The New York Red Bulls have four do-or-die matches remaining in the regular season, and they may be missing as many as three key contributors for part of that stretch.
Still jockeying to solidify their postseason standing, the Red Bulls could be without Tim Cahill, Roy Miller and Ambroise Oyongo next week due to the upcoming international FIFA dates.
The three players’ respective national teams – Australia, Costa Rica and Cameroon – have already notified New York of the call-ups, meaning that the trio could be unavailable for the club’s pivotal clash with playoff hopefuls Toronto FC on Oct. 11 as well as the initial preparations for the final home game of the season vs. the Columbus Crew on Oct. 19.
The Red Bulls, who currently sit in fifth place in the Eastern Conference, are working to see if they can strike deals to have their players stay put. That, however, seems unlikely as of now.
“With FIFA dates, you can’t say no,” said head coach Mike Petke. “But we’re obviously in talks with all the federations and players, and hopefully figure this out. Would I like to lose these guys? No. But at the end of the day, my hands are tied. It’s not up to me unfortunately.”
Potentially losing the three players – Cahill and Miller for friendlies, and Oyongo for African Cup of Nations qualifiers – at such a critical juncture in the year comes with the territory of having international players and is just another obstacle to tackle in the long and arduous mission that is the MLS season. Besides, New York have had plenty of experience with that this season.
The Red Bulls have lost both Miller and Cahill to international duty quite often this season, most notably during the World Cup, and have managed to grab results without them. That is especially true when it comes to Cahill, the gritty Australian veteran who has proven he can be a difference-maker in MLS, but has apparently lost a guaranteed place in New York's lineup in recent weeks due in part to his call-ups.
- Get more Red Bulls news at NewYorkRedBulls.com
“I see Tim as somebody that could play many positions,” said Petke. “A fully dedicated Tim and a fully fit Tim is huge for the Red Bulls. You have to balance all that out and it’s not easy, especially adjusting to a certain way over the last couple of games … to the way we’ve been playing lately.
“You have to find the pieces that fit. With Tim’s call-ups and injury concerns here and there, that’s why you’ve seen Tim play a couple of different positions. It’s a game-by-game thing, and we have to see what’s best for the team and where best the player fits.”
Franco Panizo covers the New York Red Bulls for MLSsoccer.com. He can be reached by email at Franco8813@gmail.com.
