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Red Bulls Sporting Director Jeff Agoos

July 27, 2009 | 12:06 pm 2

By George Tanner

After the Colorado Rapids defeated his team 4-0 on Saturday night at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, Jeff Agoos, the sporting director of the New York Red Bulls, graciously took some time to talk soccer with me in the press box. We discussed the Red Bulls, the All-Star Game, the national team and the Gold Cup final. But when we spoke, it was before Mexico routed the United States 5-0 on Sunday; so keep that in mind when we start talking about the Gold Cup.

The Red Bulls are 2-15-4 with 10 points. How is this season weighing on your organization?

I think everybody’s incredibly frustrated by the lack of results, the amount of individual errors that we make. … I think it’s one of the toughest seasons I’ve had to go through; I know it’s probably that way for everyone in our organization.

Is there anything you take from this game?

I don’t think so. I really don’t think there’s a silver lining. (Editor’s note: Another reporter asked the same question to Red Bulls coach Juan Carlos Osorio outside the locker room. His answer was yes, there are things to be learned from the loss. But, as he continued, he spoke in vague terms and offered no examples of what those lessons might be. His response made me appreciated Agoos’ candid answer.)

Rapids fans know goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul well. How does he fit into your team’s plans?

We had Jon Conway and Danny Cepero prior to signing Bouna. We thought we needed a more athletic goalkeeper, and certainly Bouna is in that mold. I think he, like most goalkeepers here in the league, still needs to develop and work, and we think there will be some positive things that Bouna gives us in years to come.

You were on nine MLS All-Star teams, and Rapids striker Conor Casey was just named to his first. How big an honor is that?

I think it’s a huge honor to be recognized by the media, by your peers as one of the best. Certainly Conor has deserved it. He’s had a very good year. He’s been one of the reasons why this team has done as well as it has. Players like him and Omar (Cummings) have done a tremendous job for this organization.

Can being called up to the national team and playing in an All-Star Game be a distraction?

The national team for sure. You’ve got times where players are going in and out. You’ve got injuries. Any time you can’t keep a consistent lineup, it affects you. You’ve just got to have enough depth to be able to deal with that. That’s one of the difficulties of this league is creating depth through your roster.

How important is the Gold Cup final against Mexico?

I think it’s a big game, but I don’t think it’s as big as this (World Cup qualifier) against Mexico in Mexico. We want to win the Gold Cup final. We take a lot of pride in that tournament. I think we want to, with the reduced roster we have, show that we can compete with the most of the best players of the Mexican team. But in saying that, the World Cup qualifiers are always more important than these types of tournaments because that’s really where you want to put your emphasis.

Has anyone in particular on the U.S. team impressed you during the Gold Cup?

One thing I like about the U.S. team is that they play well together. (Coach Bob Bradley’s) stamp on the team is that there are no individuals, that the team plays well, that they’re a very hard team to play against. I think that’s what you see. I wouldn’t say there are one or two players; they all work incredibly hard for each other.

A lot of people don’t like watching the national team when it has a “reduced roster.” But players like the ones on this Gold Cup team can turn into the future of the national team, can’t they?

It’s incredibly important for their experience because on a national team you need depth. You need to be able to have different players in different positions. When I was with the national team, it was one or two players at each position. And now there are literally five or six that can step in and do the job. And I think that’s what this league has been able to create.

George Tanner is a former writer and editor for the Rocky Mountain News; the Greeley Tribune; The Daily Independent of Ridgecrest, Calif.; the Durango Herald; and the Boulder Daily Camera. He is a graduate of the University of Colorado and an associate professor at Metropolitan State College of Denver. E-mail him at ColoradoSoccerNow@gmail.com.

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