It’s hard to assess Claudio Reyna’s first year in Major League Soccer, says Frank Giase of the Newark Star-Ledger. From a Red Bull fan’s point of view, signing for Reyna for $1.2 million per year at a designated player slot looks a retrospectively bad move. Stats-wise, Reyna contributed three assists, zero goals and 14 shots in 23 total appearances this season — not to mention a series of niggling injuries.
“Welcome to the first year of the designated player, where expectations seem to have risen exponentially with salary,” says Giase, skewing “fans’ thinking.” What did they expect, he asks? Reyna isn’t an attacking midfielder; he plays a subtle game, controlling midfield from deep lying positions with short passing and an excellent positional sense. His job is to start the play, not to score or provide the final telling pass.
This is what you get for $1 million, and fans shouldn’t expect more, says Giase. “Around the world, where money is not an issue and fans laugh at the idea of a salary cap, a player like Reyna is loved and appreciated,” he says. However in MLS, where money is tight, “that’s just not enough bang for the buck.” And Red Bulls fans shouldn’t expect it to get much better next season, he adds.