The blockbuster trade the New York Red Bulls pulled off on Monday, sending 33-year-old star midfielder Dwayne De Rosario to D.C. United for 24-year-old midfielder Dax McCarty, a seemingly less skilled and definitely less expensive player, has drawn lots of reaction. Let's look at some of it.
Our friends at SB Nation's Once A Metro are trying to make sense of a deal in which the Red Bulls have seemingly gotten less talented.
Overall, this isn't a perfect trade for either side, but each receives something that they probably needed. DC get an injection of attacking flair while offloading a player who just didn't fit into their system. The Red Bulls get a player who should fit into their system while moving a likely off-season transfer saga and a salary cap hit on to their biggest rivals.
FOX Sports said the trade makes sense for the Red Bulls because it puts them in a position to shore up other weaknesses.
On balance, the trade looks lopsided, what with De Rosario considered one of the league’s best attacking players, and a multiple MLS Cup winner while McCarty is a young midfielder who has struggled for playing time on a middle-of-the-pack D.C. United side.
A closer look reveals that the trade should help give the Red Bulls the flexibility, both with cap space and an international player slot freed up by the departure of De Rosario, to address other issues on the team.
The Red Bulls’ most pressing need is in goal, where goalkeepers Bouna Coundoul and Greg Sutton have both struggled considerably. With a designated player slot available, the Red Bulls could be tempted to find an impact net-minder, perhaps a player like U.S. national team goalkeeper and free agent Marcus Hahnemann.
What you have to know is that a 5-3-9 record, tied for second in the Eastern Conference, is not what New York had in mind this season. Best guess is that the Red Bulls are not done shuffling the roster in hopes of making a run at an MLS title.