by Andrew Rogers - When I studied Ancient History at college there was one myth that struck a particular chord in my mind. It was the story of Sisyphus, a one time ruler in Greece who was punished to spend eternity pushing a big boulder up a hill only to watch it roll down again.

In modern times it would appear the footballing gods have cursed Red Bull New York fans to a similar fate. Supporters in the Tri State area have given their heart and soul to a club that seems intent on rolling back down the hill, when on the cusp of play offs success and stability.

RBNY’s twelve year history has seen three ownership groups, 11 head coaches, and four General Managers, the coaches have included a World Cup winner, a Premier League winner and two U.S Men’s National Team managers.

The roster has included illustrious players such as Youri Djorkaeff, Lothar Matthäus and Roberto Donadoni yet is still to win any major honours. The futility of Sisyphus life is hard to comprehend but, at least he didn’t have to hand over his hard earned cash for his trouble.

So last weeks news of Marc De Grandpre resignation will come as no surprise, but concerns that the club could unhinge itself again are likely to have crossed the minds of many fans of RBNY. Instability has continually usurped the club over the years, despite having excellent financial resources, and recruited some of the best on field and off field staff.

On paper the club is the football dream. At grassroots level the club has the pick of over 500,000 youth players in Long Island alone, and the fan base should run into the millions given the popularity of the sport, and football knowledge of the populace in the 5 boroughs, but what on paper should make NY a super club has in reality led to very little.

Some MLS fans undoubtedly enjoy seeing a sleeping giant going through a lean spell, but a good RBNY is hugely important to the league, the glamour attached to New York naturally creates more headlines and interest, and as one of the best cities in the world is an attractive proposition to the world’s best footballing talent.

However, the longer the club goes without winning a major trophy the more the pull of N.Y’s international reputation diminishes, as top players want to compete for honours. Hence, Manchester and Milan having greater kudos in football than London or Rome.

Another quandary for the franchise is De Grandpre has left RBNY at a crucial stage in the club’s development, with Red Bull Park soon to be completed, the team need to be playing an entertaining brand of winning football to attract season ticket holders, news coverage and commercial interest.

With a relatively small pool of talent on the business side of the U.S soccer industry it’s important Red Bull choose the right person to lead the club forward, at this stage it would be advantageous to find someone with a an exceptional background in U.S soccer.

It is also important when considering the new stadium they find someone who understands and has experience in NJ/NY. Reading local media reports, despite De Grandpre best intentions and good work he was unable to convince he would to take RBNY forward on the field and alienated a number of key stakeholders in the NY media market.

One option as previously voiced in this column would be Jim Kilmeade, the former Long Island Rough Rider GM, he knows the U.S and NY soccer market inside out, and has a number of highly influential friends within MLS.

RBNY needs to reach out and embrace NY/NJ’s soccer community, Kilmeade has done that twice in Long Island, he also has a strong track record at youth level creating America’s largest youth development program.

The kicker with Kilmeade is his understanding of soccer and ability to sell the game to major brands and fortune 500 companies, but what most RBNY’s fans will be most interested in is his eye for recruiting and managing soccer talent.  Kilmeade’s mid 90’s LIRR’s were coached by Alfonso Mondelo and included Chris Armas, Tony Meola, and Giovanni Savarese.

His 2000’s version included Wilmer Cabrera, Paul Grafer and Paul Caffrey, who have gone on to coach the U.S MNT U’17’s. I pointed out Juan Pablo Angel would be a turning point for the franchise on the field, Kilmeade can do the same off it.

Whether hiring Kilmeade is feasible remains to be seen but both parties need to sit down and chew the fat. MLS and world soccer need a world class New York outfit to enhance the credibility of American soccer, Red Bull have the resources and commitment and Kilmeade the experience and track record of success in the New York soccer market.

If something could be worked out, maybe they could go someway to unravelling the enigma that is MLS’s New York Franchise, and creating soccer’s version of the Yankees that fans outside of the Empire and Garden State would love to hate.

HAVE YOUR SAY...
What can be done to make New York Red Bulls one of the top teams in MLS?  Or will the Big Apple always have a curse?  Is Rogers on the mark with hiring Kilmeade?  Send your emails to Soccer 365.

Andrew Rogers can be reached at andrew.rogers@amrmedia.co.uk