The New York Times’ Jack Bell says a player dispute is extending the feud between the New York Red Bulls and the Chicago Fire. The Fire have had a bitter taste in their mouth since losing former coach Juan Carlos Osorio to the Red Bulls at the end of last season, but now, the clubs are involved in a tussle regarding the future of Paraguayan prospect Lider Marmol.
The midfielder/defender is currently in Salzburg, Austria, training with the Red Bulls. Osorio, who gave the Marmol a tryout when he was with Chicago last year, is keen on signing him. “When I first saw him in Chicago, I wanted to sign him,” Osorio said in an interview. “Now I know I want to sign him. He is a good player and can distribute the ball. The problem is we do not know what will happen with the league. It is kind of silly, but what can we do with these rules?”
However, under MLS rules, the right of first refusal technically belongs to the Fire, who registered a claim to sign Marmol on Dec. 10, one day before the Bulls. Stephen Rodriguez, the league’s manager for sports communications, confirmed that Chicago is also trying to sign the Paraguayan. “It’s in the process right now,” Rodriguez says. Of course, Marmol is currently with the Bulls in Austria. What if he doesn’t want to sign with Chicago? Tough — under league rules, Marmol belongs to Chicago as a “discovery player.” Osorio, meanwhile, remains convinced that Chicago only lodged a claim to try and block NY from signing him.