Based on the pointed comments of his former charges, it's no wonder Hans Backe is no longer at the helm of the New York Red Bulls.
With MLS' star power gathered in New York on Monday and Tuesday this week for a media tour – check out an exclusive ExtraTime Radio featuring a roundtable with Tim Cahill, Jay DeMerit, Dan Kennedy and Dwayne De Rosario – there were bound to be some revelations. None were more brutally honest than De Rosario and Cahill's evaluations regarding what went wrong with a massively talented Red Bulls squad.
“It was a team where you couldn’t go wrong. [Backe] had all the tools. [He] just didn’t know how to use the tools,” De Rosario told the Sporting News. “They lacked the organization because of the lack of information they were getting.”
Of course, some might take those words with a grain of salt. After all, De Rosario spent a brief spell with New York during his 2011 MLS MVP season before being traded to D.C. United. Then again, when Cahill – clearly a huge supporter of new head coach Mike Petke – follows up with similar sentiments, the argument becomes that much more compelling.
“It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see what happened last season,” Cahill said. “It seemed very open and messy. There was no stability, whereas now there’s stability. There’s Petke.”
There's certainly no shortage of support for the new boss among Red Bulls players, and Petke may have another talented personality in the fold if the reports are to be believed. Supposedly, striker Péguy Luyindula is close to signing with New York. (FRENCH)
The Red Bulls also picked up Eric Alexander from Portland on Monday in exchange for allocation money. He joins former FC Dallas teammates Heath Pearce and Dax McCarty in the Big Apple.
Cahill wasn't the only New York Designated Player to voice an opinion on Monday. Thierry Henry chimed in on how to punish teams with racially abusive fans. His answer might surprise you.
Sacir Hot was crushed when he was cut by his hometown club, but the former Red Bulls prospect has finally landed on his feet. Read his account here.
In case you missed it, MLS Jersey Week is almost here. See when each club's jerseys will be unveiled. More than just the numbers are changing this season.
Frank Lampard keeps showing Chelsea what they'll miss if they allow the club legend to leave this summer, but Robbie Keane hopes that won't stop the England man from ending up in LA.
"Listen, we need players like that, and bringing in a Frank Lampard would obviously be good for the team," Keane said. "So hopefully, we will see him soon."
The Galaxy could use a little extra punch after Home Grown striker Gyasi Zardes was forced to go under the knife. He is expected to miss six to eight weeks.
Meanwhile, D.C. United are looking for some more attacking verve themselves, and they could very well replace the departed Andy Najar with another Honduran to accomplish that. Unlike Najar, though, Walter Martínez is a World Cup vet.
Bright Dike's ACL injury robbed Portland of a potential starting forward, but they've got a potential replacement in camp. Find out who here, and listen to what head coach Caleb Porter had to say as the team left for Arizona.
Speaking of Timbers forwards, Kris Boyd may end up with Nottingham Forest in the English Championship.
One player who won't be signing with Portland is EPL veteran Mikaël Silvestre. He's already joined up with archrivals Seattle after training with their Rose City neighbors.
Can he last longer than Shalrie Joseph? That remains to be seen, but Goal.com's Kyle McCarthy takes a closer look at Joseph's situation with Chivas USA.
The dreadlocked midfielder's former club was also active on Monday. The Revolution signed two players, both former MLSers who went off the beaten path for a bit before returning to the league.
Toronto FC's Stefan Frei's back in surgery. This time for a broken nose suffered against the Crew in Orlando. Meanwhile, his new head coach – former Kiwi captain Ryan Nelsen – says he'll draw on New Zealand's World Cup performances as he guides TFC.
One player who won't be at Nelsen's disposal is Eric Hassli, who was traded to FC Dallas. Check out this in-depth examination surrounding the historical production of Schellas Hyndman's three-deep forward line.
Of course, Brek Shea won't be there to whip in balls from the left flank. For now, Stoke City manager Tony Pulis is hoping he'll be ready to make his debut sooner rather than later.
Kei Kamara has already made his Norwich City debut, and the people in Sierra Leone certainly took notice: "They say all the cinemas were full. I don't even know what it would have been like out there," Kamara told the BBC. "There's going to be a bunch of yellow shirts out there with my name on it."
Chris Houghton was impressed, too. But the Canaries' manager still stressed that he won't rush the striker into action until he's sure Kamara is game fit.
Finally, The New York Times interviewed Fox Sports' new soccer voice: Gus Johnson. See what he had to say about his Champions League debut, then read why one columnist thinks it's worth getting excited about.
