April 17, 2008
OFFSIDE REMARKS
Will managing director be an inside job?

By Michael Lewis
BigAppleSoccer.com Editor

Picking up some loose pieces here and there:

Red Bulls managing director

A little birdie whispered in my ear the other day to say that he thought the Red Bulls would hire someone from inside the organization and not from the outside.

He said that has always been the case with the organization, bringing in someone who understands how the company operates.

If that is the case, then from the list of possible candidates, then Red Bulls vice president of marketing and sales Andrew Lafiosca could move to the top of the list. The Red Bulls, of course, have the option of bringing in someone else from the team or from Austria, for that matter.

In my dealings with Lafiosca I have found him to be professional, knowledgeable, hard-working, quite proficient and personable. I don't what Red Bull is actually looking for, but those have to be important qualities for that position.

We'll see if that little birdie is correct.

The Kassel situation

Here's my take on Matt Kassel not signing with the Red Bulls:

You find him, you have the first right to sign him.

If a player develops while playing for an MLS youth team, then that club should have the rights to sign. It's as simple as that.

Generation adidas player rule from the league? Not allowing a team to sign another youth player for three years gets in the way of developing players. And isn't youth soccer about developing players?

Now, if the player wants to attend college or pursue a career in Europe, then that's his business.

But whether its the Red Bulls or any other MLS team, they should be allowed to develop their own players.

Peguero to San Jose?

Former Red Bulls forward Jean-Philippe Peguero appears to be heading to the San Jose Earthquakes on loan from Danish club Brondby, according to the Washington Post's Soccer Insider by Steve Goff. Peguero, who suffered a serious knee injury last year, also has piqued some interest from Toronto FC, the Insider reported. If you want to read some interesting info from around the league and the rest of the soccer world from The Insider, visit http://blog.washingtonpost.com/soccerinsider.

Soehn on Doe

As you know, former Red Bulls forward Francis Doe is trying to latch on with D.C. United. Here's what United coach Tom Soehn told The Insider about the Liberian international: "He has done pretty well. He's a pretty good finisher and I think the parts of his game I am happier about are holding the ball and being a presence up top and being able to link up with guys. So far he has been okay."

Conde’s apology

Chicago Fire defender-midfielder Wilman Conde, who said in the pre-season he wanted to be traded to the Red Bulls and be reunited with coach Juan Carlos Osorio, apologized to his teammates last week.

"I told them I'm going to give them my best," Conde told the Chicago Tribune. "I said it wasn't anything personal. They're a great group. I've felt that way since I arrived. ... I did it so that we could all move on."

Circle of life

Here's a happy follow-up to a very, very sad story we had to report last October.

That's when well-known girls soccer coach John Schroeder passed away in his Sayville, L.I. home. He was 64. Schroeder, a former Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association ODP coach, most recently was the girls coach at Sayville High School and coached girls teams at the Bayport Soccer Club the past five years.

Well, Schroeder's daughter Carrie Yuli gave birthday to a healthy baby boy, John Anthony Yuli, on her father's birthday. Carrie is married to Anthony Yuli.

Michael Lewis would like to hear from you. If you have a comment, drop him a line at email.