The Red Bulls worked out at their gleaming $200 million stadium for the first time Tuesday. It may be a long time before they play a game there that counts.
While the first match at Red Bull Arena is an exhibition Saturday against Brazil's Santos, Major League Soccer players are threatening to strike next week ahead of New York's MLS opener against Chicago on March 27.
``Obviously, we're not going to play without an agreement,'' Red Bulls player representative John Wolyniec said. ``We definitely want to play, but we won't start the season without some sort of an agreement. The situation is very difficult, but the agreement has to be beneficial to the players and has to be reasonable. The league has grown and continues to grow. But there have to be better player rights.''
Players want more free agency and a higher percentage of guaranteed contracts.
Tim Leiweke, president of Anschutz Entertainment Group, which owns the Los Angeles Galaxy, was quoted in Tuesday's editions of the Los Angeles Times as saying he thinks little of the players' demands.
``I don't even know how to react when I hear the players now saying that we have treated them poorly and they're going to strike,'' he said. ``The fact is, the Galaxy isn't going to make money this year. There are only a couple of teams that will make money this year.''
Red Bulls defender Mike Petke said younger players need to earn more and that players don't want to wait until midseason for their salaries to become guaranteed.
``We can't have our developmental players making $12,500 a year. I can't worry with a family if I'm going to get released tomorrow,'' he said. ``These are things that have to be settled. We're not asking for things that are unheard of. We're not asking for things that can't be worked out.''
Negotiators are meeting this week in Washington, D.C., under the supervision of George H. Cohen, director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. The previous labor contract, a five-year deal, expired Feb. 25.
``When I hear them talk about striking and shutting the league down, I've got to tell you, they're going to lose us when they talk like that,'' Leiweke was quoted as saying. ``We do this out of passion. If this were a business, we would have quit this 10 years ago.''
While the Galaxy have been successful, the Red Bulls have been a mess. They were 5-19-6 in MLS and 6-21-7 overall last year, averaging a team-low 12,491 fans for league home games, 12th among 15 franchises.
Although the stadium was approved in June 2004, construction repeatedly was delayed. That forced the team to remain in Giants Stadium, where it played mostly on artificial turf, often on unfavorable dates.
``After hearing all the plans and all the proposals and all the groundbreaking ceremonies, I was always kind of skeptical,'' Wolyniec said. ``I always thought it was nothing more than a pipe dream. But being out there today was a little surreal, but it was an absolutely great experience.''
Players hope the new home will help spark a turnaround.
``When you first walk in, it feels like a European stadium,'' Red Bulls captain Juan Pablo Angel said. ``I think it's going to change the perspective of soccer in this region.''
New York has a new coach in Hans Backe and a new general manager and sporting director in Erik Soler. Players want to forget about last year.
``I don't even like to talk about it,'' Angel said. ``It was a horror show from the beginning. We've had a lot of changes in the team, with the new stadium and the organization. We have to do better than last year. We can turn it around this year. But as a team, we have to put good performances on the field, because the new stadium is meaningless if we don't.''
