Red Bulls and Juninho Part Ways

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/04/sports/soccer/red-bulls-and-juninho-part-ways.html

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As the Red Bulls trained at their stadium in Harrison, N.J., on Wednesday, preparing to travel for Thursday’s match at the Colorado Rapids, the club admitted failure when it said it had parted ways with its highest-profile acquisition of the off-season.

Juninho's Best: 1994-2012

But Juninho’s veteran skill was not a good fit in Major League Soccer, a rough-and-tumble league.

In last Sunday’s 2-0 home win against Houston, Juninho dressed for the match but did not get off the bench. In the previous week’s game, a 3-0 loss at Philadelphia, Juninho served a one-game suspension for an accumulation of yellow-card points.

Over all this season, he appeared in 13 games, starting 10, and led the team with four assists. But he failed to convert on any dead-ball opportunities, even though the Red Bulls said they had acquired him in part for those situations. In addition, Juninho’s presence in the midfield seemed to crowd out Tim Cahill and Dax McCarty. With Juninho taking a back seat in the last month or so, Cahill has emerged as the driving force in the midfield for the Red Bulls.

Last week, there were reports out of France saying that Juninho planned to retire after the season. There had also been reports on Twitter and other Web sites saying that he would soon leave the team, but Red Bulls Coach Mike Petke brushed those aside.

“Look, Juninho’s 38 years old, so I’m sure he’s thinking about his future,” Petke told The New York Post. “I know nothing. He has not stated to us, or has not said anything that I know of, about anything about his future. So I honestly have no comment on that, other than he is ready to roll this weekend and anxious to get out there.”

Whether the club now feels compelled to acquire a third designated player during this summer’s league transfer period remains to be seen.