The New York Red Bulls have added some more depth to their side, officially signing a pair of international youngsters that have been with the club for several weeks now.
The Red Bulls announced on Monday afternoon that they signed Cameroonian midfielder Marius Obekop and Brazilian-Austrian forward Rafhinha. Both players had been trialing with New York since preseason and did enough to impress head coach Mike Petke and the Red Bulls staff.
“Both of these young players have shown signs that they can play at the Major League Soccer level and we are pleased to follow their progress this season,” Red Bulls sporting director Andy Roxburgh said in a statement released by the club.
Obekop, 18, was previously with Cameroon MTN Elite One side, Renaissance FC de Nhoumou, where he scored five goals in 18 games during the 2012 and helped his team to the quarterfinals of the Cameroon Cup.
A former member of the Arsenal de Yaoundé youth organization, Obekop debuted for the Cameroon Under-20 national team, appearing for his nation twice during the African Cup of Nations qualifying. He also featured with the Cameroon Under-17 squad starting in 2010.
Obekop will be added to the team's roster once their International Transfer Certificate is received.
Rafhinha (full name: Rafhael Domingues) was previously with Brazilian side Toledo since 2009. With Toledo, he was part of the squad that earned promotion to the Campeonato Paranaense First Division. He also had a stint with the youth squads at German side Borussia Dortmund. The 21-year-old was a member of the Austrian Under-18 national team in 2010 and tallied a pair of goals in his debut – a 3-1 win over the Czech Republic.
