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Dear RBNY: Please stop toying with Armando and make a decision

It's time for RBNY end Armando's preseason purgatory...

Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports

There was a time, not so long ago, when Armando Lozano was just another New York Red Bulls player enjoying the off-season, wearing his RBNY gear with pride:

He headed to back to New York for preseason with apparent enthusiasm...

...and coats...

...many coats...

...Armando might actually have a bit of a coat problem...

...and then the Red Bulls signed three center backs in one day, and we learned Armando was not in preseason training. And his squad number (5) was given to Mike Grella. Still, he seemed to be keeping his spirits up despite being alone in New York. He found a new coat to model and offered another 140-character snippet of optimism to the world.

But the situation cannot be good. On January 25, Armando was the only central defender RBNY had under contract who wasn't not-on-trial with Leipzig in Qatar. Scarcely 10 days later, head coach Jesse Marsch is apparently confused about a tactical role for the player, or even an appropriate pronoun to use when discussing it him:

Armando, we’re trying to figure out if it fits, how it fits, and if it doesn’t, what his next opportunity might be," said Marsch. "It’s obviously not quite the same level as what we went through with (Tim) Cahill, but I think we’re trying to help him figure out what it would be like to be here, but also what other opportunities might be out there for him

This is not good. No wonder Armando abandoned his superlative coat game and sunny demeanor:

If we know anything about Armando, it is that he is not happy without a coat. And Marsch's ominous comparison of the defender's situation at the club to the recently-concluded Tim Cahill saga is not encouraging: it suggests both player and team want to part ways.

So what's the hold up? RBNY now has four center backs under contract and in training camp, and is reportedly pondering finding room for a fifth - Ibrahim Sekagya. Six central defenders seems excessive, but the team knew Armando was on the roster when it started over-compensating for a lack of depth in the middle of defense.

It's time to reunite Armando with the team or let him go, RBNY.