Opening Remarks
Red Bull New York Sporting Director/head coach Bruce Arena:
It is my pleasure on behalf of the New York Red Bulls to announce today the signing of Colombian striker Juan Pablo Angel. As you know, Juan Pablo's last club was Aston Villa in the Premiership. We are fortunate in being able to sign him as of Friday.
In November of 2006, we traded with the Chivas USA team in Major League Soccer for a second Designated Player. At that time, it was our hopes to be able to bring in a proven forward and a proven midfielder, and I feel with the acquisitions of Claudio Reyna and now Juan Pablo Angel, we've met those goals. We believe that Juan Pablo is going to be a fantastic addition, not only to our club, but to Major League Soccer.
We look forward to having Juan Pablo in New York. We look forward to him being a very productive player for us and our team and our staff are very excited to have him.
Forward Juan Pablo Angel:
I am extremely excited about this opportunity, and I would like to thank not just Bruce and his coaching staff, but Marc de Grandpre, Jeff (Agoos) and the club and all the people that made this deal happen.
It is a great honor to be part of the Red Bulls - a very successful company - and also to be part of all the plans that they have in Major League Soccer and soccer worldwide. I just cannot wait to join up with my teammates and to start playing as soon as I can.
Question & Answer Session
Forward Juan Pablo Angel:
On why he wants to play in the U.S. and why he wants to play for the Red Bulls:
There are plenty of reasons why I made the decision to go to Major League Soccer. First of all, because of the manager. He is the most successful manager in American soccer history and the company behind this project is extremely successful - Red Bull. And also, I think that Major League Soccer is making all the effort they can just to make this league a very good league known all over the world. So for me, I am very glad to be part of this project and to help in a way, just to do something for the league.
On how much he knows about the team and what his memories are from playing in Giants Stadium for Colombia in an international friendly two years ago:
The coach, he's really the main reason for me being there, and I know there are four or five international players. Claudio Reyna obviously, who I played against many times in the Premier League, and his quality speaks for itself. (Dave) Van den Bergh, the Dutch player, and the Dutch goalkeeper (Ronald Waterreus) as well was an international player. And this youngster, the striker, that everyone is talking about right now. I think he is going to be a very important player, not just for the Red Bulls but the national team - (Jozy) Altidore is his name. So I know just a couple guys on the team, and hopefully in the next couple of weeks I will get to know much more.
It was a great opportunity because Giants Stadium is a fantastic place to be. The atmosphere that day was brilliant, and obviously it was a friendly game. We were about to play two very important games for qualification for the World Cup against Ecuador and Peru, but it was a great game, the atmosphere was fantastic.
On how quickly he will be able to play for the Red Bulls:
Hopefully it will happen in the next couple of days - the sooner the better for me. I just cannot wait to get there as soon as I can. I believe I'm just waiting for the working visa to be in place and after that, I'll be taking the plane to join the squad.
On how other Designated Player signings affected his decision:
It did play a part - David Beckham and all these big names going to the league - but the main reason for me was to look at the project itself. When I had the opportunity to talk to Bruce and Jeff and Marc a couple of weeks ago and they told me what they were trying to do for the near future and the longer term, I thought that it was a great opportunity for me to part of them, to be part of this project.
But obviously the fact that Major League Soccer is trying to improve the league by bringing in well-known players from all over the world to try to make the league more impressive...it has been a great help for me as well.
On his experience playing against former MLS players in England and how much he knows about the league in general:
As you know, there are many players here from America. And they're all very settled in here and they're doing great - especially the guys at Fulham. But I basically started to get to know a little bit more about the league in the last couple of weeks when I started to do the research.
But I'm more excited about going in there and to start to get to know myself, in person, what the league situation is and the way it develops and everything. I would like to be part of it, and when I made my mind up there was no way back....thanks to everyone at Red Bull - the company and the coaching staff - for making it happen. It's a great opportunity for me.
I think obviously that the quality of life for my family and my kids is going to be great.
On whether any adjustment will be needed in transitioning to the American style of play:
I think every change takes time for you to adjust. Hopefully it won't take too long...and the fact that I know the language already is going to be a big help for me. It takes time just to get used to the style of the game, the pace of the game, and your teammates.
