Since the New York Red Bulls were eliminated from the MLS Cup Playoffs and Thierry Henryannounced he would not be returning, there was a sense that 2014 was the close of a cycle for RBNY.
And many just assumed that like Henry, Designated Player Tim Cahill would also be moving on as the Red Bulls get off to a fresh start in 2015.
“Who knows, mate,” Cahill told Empire of Soccer on Nov. 30 about his future plans. “You know. I’m going to have a little break with the kids. Chill out. I’m going to play in Asia Cup and try and do well for my country. I’ll talk with the club afterwards but I’ve enjoyed it. It’s been an unbelievable two and a half years."
Those sounded like words from a player who has entertained the possibility that he may not return to the Red Bulls, who left him unprotected for last week's Expansion Draft (Orlando City and New York City FC did not pull the trigger).
What's the latest on the Cahill front? Well, the player himself provided the update in an interview with Fox Sports in Sydney upon his return to his native Australia to begin preparations for the upcoming Asian Cup (WATCH it here). The 35-year-old was asked about his future and whether he'd been released a year early from his RBNY contract.
"They [Red Bulls] let me go? Look, for me it's easy. I've got loads of options, but if I want to stay [with the Red Bulls], I'll stay," Cahill said. "I only join a club with a vision and if the vision is fulfilled, then I'll fulfill it and if it's not, then I'll fulfill it somewhere else.
"So it's a great club [RBNY], great set-up, great people and we're on great terms. But at the end of the day for me it's more about my family and what's good for international football."
What Cahill did definitively rule out was a move to the Australian A-League -- "for me, that's probably still a little bit down the track," he said.
Australia will play host to the Asian Cup from Jan. 9 through Jan. 31 and they find themselves in Group A with Korea Republic, Kuwait and Oman.
