Trouble Brewing At Red Bull New York?

In the wake of the recent news about Chivas USA, it is certain that Major League Soccer is wanting to bring the focus back to the action on the field. We have entered the final month of the regular season with some exciting races for playoff spots and positioning going on. The latest report from Grant Wahl is not what the league was hoping to hear at this point in the season.

The first portion of the report states something that most MLS fans already knew. It seems as though former France international and New York Red Bulls designated player Thierry Henry will not extend his current contract with the club. Wahl states that one of his sources says that there is “zero chance” of an extension being agreed to.

Part of the reasoning behind this move is that the owner of the club, energy drink company Red Bull, has shifted its soccer interest into the two European Clubs which they also own as the company’s profits have been in decline. The company owns FC Red Bull Salzburg in the Austrian Bundesliga and RB Leipzig in the Germany Second Division as well as two hockey teams based in Europe as well. RB Leipzig is the home of USMNT forward Terrence Boyd and are currently sitting in 3rd place after the first eight matches of the season.

In Wahl’s report he says that while the club denies being for sale, one source claimed that “if a buyer approached Red Bull and offered $300 million for the club and their stadium (Red Bull Arena), the deal would get done within 48 hours.” The team apparently was in talks to sell the stadium at least twice of the last few years as well according the report.

There is no mention of an imminent sale of the club nor whether there is any interest from a potential ownership group as of now. Obviously that can change at any moment and we will keep you posted on any new information that comes of this story.

The team did release a statement as this piece was being written: “The New York Red Bulls and Thierry Henry are focused on the MLS playoff race. The club will wait until the off-season to discuss player personnel matters. There are no plans to sell the New York Red Bulls. While interest in soccer continues to grow in the U.S. and MLS continues to expand, Red Bull is confident now more than ever in its investment and committed to the franchise and its supporters.”

New York Red Bulls play in a nationally-televised match on Saturday afternoon against the Houston Dynamo at Red Bull Arena. They currently occupy the final playoff position in the Eastern Conference but only hold a one-point lead over sixth place Toronto FC who also have a game in hand.