On the Colombian population of the NY/NJ area:
As you know, we are just in the final part of the season, so I've been really busy in training and so I didn't really have a chance to speak to anyone just yet. Everything has happened so quick[ly], but obviously the fact that there is a large Colombian community and Hispanic community is going to be a massive help for me and my family and I'm really looking forward to it.
Sporting Director/Head Coach Bruce Arena:
On the process to acquire a forward:
In November, we started this process. And Jeff, you can correct me, maybe 25 to 50 names of strikers and he would give them to me and I would always say, 'until we get a no from Juan Pablo, I don't want to hear anybody else'. And you know all the rumors have circulated, but this is the player we've always wanted.
Things came together over the last three of four weeks, but we never quit trying for Juan Pablo, although at times it seemed like it would never happen...He's the one we wanted - we've had names and you can't believe the amount of inquiries that Jeff [Agoos] received - but this was always the player we wanted and I think the fact that we acquired him is fantastic.
He's a goal scorer, he knows how to get in front of the goal and he finishes off plays, something that we obviously lack.
His qualities off the field are remarkable... not only being bilingual, but as you can see he's very intelligent. He knows exactly what he's gotten into and he's excited for this opportunity. You see, you can bring the best player in the world here, and if the attitude isn't right, it's not going to work. And I think we have a combination of factors here that hopefully will lead to a successful career with the Red Bulls.
On the search for the second Designated Player:
We could have signed 20 players already. But we weren't in panic mode, we wanted to have the right kind of player. We were patient enough, and if we had to we would have waited for the June transfer window. We felt we had to do this right and that's the whole purpose for acquiring a second Designated Player.
On Angel's attitude:
When I spoke to him two or three weeks ago, I was sold on him. I was absolutely impressed with the type of person he was. He was pretty sincere...this was certainly a person that really wanted to come here and do well.
Techincal Director Jeff Agoos
On Angel:
We made a highlight reel a few weeks back to show some of the people in Salzburg and over half of his goals were...where he just had more desire than the defender to get in front of the goal and put himself in the right spot and we feel that if he can do that here, he's going to be a big payoff.
On how many players were discussed:
We had quite a few. Bruce and I discussed many players and Bruce always said Juan Pablo was always the target and we were waiting to hear a 'no' before we moved on.
On how soon Angel will be able to join the team:
We wanted him here yesterday. We obviously want it to be as quick as possible, but with the government red tape and issues with the league, it slowed that process down. So at the soonest point we can bring him here we will...we're thinking weeks.
Red Bulls player quotes
Forward Jozy Altidore:
"I've known about this guy for such a long time. He's sick. He's a fantastic addition to our team and I can't wait to work with him."
"He's been playing at the top level for years now. He's scored many goals and I can't wait for him to get here and to learn from him. I'm very excited."
Defender Todd Dunivant:
"Bringing Juan Pablo to our team, it adds another dimension that we've been looking for a long time. It just makes us that much better as a team and that much more dangerous. I think that we've been looking to strengthen our attack a little bit and we've done that by bringing him in. It's a good thing for our team - it gives all of us confidence and the competition for spots. I think it will make things much more intense and that's a good thing for a team."
Defender Carlos Mendes:
"I think it's really exciting for all of the players and our fans. I know I'm a huge fan of his. I've been watching him in the Premiership over the past few years and he's a world class player. I'm obviously excited to have a chance to play with him."
Midfielder Claudio Reyna:
"I had the chance to play against Juan Pablo (in the EPL). His experience and his ability as a goal-scorer is definitely going to strengthen our team. He is very active, dangerous in the box and is a true goal-scorer. He is very good in the air and has good feet, all the qualities that a top striker should have. I think we are very lucky to be getting someone at this stage in his career from a quality team like Aston Villa."
Midfielder Dave van den Bergh:
"I think that it shows that Red Bull is very serious about wanting a championship team in New York."
"Obviously, we haven't done poorly up front, but a player of his caliber is only going to be helpful in a lot of ways to elevate our game."
