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Aurelien Collin is a veteran MLS player with a lot of experience at Kansas City, as well as most recently at Orlando City. He is a fan and locker room, but also one of those players opponents love to hate: he is aggressivene, and the most visible part of his game is his propensity to pick up red and yellow cards. Nonetheless, he is not without merit as he has won the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup in 2012 and the MLS Cup in 2013 with Sporting Kansas City. In addition, his individual honors include 2012 Best XI, and 2013 MLS Cup MVP.
Collin has just joined the New York Red Bulls in an effort to remedy some of the team's defensive maladies. The center-back is a strong physical player, with a knack for great performances (and, yes, red cards). Even as a temporary fix, this news should be music to the ears of Red Bulls supporters.
New York Red Bulls Sporting Director, Ali Curtis, had this to say about his new signing:
We are excited to add Aurelien to our club. He is an excellent competitor and a veteran player that can strengthen our defense. We feel that his experience can also play an important role in helping us achieve our goals this season.
What did the team have to give up for this acquisition? A conditional fourth round pick at the 2017 MLS Super Draft. Yes, sounds way too good to be true. To top it off? Orlando City is reportedly picking up around half his salary of around $500,000, with Collin on the last year of that contract.
OK here's what I am hearing: Collin deal is for a straight 4th-rounder and Orlando City taking on more than 50% of the salary charge.
— Paul Tenorio (@PaulTenorio) April 29, 2016
Surely there had to be something that would convince Orlando City to do something this crazy? Well there are several suggested reasonings. First, the Frenchman's payout was too high for Orlando to stomach, so even paying half his salary is half that salary no longer on the books. Second, the defender had recently fallen out of favor at the club. Third, the team wanted an international spot back on their roster. Those motivations will doubtless be examined and re-examined over the next few days. Regardless of OCSC's motives, the New York Red Bulls (presumably under the guidance of Ali Curtis) have made a massive pick up that should instantly benefit the club.