Jochen Schneider and Gerhard Struber visit home, Jyri Nieminen takes you to school, and Kaku still plays like an energy drink in this week’s links
Welcome to the New York Red Bulls Paper Revue presented by Once a Metro.
I’ve never slept in a bathtub. It seems like a fun thing to do. The next time I go on a vacation with friends, I’m going to volunteer to sleep in the bathtub. Now I must find friends and become close enough with them to go on a trip.
Here’s this week’s top story.
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According to RTL, Red Bull founder Dietrich Mateschitz is “said to be seriously ill,” information which is “confirmed by sources of well-informed journalists from Austria.” He has neither been seen publicly nor made a comment for a noticeable amount of time. Racing consultant Helmut Marko described the issue as a “private matter,” noting the 78-year-old entrepreneur has always shied away from the press.
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As expected, Gerhard Struber did the media tour during the international break. The Red Bulls manager spoke with Reinhard Franke of Sport1, discussing quite a few interesting things about the industry. I love these little peeks behind the curtain.
Obviously, read the whole interview, but what you’re probably most interested in is his future with the Red Bulls. “I don’t have the stress of having to switch to the Bundesliga right away and leave New York immediately,” said Struber. “I feel very comfortable here, we’re having success and now we’re in the playoffs where we really want to attack. I still have a contract until the end of 2023 – and with it a responsibility towards the club and the team. But of course, if at some point the right thing is there and it suits all sides, I will take the next step.”
That’s cool, but let’s say he were to leave, where would the manager go? “The Bundesliga is a big magnet for me,” shared the 45-year-old. “There are many clubs there that work very well and have a great atmosphere. But I’m also interested in England with the Premier League. This is also a league that is at an incredibly high level in terms of atmosphere. As a coach, you always have to work at full speed, and that’s exactly what I need.”
The current Red Bull man recently met with a former Red Bull bigwig, hanging out with Austria Men’s National Team manager Ralf Rangnick at a Salzburg match. They talked about the “next step,” which sounds like the sort of mentorship and advice anyone could use. We’ll have to see if “the right thing” comes along this winter.
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Bild Stuttgart celebrated Red Night in the midst of Oktoberfest, featuring “beer mugs and a good atmosphere.” The event involved 479 liters of beer, roast veal, dumplings, and 68 kilos of spaetzle for the 340 guests. Among the revelers was Red Bulls head of sport Jochen Schneider, hanging out with former VfB Stuttgart defender Günther Schäfer.
Once a Metro will ask at his next press conference whether or not he enjoyed the party and exactly how many kilos of spaetzle were consumed.
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Would you like to learn about goalkeeping analytics? Jyri Nieminen will lecture you in a 15-week course in the spring of 2023. Sign up to discover “how elite clubs across the world recruit and develop goalkeepers through video and data analysis.”
Hopefully the course will also teach why goalkeepers are such weirdos.
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John Rooney is on the move.
Following his second spell at Barrow and a departure by mutual consent, the 31-year-old midfielder signed with Oldham Athletic in the fifth-tier National League. He’s enjoyed his most success at that level, establishing himself as a consistent goal-scoring threat. His contract with the Latics is a two-year deal with a club-option for a third.
After being selected in the second round of the 2011 MLS SuperDraft, Rooney made seven appearances for the Red Bulls.
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Vincent Bezecourt appeared on the Stuck In Podcast. The former Red Bull currently competes with Geylang International FC in the Singapore Premier League. But, as always, interviewers want to hear all about the Frenchman’s former metropolitan club.
“I think it’s a good thing I came through the second team,” said Bezecourt. “Because I remember in preseason, when I was with the first team, we were playing games against Orlando, whatever, and I was in the starting eleven of the MLS team. You know, people on Twitter, they post the starting eleven. People were reacting like, ‘Who is this guy?’ They only had like eight spots for foreigners, and they were already taken. They told me, ‘It’s only second division for now and you have to prove to get up.’”
His time in the reserves helped his development process and provided the opportunity to become more acquainted with the physical nature of play, while also spending the year training with the first team. Since departing the Red Bulls in 2019, Bezecourt has played with Miami FC, FC Alashkert in Armenia, and now Geylang. The Eagles are at fifth in the Singaporean table, which is a nice improvement over last season’s seventh-place finish.
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One of the last MetroStars is still kicking around, enjoying a last ride.
Joselito Vaca is in his final season at Blooming, with the 40-year-old having rejoined the Bolivian club in 2013. He is taking part in the Santa Cruz derby against rivals Oriente Petrolero, a match that promises to be “an electrifying duel.” After retiring, the world record-holder for most career appearances hopes to enter the coaching ranks.
Vaca played for the MetroStars in 2004, in case you forgot. I assume most of you remember because you can’t throw a rock without hitting twenty people claiming to have been fans since 1996. Sorry, folks, most of you are liars. If there were that many “original fans,” Red Bull Arena would be sold out every week.
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Speaking of the MetroStars to all of you “day-one fans,” the club’s second manager, Carlos Quieroz, will be coaching at the World Cup. The 69-year-old leads the Iran men’s national team, which will be taking on the United States in the third round of Group B at the upcoming World Cup. The Cheetahs have never advanced past the group stage, but maybe this is the year.
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Kaku seems to be enjoying life on the field again, having returned after his long injury layoff. His time at the Red Bulls even provided some help to his current squad, Al-Taawoun, who also plays something of a press. “I contacted Coach Shamuska and we are a team and one group, and I dealt with this philosophy before in my previous team, which is to go back and press at the same time, and I adapt to this matter,” said the Argentine-Paraguayan.
I’m sure the Red Bulls are thrilled to have helped Kaku during his soccer journey.
Here’s a joke that was submitted by Rena of Frelinghuysen Township.
“Kaku loves to press: he pressed ‘eject’ on his time with the Red Bulls!”
Thank you, Rena. That is what he did.
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Do you have a story you’d like to submit to the Paper Revue? Email us at bencorkOAM@gmail.com or send a DM to @Once_A_Metro on Twitter.