Comments on: Is Eric Wynalda the right guy for New York Red Bulls?

By: danielofthedale

danielofthedale — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 19:57:34 +0000

Wynalda would be a hire for the Red Bulls in my opinion. I am an Atlanta Silverbacks fan and saw what he can do up close and personal. The Silverbacks where probably the worst team in the NASL for the first year and half of their existence. Wynalda took over as interim manager and then had a major role in picking the new players and new manager and he helped turn the Silverbacks into the third best team in the league after he got there.

However I fully expect New York to pass him up, since the Red Bulls are all about making the wrong choice. That is great for me though, because I fully expect Atlanta to get 22nd MLS team to pair up with Orlando in the next few years and he would be the perfect fit to the be manager of the team down here.

By: mlsadvocate

mlsadvocate — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 17:22:39 +0000

If you need to ask the question, “Is Wynalda ready for the MLS” then you don’t know him. When his time comes, and he’s given the “Keys”, all the soccer pundits will be saying, why didn’t he become a manager sooner…. He’s one of the few player coaches who can bring out the best in his players and those who really know him will attest to this fact.

It will be interesting to see which owner is ready to take their team to the next level.

By: geojock

geojock — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 17:01:32 +0000

I like Wynalda but dont think he is ready to take the keys of an MLS franchise, especially not NYRB. He needs to spend, at least some time as an MLS assistant somewhere for a year or so.

By: wesbadia

wesbadia — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 16:18:11 +0000

I’ve always had a love-hate perception of Wynalda. No one will disagree that the guy comes off as abrasive and brash and crude. And, despite his World Cup experience and successes, I’ve always questioned his actual playing quality compared to others of the same era. But no one can deny that he knows the game; that he isn’t a prominent and, arguably, important figure on the American landscape.

If I were NYRB (and I’m, of course, not…), and I knew that within the next four years a crosstown rival would be vying for not only the same market as my club but also clamoring to claim hardware before me, I think I’d do everything in my power to create an identity for myself so that the fan base that currently exists has little reason to leave once NY2 gets here. All the more if NY2 carries the Cosmos moniker.

So, how ’bout this: NYRB becomes the club from the “wrong side of the tracks”? They’re already from NJ, a cesspool according to everybody in the region. They have polarizing players already (or at least did), and it’d take little effort to continue it. Wynalda would be a personality to galvanize this image of NYRB as the Man U of Manchester rather than the Man City (NY2)… just without the trophies and fame. Create the bad boy appeal. Hire personnel that everyone loves to hate… yet loves regardless. Create a home for the loveable antagonists that just like to get under peoples’ skins. Embrace the identity and allow the fan base to emulate it in the stands.

If there’s ANY path towards success in Harrison, NJ, this is surely one of them.

By: Dan Haug

Dan Haug — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 16:14:44 +0000

As a Galaxy fan, I think the red Bulls hiring Wynalda would be great for my team. He fits right into the Red Bulls MO: They are an unstable organization with little patience that values raw talent over teamwork. They are incredibly reactive and impulsive in the way they manage their squad.

As you mention in your post, Waldo could come in and take them to a championship, but I pretty much guarentee you he would be gone in less than three seasons (he might make it through two, but even that is pushing it).

Most reasonable prediction: He would be like Novak in Philly, or Preki in Toronto.