E. RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Just when John Wolyniec thought he was out, the New York Red Bulls dragged him back in.
On Thursday, the eight-year veteran striker from Staten Island was traded from the Los Angeles Galaxy to the Red Bulls for a pair of draft picks in 2007 and 2008. He will play for the home team at Giants Stadium for a third time; his last two stints were with the MetroStars.
"It's definitely exciting. One of the things that's tough about being a professional soccer player is being on the road all the time, having to be away from family and friends," Wolyniec said. "To come back to New York is a great thing for me. I'm excited about it and I'm excited about playing for Red Bull."
Wolyniec, who is a fan favorite here because of his work ethic and ability to finish around goal, was scheduled to fly from Los Angeles to Columbus on Friday and is expected to be available for selection for Saturday's game against the Crew.
New Red Bulls coach Bruce Arena hinted at a trade following Wednesday's scoreless draw with D.C. United and it was fairly evident, with the departure of Jean Philippe Peguero to Brondby in Denmark, the struggles of Edson Buddle and Mike Magee's knee injury, that the Red Bulls needed help up front.
Wolyniec isn't Eddie Johnston, whose name was bandied about in trade rumors, but he is a big, physical presence up front and has a knack for scoring big goals.
"We are very happy to have John return home to the Red Bulls," Arena said. "His veteran leadership and experience will greatly benefit our team and we are excited to welcome back a true fan favorite to the metropolitan area."
Wolyniec first played for the MetroStars in 1999, then returned in 2003 for his second stint until he was traded, along with a partial allocation, to Columbus for Ante Razov. His stay in Columbus was just 11 months as he was dealt to Los Angeles on May 12 with Kyle Martino for Joseph Ngwenya and Ned Grabavoy.
In case you've lost count, Arena is his seventh coach in two years.
"Before this trade I brought it up to a couple of people that I played for six coaches in the last two years," Wolyniec said. "It's pretty interesting."
Wolyniec also has the distinction of being traded by Alexi Lalas twice in a 15-month span, joining Todd Dunivant in the twice-dealt by Lalas club.
"John has expressed a desire to return home and we feel that he has earned the right to be accommodated," Lalas said. "We were fairly compensated by New York and we wish John well as he continues his career."
Even though he played for the home team at Giants Stadium at the start of last season, so much has changed since then. There's a new owner, a new name and now a new coach, the same coach who gave him his first two - and only - caps on the U.S. national team in 2004.
"New York has always been in constant change, so that's nothing new, but this time it's a different kind of change," Wolyniec said. "Anytime you have a coach of Bruce Arena's caliber, you know you're going to have success as an organization. He's going to be here for a long time. The team needs a little bit of stability and I think he provides that. It's exciting to be coming back to the team at this moment."
How Wolyniec will be utilized Saturday night in Columbus remains to be seen, but he'll certainly add attacking depth to a team that has been bitten by the injury bug. Danny O'Rourke and Seth Stammler return after serving one-game suspensions against D.C. United and it will be interesting to see where Dema Kovalenko plays now.
He was solid as the holding midfielder behind Amado Guevara Wednesday night, limiting Christian Gomez's touches. But he can also play on the left and the right, positions normally occupied by Chris Henderson and Stammler.
In a three-way tie for third place in the Eastern Conference, the Red Bulls ride a five-game unbeaten streak to Columbus against a Crew team that hasn't won in 13 games and is in last place in the East. The teams played to a scoreless draw at Giants Stadium June 28, Youri Djorkaeff's last league game before returning against D.C. United Wednesday, and the Red Bulls came away with a 2-0 win at Columbus on July 19.
Dylan Butler is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
