With midfielder Michael Bradley having been born in New Jersey and begun his pro career with the MetroStars, Red Bull fans were in a tizzy over the U.S. National Team linchpin joining Toronto FC in his return to MLS.
But Red Bulls coach Mike Petke said a homecoming was never in the cards for Bradley.
“We were never in the mix,’’ Petke said of the Red Bulls, who already have Designated Players Thierry Henry and Tim Cahill on the payroll and well-documented salary-cap issues.
Bradley was born in Princeton and drafted by the MetroStars back when his father, Bob, was the coach. But after Bob Bradley was fired, Michael moved on to Europe in 2006 as raw teenager and forged a stellar career. He’s arguably the U.S. National Team’s top player now at age 26, and Toronto has brought him back to MLS.
But it’s not without cost. Toronto FC — which has never made the playoffs in its history, and had significant allocation money to spend in remaking a poor roster — will spend a transfer fee of between $7 and $10 million (it’s unclear how much MLS helped financially) and could end up paying Bradley a salary reported to be in the $6.5 million range.
ESPN has reported the transfer fee at between $7 and $10 million, while beIN Sport has reported $9.5 million. Either way, while the rival Philadelphia Union reportedly made a bid for Bradley, Petke said to his knowledge the Red Bulls didn’t.
“Whichever fans are voicing displeasure about not getting Michael Bradley, I’ll ask them if they have the $50 million to borrow to get him, because I certainly don’t have that,’’ Petke said.
The coach pointed out the Red Bulls did won their first real trophy last season and want to avoid the kind of roster overhaul they often have experienced. But he added ownership wasn’t unwilling or unable to sign another star.
“We just win the Supporters’ Shield, so we did something right,” Petke said. “It’s been cliché about the New York team of huge overhauls in the offseason. That’s something I want to get away from. If some huge player became available that’s too good to pass up, I have faith in Red Bull we’d spend the money and go get the player.’’
Top assistant coach Fraser staying put
Red Bulls assistant coach Robin Fraser seemingly has been linked with every open job in the region this offseason, from Real Salt Lake and Colorado Rapids of MLS to the Jamaican National Team. But Petke said he expects his in-demand assistant to be back on the New York bench this upcoming season.
“No one is a bigger supporter of Robin Fraser than I am. He’s been the best for not only me personally, but for the club,’’ Petke said Wednesday, adding, “He’s on the staff.’’
Fraser had been a highly regarded assistant with Real Salt Lake, and sought a return to the club when Jason Kreis left the head coaching job to take over at expansion New York City FC, which begins play in 2015. After Jeff Cassar got that job, Fraser was been linked with the vacant Rapids post, and was quoted about his desire for a position with the Jamaican team.
But Petke said he hasn’t heard about a formal approach from any of those teams, and doesn’t expect Fraser to be going anywhere.
“He’s on the coaching staff,’’ Petke reassured. “And there are rules to follow in the league. At this moment – unless something’s been kept from me internally, which I doubt very highly – we have not been contacted by Colorado, Jamaica or whoever. It has to go through that protocol.”
Fraser has proven instrumental for Petke. A former MLS head coach at Chivas USA, Fraser served as a lead assistant and consigliere to Petke, who was a rookie coach this past year. That the Red Bulls won their first meaningful hardware – the Supporters’ Shield – speaks to how valuable his steadying influence was.
“I think Robin’s been around the league enough that he knows it wouldn’t be the best case two weeks before preseason to have people contacting for him,” Petke said. “That’s the nature of the business — it could happen. (But) as far as I know, he is going to be with us. He’s definitely with us now. We’ve had meetings, he’s eager to be here, so I expect him to be with the New York Red Bulls, of course.”
The MLS draft is Jan. 16, with players reporting to camp on Jan. 24. The team departs for training camp in Orlando on Jan. 27, and will play in the Disney Pro Soccer Classic next month.