Entering his second Major League Soccer season, Claudio Reyna is already about to play for his second coach. Such is life with the New York Red Bulls.
Fortunately for the Red Bulls captain, he is reuniting with Juan Carlos Osorio, a former assistant coach at Manchester City, where Reyna played for four years before coming to MLS.
"He's a good, honest man for the team," Reyna told reporters earlier this week at the Red Bulls training facilities at Montclair State University. "I think the players are going to see that. He's going to treat everybody the same. When I was at Man City he didn't play favorites with anyone as assistant coach and everyone respected him for that."
The quality that Osorio possesses that impresses Reyna the most is his preparation, both in terms of games and training sessions. That's a big reason why Osorio is known as "the professor."
"I said to the guys, 'You're really going to enjoy him because you're going to learn, all the guys are going to learn new things and new training methods,'" Reyna said. "Even myself and Juan (Pablo Angel), guys who have been around, are going to learn new things so I'm really looking forward to working with him on his project to build a winning team and build success here."
While Reyna has pledged he wants to play for the Red Bulls, the same could be said about Osorio coaching here, according to Reyna.
"Knowing him back then, it might have been said that he always wanted to come back here, and it's true," Reyna said of Osorio. "He always did, this was the job he always wanted in this area."
Reyna was the first designated player to step on the field for the Red Bulls last year and brought with him a high price tag and some lofty expectations.
But the oft-injured former captain of the U.S. national team had a fairly disappointing first season in MLS. He had no goals and just three assists and the final image of him limping off the field at Gillette Stadium in the second leg of the Eastern Conference Semifinal Series was one seen too often for many frustrated Red Bulls fans.
That led to speculation that Reyna, 34, might retire. It's a rumor Reyna addressed in his first public comments since the playoff ouster and the departure of former coach Bruce Arena.
"I don't even want to talk about that all year, I really don't," Reyna said. "The club and team is always more important than what I'm doing.
"Lies have been made up, I don't know from where," he added. "I think people just talk. It's ridiculous. I don't speak to (anyone) about that. I speak to my wife. I'm a private guy, I stay at home ... I don't do anything. I don't know where these things come from. To me, they're a joke, to be honest."
Reyna said any talk of retirement would be made with the Red Bulls following the 2008 season.
"I'm here, I spoke to the coach, and I made it clear from day one that I wanted to stay here and be a part of this team, as far as with the new regime," Reyna said. "We're all looking forward to this year."
Dylan Butler is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
