Rumor: New York Red Bulls release Muhamed Keita

The business of soccer often requires hard decisions, and it looks as though the New York Red Bulls are in that space at the moment.

Kristian Dyer of Metro (no relation), MSG and anywhere else seeking reliably-sourced scoops on MLS and RBNY, has offered word that Muhamed Keita might have drawn the short straw as the Red Bulls seek to make their roster compliant with MLS rules.

Keita only arrived at RBNY in July, and has just seven first-team appearances to his name. The high-point of that brief tenure was his contribution to the Red Bulls’ come-from-behind win at RFK Stadium on the final day of the 2017 regular season.

He worked well with Michael Aimr Murillo as they combined on the equalizer to begin the second half. A fantastic give-and-go by Keita found Murillo in a perfect spot for a deft chip to tie things up.

For the most part, Keita was a sparingly-used substitute, whose impact on the game was rarely recorded on the score sheet. It is not uncommon for a mid-summer signing to have a modest start to an MLS career, and Keita was due the same chance most other players in his situation get: reserve judgement until he had a full pre-season to settle in with his team and find his role.

But that chance may be denied him. The Red Bulls have just signed Cristian Casseres, Jr, and are expected to announce the signing of Alejandro Romero “Kaku” Gamarra. The team seems to have more international players than it can accommodate. Something has to give: that something would appear to be Keita.

But we would like to wish Muhamed Keita good luck and hopes he can land on his feet again somewhere else either within MLS or back in Europe.