Poor Red Bulls

By Jonathan Feldman

So Marc de Grandpre resigned from Red Bull New York this week. Excited? Disappointed? Indifferent? It’s no secret Major League Soccer’s New York franchise has suffered from disappointment and disorganization on the field and in the front office. Bruce Arena was the first to go. John Harkes was next. And now de Grandpre is gone.

The Austrian based company is distracted from developing soccer in the New York metropolitan area because of its branding mission. Last year the front office dismantled the soccer team’s marketing staff in order to utilize Red Bull beverage sales/marketing resources. “One of their people came by handing out flyers and giving away free cans of Red Bull. I wonder what their mission is,” said Brian Lee, owner of Curva Nord, a now defunct soccer retailer on the Upper East Side.

So what can we expect from the team going forward? Will a slick corporate Austrian be named new Managing Director or will the organization bring back Bruce Arena? Marcello Lippi perhaps?

	The Austrian based company is distracted from developing soccer in the New York metropolitan area ..."

I’m sure Soccer by Ives is spinning the rumor mill. Instability continues to dog the New York franchise and Thierry Henry is unlikely to make much of a difference. Oh, didn’t you hear? The Frenchman is unhappy at Barca and that means he’s going to sign with a mediocre MLS squad. Duh.

Ok, sarcasm aside, the Red Bulls are suffering from a lack of direction. That’s not the fault of Jeff Agoos, Bruce Arena, Richie Williams, and John Harkes. You can add Carlos Osario to that list at the end of another disappointing season in October. The fault lies square on the shoulders of Red Bull founder and CEO Dieter Mateschitz. Herr Mateschitz loves football but isn’t entirely convinced that the corporation should focus most of its efforts on the New York franchise. Red Bull Salzburg still takes priority.

So why even buy an MLS franchise and build a stadium? Branding and return on investment. Naming rights for the new Red Bull Park alone will make the corporation a substantial profit in the near future when Red Bull is likely to sell the club and the stadium to the highest bidder. And you thought it was about soccer.

- The opinions of Jonathan Feldman do not necessarily represent those of GreenPitch Magazine.

4/11/2008