2015 New York Red Bulls Report Card: Gonzalo Veron

Ali Curtis shocked many New York Red Bulls fans during the summer. He signed a Designated Player, which seemed impossible given the decision to go younger and spend less. What blew everyone's minds was that Gonzalo Veron was 25 years old, playing for a top team in Argentina (San Lorenzo) and most of all, the Red Bulls paid a transfer fee. He was signed on August 5th with high hopes for the season.

Player Stats

17 Appearances

2 Games Started

389 Minutes Played

1 Goal

2 Assist

Player Grade: C-

Things Done Well:

Veron was used mostly as a bench player during his limited time last season. His speed and passing were excellent during his time on the field. In the latter half of a 3-0 victory against Toronto in August, Veron scored his first goal with the team. Veron also made a crucial assist during the second leg of the Eastern Conference Semifinals of the playoffs against DC United in which Bradley Wright-Phillips put away to seal a trip to a second straight Eastern Conference Final appearance.

Things Done Poorly:

Being of a higher pedigree than Mike Grella and being a natural midfielder, it could be argued that he should've been able to take the starting spot, but Grella was on fire the second half of the season and nobody could wrangle it away from him. Veron would frequently try to get a call from the referee, and was too slow to get up after not getting a call. Due to his limited time with the team, he didn't have the chemistry that the other players had on the field. And although he had excellent passing, he would try to get a goal rather than make the final pass for the goal, leading to some missed opportunities.