Luis Robles is finally in New York, even if his belongings aren’t. He and his wife had them shipped to California, expecting to be allocated to one of MLS’ West Coast teams. But he says he’s happy to finally be a Red Bull, even if his journey was longer than he’d planned and his position more crowded than he’d expected.
The Red Bulls showed interest in Robles in January, but MLS red tape scuttled their attempt to sign him and he played out last season at Karlsruher in the 2.Bundesliga. He went into the MLS allocation process and expected to head west – until the Red Bulls picked him 10th and made him the fourth keeper on the roster.
“Competition’s always good,” said Robles, who has played in the Bundesliga and been capped once by the U.S. “It doesn’t matter what position, whether it’s goalkeeper or up top. When there’s someone that’s at a good level competing everyday against you, it’s going to bring the sharpness and the best out of you.
“So I look forward to not only helping the team, but helping the guys that are alongside of me. Whatever the coach’s decision is, it’s something I have to respect. It’s something I’ve come to learn to respect in my career. But it doesn’t dictate how much effort I give every day on the field.’’
The 28-year-old Robles arrived in New York, passed a physical and began practicing this week. And while coach Hans Backe said Robles would need a few weeks and at least one reserve match under his belt to get up to speed, he also cautioned that nominal starter Ryan Meara – or any other first-string player, for that matter – isn’t above losing his job due to injury.
“No, I think if the new guy who is coming in plays well for you, (he) will stay, whoever it is,’’ said Backe. “My philosophy it has to be that competitive. If the replacement is doing well he stays. He plays. Now, he will have a shorter (leash); he can perhaps only have one bad game and then you probably switch back.’’
Even though Backe admits he knows little about Robles, and defers to goalkeeping coach Todd Hoffard, the club is quite familiar with his goalkeeping work.
After the departures of Frank Rost and Bouna Coundoul, the Red Bulls were searching for a keeper last offseason and tried to bring Robles to camp in Tucson. But after being told by MLS they could sign him via discovery claim, the league did an about-face and determined he needed to go through the allocation process. The Red Bulls eventually moved on and drafted Meara in the second round.
Robles – who has also played for Kaiserslautern – finished the season in Karlsruher, moving in and out of the lineup before eventually moving on.
“I think it’s bittersweet. I’m not far enough removed from the situation to be completely reminiscent of it. I feel like it didn’t end the way that I’d hoped it to,’’ Robles said of his time in Germany. “But then again, what in life always works out the way you have planned?
“I wish I could’ve finished on a better note. There was just…I don’t even know how to explain it. It just wasn’t how I envisioned it. Nonetheless, I got another opportunity out of it, so (we’re) looking forward to that.”
So he returned to Arizona in July, and decided to give the MLS allocation process a try despite having no clue where they might end up.
“In July, I received contact from a few different teams in MLS who wanted to bring me back because my contract was up in Germany. At that point I figured, ‘Let’s try this allocation thing,’ ” said Robles. “We spoke to the league and the teams that were showing interest at the time were on the West Coast.
“Up until that point, I hadn’t had much communication, if any, with Red Bull. When the allocation process started last Wednesday, two minutes later I get a call from New York that I’m going to (the Red Bulls).”
Alas, Robles and his wife’s belongings were all bound for California – Sacramento, he thought.
“Because the teams expressing the interest were on the west coast, my wife and I were under the assumption we were going to stay in the west. So for us, logistically it’s kind of created a nightmare, because we shipped all our stuff to the west coast,’’ Robles laughed. “But nonetheless, we’re really excited to be here, and excited about the challenge.’’
And it will be a challenge. Before his hip injury, Mears established himself as the starter and a Rookie of the Year frontrunner. The club acquired veteran Bill Gaudette from the Galaxy, and he’s put in yeoman’s efforts since filling in for Meara; and Jeremy Vuolo is on the roster as well.
His first chance to impress Backe will come in next Tuesday’s reserve game against Montreal.
“He looks very, very fit. He is a fit guy,’’ said Backe. “But two sessions good, so let’s see how he respond. You probably need to see a couple of weeks. He’s done some kicking and things like that; now it’s just handling and being involved in small-sided games. But (he’s) had two good sessions.’’