MONTCLAIR, N.J. - Guillermo Imhoff, come on down. You're the latest contestant on New York Red Bulls trialist for the week.
The 25-year-old Argentinean defender, who last played for Austrian Bundesliga side Wacker Innsbruck, arrived in New Jersey Tuesday and trained with the Red Bulls for the rest of the week.
Imhoff, who also played for Colon de Sante Fe, Huracan de Tres Arroyos and Gimnasia de Jujuy, is currently out of contract and therefore not restricted by the MLS transfer window, which expired Tuesday.
"Every day I get more used to the way things go around here," the 6-foot-1 left-footed defender said through a translator. "This is the first day we trained on the grass field as opposed to the artificial turf. I'm not used to artificial turf, but I also understand that's the surface that is used here so I'm going to have to get used to it."
If signed, Imhoff would be the next of a long line of Argentineans to call Major League Soccer home. And because of that exposure, and a little research of his own, he learned about the league.
"Because of the transactions, bringing players like (Guillermo Barros) Schelotto, (Claudio) Lopez, the league is getting a lot of exposure in Argentina," Imhoff said. "I really don't know much about it, but I went onto the internet and did a little bit of research. As far as playing here, I'm looking forward to it and I would really like to stay here."
Imhoff said his trial will last 10 days. He is working on getting a Swiss passport (his grandfather is Swiss), which would open up more windows for him.
"There's a chance in June to go and play there," Imhoff said of Switzerland. "It's a long shot, but my main goal is to remain here with the Red Bulls. "
Imhoff follows Chris Innes, who returned to his native Scotland to weigh his options after a week-long trial. Innes, who was made redundant by cash-strapped and relegated Scottish Premier League side Gretna and is also out of contract, was solid in the air and is not ruled out by the Red Bulls.
"The good thing is, you guys know by now what is the criteria," Osorio said. "It's no secret, you know what we're looking for and if (Imhoff) fits the bill then it will be good. If not, we keep looking. We already passed many other options."
One player who will not be playing in MLS any time soon is Matt Kassel, the star of the Red Bulls academy system. The 18-year-old midfielder turned down the club's offer of a developmental contract.
"They came out with a developmental (contract), but that's not something I'm interested in right now," he said. "I'm not accepting a developmental contract at the moment."
While they turned down the offer of a developmental contract, Kassel and his father were hoping for a Generation adidas deal.
"My father and [Red Bulls technical director Jeff] Agoos met and ... that's what came out of it," Kassel said. "From what I understood, the Red Bulls didn't want to offer me the Generation adidas right now, but the league wanted to."
Agoos declined to speak about specifics about the contract talks. But he did discuss the club's reason for not signing Kassel.
"We feel that with the Generation adidas contract and being the first homegrown player and everything it involves, we wanted to make sure Matt had all the tools and every advantage he could before he steps into that position," Agoos said. "It's certainly a contract that we need to make sure on our end is handled the right way. We want to make sure Matt is ready to take that next step. We just think he needs a little more time."
Kassel, who trained with the Red Bulls first team Thursday, said he has no hard feelings. He plans on continuing to train with the first team until he joins the University of Maryland for preseason.
"It's a great club, I love being here and I'm going to continue to be here every day," Kassel said. "I'm going to continue to work hard and improve day in and day out until I know what I know I'm going to do. Right now I plan on attending the University of Maryland for the first year."
Dylan Butler is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
