E. RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The restructuring of the New York Red Bulls continued on Wednesday when the club announced the signing of Spanish midfielder Alberto Celades.
The former Barcelona and Real Madrid midfielder, who joined the club in preseason training in Argentina, had his first practice on Wednesday on the Giants Stadium turf.
"It's a new experience," he said through a translator. "I played in Spain for a long time. I wanted to experience a new league, a new experience, a new team."
The 33-year-old midfielder was a product of the FC Barcelona youth system and made 72 appearances from 1996-1999 before spending a season at Celta Vigo. Celades spent five years with Real Madrid, making 56 appearances, winning a pair of La Liga trophies and the 2002 UEFA Champions League title.
After spending one year on loan at French Ligue 1 side Girondins Bordeaux, he then spent three years with Real Zaragoza.
Red Bulls coach Juan Carlos Osorio said he sees Celades as a box-to-box midfielder with a keen eye on distribution.
"He can see his options very early, earlier than many players," Osorio said. "He has the ability to see to different options and then select the best one, keep possession and he has that eye of the needle pass. He has kept himself very healthy, no injuries so far and he has done it at the highest level. That can only lead me to believe he will be more than capable of doing that in the MLS. ... His distribution is second to none."
Osorio said he first learned of Celades' availability from former MetroStars coach Alfonso Mondelo, the MLS Director of Player Programs. Osorio said he already knew of Celades' abilities and saw enough out of him in Argentina to offer a contract.
"It's a good thing he has already made his money, otherwise it would have been very hard to bring him here," Osorio said.
Also practicing with the Red Bulls Wednesday was Carlos Johnson, a Costa Rican right fullback who is on the verge of signing with the club. He most recently played with Norwegian club Byrne FK, but was released when the club was relegated.
"I got a good impression," Johnson said of the Red Bulls. "I know last year the team lost in the championship game. The coach tells me that he's pleased I'm here. Now I have to start working."
The 24-year-old has seven caps with the Costa Rican national team and represented his country at the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in 2001.
"Box to box, can defend, can attack, very good one-v-one defensively and offensively, very athletic and technical player and probably the most important thing, he wants to be here," Osorio said of Johnson. While Johnson's signing is imminent, the Red Bulls are not done just yet. According to published reports out of El Salvador, Alfredo Pacheco, a 26-year-old left back from CD F.A.S., has already come to terms with the Red Bulls, but he is delayed because of visa issues.
The Red Bulls could potentially have five different starters for their opener from the team that stepped on the field for MLS Cup in November.
"The way we designed the team for this season, it allows us more options," Osorio said. "I think that has to be one of the strengths of the team. It's not just about juggling starting lineups, it's about keeping everybody fresh and one of the ways to do it is by having good competition in every position. Now we have better options."
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