Red Bulls Expert Guide: June 21, 2021

Welcome to the Red Bulls Expert Guide presented by Once a Metro.

I’m thinking of a new name for this weekly post. I like to jazz it up and change things around a bit. Sometimes I wonder if that makes a difference. Like if next week this was published as the “Inside Dirt,” would you read it? I don’t know. Let’s try it out… but not this one. For now, it’s still the Expert Guide.

Here’s this week’s top story.

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Would you like to read an old transfer rumor?

Linked with a move to Udinese, striker Maxi Romero appears set to depart PSV Eindhoven. However, according to Rik Elfrink of ED, the 22-year-old Argentine was close to an MLS move last summer. Despite suffering from injury issues, “there was almost a deal with Red Bull New York, but those negotiations also ended.”

Romero joined PSV in 2018 from Vélez Sarsfield for a reported 10.5 million euros. Mostly playing with reserve side Jong PSV, a troubling medical history has hindered his development. Interestingly enough, he was linked to Nashville SC last year, with nary a mention of the Red Bulls.

Anyway, whatever was or was not happening, it didn’t.

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Striker Patryk Klimala appeared on the cleverly named Third Half podcast. He discussed… I have no idea. I don’t speak Polish and there is no translation option available. The name “Jesse Marsch” was mentioned at some point.

Also, congratulations to Patryk on getting married last month.

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Happy trails, Omer Damari.

The former Designed Player announced his retirement on social media platform Instagram. He had been a free agent since departing Hapoel Tel Aviv last year. Citing a “decisive” injury, the 32-year-old realized that it was time to walk away from the sport.

“After 26 years of playing, I decided it was time to retire,” Damari wrote (through Google Translate.) “I did not believe it would end at age 32, but not everything always works according to plans. The decision to retire was not an easy one from me, but the recent injury was decisive. After the injury last season, I realized I would no longer be able to get back to my ability. The head wants to, but the body refuses to perform the actions as before.”

Don’t feel too bad because he’s at peace with his career, enjoying the good times and making fantastic friends along the way. His brief loan spell at New York in 2016 featured five total appearances, but did include one finish in the CONCACAF Champions League. The former Israel international (nine goals in 20 caps) will become a youth coach at Hapoel Tel Aviv, hoping to influence the stars of tomorrow.

“I never sought to be a symbol,” he shared. “I moved away from the spotlight… Today I am starting my second chapter, coaching in the youth department of the club I love so much… I will try to contribute to the younger generation from my professional experience and maybe, who knows, also help them to get to the places I wanted to get to – and I failed.”

[Whispers] That’s awkward.

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Former New York Red Bulls chief commercial officer Amy Scheer has a new job. She landed with the Connecticut Sun of the WNBA as the Vice President of Business Operations. A veteran of the sports and entertainment industry, her previous experience includes stops in the NBA and NWHL.

From September of 2015 through July of 2018, Scheer was responsible for “ensuring the club is maximizing revenue opportunities across sponsorship, tickets, and youth training programs.” The Red Bulls hired her from New York City FC, a move that caused riots and widespread violence in reaction to the taboo cross-rivalry business. According to NJBiz, she does “a pretty good impersonation of Donald Duck.”

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N’Golo Kanté is one of the world’s best players, having enjoyed a meteoric rise through the levels of world football before ending up at Chelsea.

As expected, his story has a slight Red Bull connection. Kanté was discovered at the youth level by a man named Jean-Pierre Perrinelle, father to Damien Perrinelle. The former Olympian hurdler and president of youth club JS Suresnes first got him a chance with Boulogne, then helped set up a move to Caen.

“It was Damien Perrinelle’s dad, a player I knew very well, who took him to Boulogne-sur-Mer,” said former SM Caen sporting director Alain Cavéglia. “He had spotted him in Suresnes. He calls me to tell me there is a phenomenon in Boulogne. But we get calls like this almost every day. He called me twice.”

Eventually, Perrinelle was able to convince Cavéglia to scout Kanté, a decision that paid off handsomely.

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Former Red Bull Markus Schopp had an expiring contract with Austrian Bundesliga club TSV Hartberg. He told the media that there were “a lot of offers” of jobs elsewhere. However, the end result was a contract extension, as is usually the case in these matters.

He’s only 47 years old. There is time to chase the big jobs or become a painter. Who knows? Who cares? Let’s jump to the next story.

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Remember all of that talk about Roy Miller retiring? Well put away the banners and the last-minute supermarket cake because he’s not done yet!

After making 19 appearances during the spring Liga FPD Clausura, Miller was let go by Santos de Guápiles. However, he did not stay single long, with Sporting San José punching his dance card. At 36 years old, the Costa Rican shows no signs of slowing down or stopping, continuing to play an important role at the left back position.

I hope he plays until 50. Coaching will always be there.

Here’s a joke that was submitted by Vera of Bridgewater.

“Costa Rica is my husband’s favorite vacation spot. I’ve never been.”

Thank you, Vera. I’m sure that’s just correlation and not causation.

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Do you have a story you’d like to submit to the Expert Guide? Email us at bencorkOAM@gmail.com or send a DM to @Once_A_Metro on Twitter.