Via Bruce’s Belly, it looks like the sale of the Metrostars to Red Bull is all but done. Red Bull, yes the one that gives you wings, also bought a team in Austria and totally rebranded it. I’ve left comments on a couple blogs with my thoughts, but its worth summarizing them here.
The team also will be re-branded — before its season kicks off at D.C.
United April 2. The Metros’ 10-year history is expected to be will be
history — wiped out – sources said, as happened to SV Wüstenrot
Salzburg when it was transformed into Red Bull Salzburg after the
energy drink company bought the Austrian First Division club April 6,
2005.
The Metros have been THE problem franchise since the inception of the league, a combination of bad management, failed player recruiting, and bad mojo overall. What more can you say about a club that gave Bob Bradley and Jaime Moreno, among others, the worst season(s) of their careers?
A fresh start in New York could be good for the league, although the initial publicity from this transaction may not be positive. It could be this year’s Chivas USA. And if the new owners turn the team around and win some hardware, well, that wouldn’t be wholly positive for the league either.
Still, MLS is not at the point that they can turn away a new investor with deep pockets, especially for a major media market, and cost center, like New York. I suspect that the collapse of DC United’s sale also made AEG more willing to make this deal, although I have nothing to back up that hunch.
Since DC will open the season against the Metrostars Red Bulls, is there anything we can do to goad our rivals? Wear red sashes, matador, or "running-with-the-bulls-in-pamplona" gear? Chant "Toro! Toro!"? What else?