Aug. 4, 2009 NO DECISION YET Angel doesn't know if he will return in 2010
Juan Pablo Angel said he will make up his mind if he will return to the Red Bulls at the end of this season. Linda Cuttone/Sports Vue Images
By Michael Lewis
BigAppleSoccer.com editor
Montclair, N.J. -- Red Bulls captain Juan Carlos Angel said on Monday that he doesn't know if he will return next season.
Angel and the Red Bulls have endured a nightmare season and Angel has expressed his frustration on several occasions.
Asked if planned to return in 2010, Angel replied, "I don't know. At the end of the day we'll sit down and review things. The company will make their own decisions. I'm sure some changes are going to be made at the end of the year."
Earlier this year the 33-year-old Angel signed a contract extension with the league. His contract runs through the 2010. According to the MLS players union, Angel will earn a guaranteed salary of $1,798,000 this year. That is third in the league, behind Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder David Beckham ($6.5 million) and Chicago Fire midfielder Cuauhtemoc Blanco ($2,943,702).
The Red Bulls, who own the poorest record (2-15-4, 10 points) of all of the 15 teams, have been but mathematically eliminated from the playoffs with almost three months remaining in the season.
It sounded like Angel was weighing the pros and cons of returning. Things could not get much worse than this season. The Red Bulls are 2-15-4 entering the second leg of their CONCACAF Champions League preliminary round total goals series with W Connection at Giants Stadium on Wednesday at 8 p.m. (Fox Soccer channel).
Angel said he was grateful to be given an opportunity by the Red Bulls to play and live in the United States.
"I have been tremendously happy in this country," he said. "I am still very grateful to this franchise for the opportunity that they gave me to play for them. But at the end of the day it hasn't been an easy year. I have never experienced anything like this. . . . We'll see at the end of the year. I guess we'll sit down and we'll come to a conclusion."
Angel has scored seven goals in 20 games, which is well below his production of his first two years with the club -- 19 in 2007 and 14 in 2008.
"Its hard to plan, especially in this sport, especially if you have a long-term contract," Angel said. "Sometimes it is hard to plan things. Change can be made any time. At the end of the day, results change everything. This year so far results haven't been good. Although having said that, in a very difficult year I am only three goals shy from the top scorer of the league. Not that is a consolation, but the performance is still there for me."
Columbus Crew midfielder Guillermo Barros Schelotto leads the way with 10 goals, followed by Seattle Sounders FC's Fredy Montero with nine goals. Five players, including Galaxy midfielder-forward Landon Donovan are tied with eight goals apiece.
