyway, but that is a problem for then.

    Not at all. We could simpy trade Conway (and possibly a draft pick) to someone for a partial allocation and apply that against the cap, as we are apparently close to being able to fit a 2nd DP under the cap but a bit short, per Agoos. Given that in the Toronto/LA trade on draft day, a first round pick was traded for a partial allocation, that is obviously doable.

    Link? Because that is the first that I've heard that we made an actual offer, had it turned down, and that then Zidane approached Chicago. Goff certainly hasn't written that, so I would love to see a source for that big news. That's quite a scoop!

    The bigger question with getting Zidane would be our forwards. Is Arena comfortable going into the season with Altidore, Wolyniec, and, apparently Toure as the target strikers in this formation? If not, and he still feels that he needs Delgado or someone like him, then that could be the biggest stumbling block to even pursuing Zidane, assuming that he is actually available.
     
  21. golazo68

    golazo68 Member+

    Dortmund
    United States
    May 21, 2004
    Brazil
    I hope to goodness Zidane goes to Chicago...

    Because it will finally push Bruce to get off his ass and use the 2nd DP
    (albeit he'll try to compete with what he has first....that way, if they do flop- Bruce the Boss looks like a genius).

    But I think Beckham/Zidane would not flop, and put some real pressure on NY to do something special.

    Which would be good for MLS.


    This is not the NASL with 20 out of 24 teams blowing out their budgets (trying to play catch up). The Beckham decision is already off to a nice start paying for itself, and even if Zidane flops, its a couple year write off for a company as massive as AEG.

    I would not feel bad about Red Bull *somehow* making a mistake with Rivaldo (or someone), if they didn't work out. Given how they throw marketing dollars around, that just one material project that didn't work out. It wouldn't sink the company.

    Given we are talking only Red Bull and AEG- what's the big deal to making this league more relevant?

    Regardless, I think you guys will be good this year BUT with Beckham/Zidane, I don't see you being the top club down the stretch (who knows playoffs), and if you don't win the championship, the drumbeat will be deafening to add that extra player.
     
  22. dark knight

    dark knight Super Moderator
    Staff Member

    Dec 15, 1999
    Club:
    Leicester City FC
    Golazo - this is the Red Bull forum for fans of the team - your commentary about Bruce and what's best for MLS belongs in MLS N&A or General.
     
  23. JoeW

    JoeW New Member

    Apr 19, 2001
    Northern Virginia, USA
    Prazan, I really didn't post to try and pick a fight or to troll, I just wanted to post some info. There had been a rumor earlier that Zidane and your team were talking. Now the info (from a pretty good source) is that, your team did talk to Zidane and if Zidane signs with MLS, it will be with Chicago.

    As to your responses.

    1. We'll have to disagree. I don't think it very logical that you spend two DP slots on Reyna and Zidane. As you mention at the bottom of your post, the forward issue would probably preclude it. As I said, by acquiring Reyna, you effectively took yourself out of the possibility of acquiring Zidane. Reyna is your a-mid and it makes sense to use the DP slot on other needs.

    2. As for cap issues, I completely agree there are ways to fit a second DP in. Trading for allocations, trading for cap space (going rate is a first round pick), cutting players--all would create cap space. But Agoos said you didn't have the cap room to use a second DP, Arena's comment was that the team could easily fit a second DP in by cutting players. My only point I've consistently made about adding a bunch of high-salaried players is that it creates a cap crunch that makes guys like Van den Bergh, Wattereus, Kovalenko, etc. difficult to afford. Metro (in the past) and DCU have both gone that route (a couple of big budget players and a lot of min. salary players) before. Agoos has spoken to this point publicly.

    3. I don't have a link that Schopp is out of contract for 2008. I was talking to one soccer journalist who had said "it will be interesting to see what Red Bull does with Schopp in 2008 if they add a second DP this year." And I thought Schopp on his website indicated that he had signed with Red Bull Salzburg for 3 years. But I could be wrong. Do you have a link indicating otherwise? You said you'd read he was out of contract/loan over after this season.

    4. Regarding "made an offer to Zidane" this is what Goff wrote: "Chicago and New York expressed interest earlier this winter, but negotiations stalled." I guess I'm guilty of assuming that "negotiations stalled" means that the two sides were actually talking at some point. You seem to be saying that no such prior negotiation took place. Do you have a link for that?

    All I tried to say in the earlier post was this: your team negotiated with Zidane earlier and those talks ended. You then signed Reyna. Zidane than began talks with Chicago. Goff says a decision could come by this Monday.
     
  24. dark knight

    dark knight Super Moderator
    Staff Member

    Dec 15, 1999
    Club:
    Leicester City FC
    Which is why the Reyna as DP signing sucks - maybe no one is to blame and we are suffering from Zidane being wishy washy - but Reyna hasn't really been an effective A-mid since college has he? The likelihood that if Zidane signs we'll have an injured Reyna watching from the stands while Zidane is ripping defenses to shreds seems high. I'll be really pissed if a player like Zidane goes to Chicago while we get Reyna and ? out of two DPs after all the Red Bull has money and Ronaldo et. al. tease. If we're not going to sign a forward this season with the DP slot, then I'd rather have Reyna and Zidane and make it work.

    At least we haven't seen a thread about conspiracies to make the NY franchise better in a long time.

    Ugh.
     
  25. NYC_COSMOS

    NYC_COSMOS BigSoccer Supporter

    Jan 13, 2007
    Queens, NY
    Club:
    CA Vélez Sársfield
    Nat'l Team:
    Argentina
    But being that the MLS is in reality a single entity then what affects one team affects them all. In this case a huge signing like Zidane and its ripple effects will influence all. Just look at what Beckham did for season ticket sales. Another aspect to consider is how RB as a teams stands after losing/winning a big signing like that. At the end of the day in a league like ours, everything is very very dependent on another.
     

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