Arena building a winner in New York

When Bruce Arena signed on to coach the New York Red Bulls and try to turn a perennial loser of a franchise into a winner, people wondered if he could still build a championship-caliber MLS team. It was a fair question considering it had been a decade since he built a D.C. United franchise from scratch, turning that club into a dynasty envied throughout the league.

Rich Schultz/WireImage

Dave van den Bergh is proving to be a steal for the Red Bulls.

It was also a question worth asking consider how many notable coaches (among them Carlos Queiroz and Carlos Alberto Parreira) had tried and failed to build a consistent winner in the shadow of New York City. History didn't seem to bother Arena though. He simply smiled, swigged his Red Bull and told us to watch what he could do.

Some nine months later, Arena has built himself a pretty solid team, a team good enough to have even the beleaguered New York soccer fans actually brimming with confidence. Yes, it is only two games into the new season, but there are reasons to believe that the newfound confidence in the Red Bulls isn't misguided.

Consider the following steps Arena took toward building a roster that just might be good enough to contend for a league title:

Maximizing the Designated Player Rule -- When Bruce Arena traded away former league MVP Amado Guevara for Chivas USA's designated player you had to wonder whether the Red Bulls would be able to fill both of their slots with quality players and not European old-timers looking for a vacation. Arena has scored on both counts, bringing in Claudio Reyna to serve as the team's leader and midfield maestro, and just recently signing Colombian Juan Pablo Angel.

Reyna critics had to be giddy at the news that the midfielder missed the team's second game, but the fluke incident that sidelined Reyna won't keep him out another game. That injury took some of the attention away from a masterful first game in MLS for Reyna, whose vision, passing touch and calmness on the ball will make him worth every penny of the $1 million he is earning in 2007.

Then you have Angel, who was starting and playing well for Aston Villa as recently as six months ago. His fearlessness, strong physical presence and marketability make him a dream player for the club to have signed. Some may question whether he is a sure thing. The fact that Angel was one of the few South Americans ever to go to the Premiership and actually find success tells you that he isn't likely to have trouble adapting to the physicality of MLS the way so many South American players have.

While Ronald Waterreus' acquisition wasn't a product of the Designated Player rule, the move does illustrate Arena's ability to rate and attract talent. While most coaches would have been content to hand the starting goalkeeper job to Jon Conway, who enjoyed a solid season in 2006, Arena saw an opportunity to add a proven international player with the skills to be one of the league's best at the position.

Scoring in the draft -- The Red Bulls didn't figure to add much to their team in January's MLS draft, what with just two picks to make and none in the first round. Guess again. Arena found a gem in second-round pick Dane Richards, a speedy Jamaican winger whom teams shied away from because of his age and impending status as a senior international in two years.

Richards has rewarded Arena's confidence by providing the team with a dangerous presence on the right flank, something the club hasn't had in years. An injury to Austrian winger Markus Schopp paved the way for Richards to start and he showed what he can do in the team's 3-0 thrashing of FC Dallas, setting up two goals with dizzying runs.

Dominating the trade market -- If the Red Bulls do win a title this year it will have as much to do with the bargains Arena found on the trade market as it does with his designated players. Arena added Dave van den Bergh, Clint Mathis and Hunter Freeman in trades that cost the team only late-round draft picks.

The Van den Bergh trade, with K.C. receiving a third-round supplemental draft pick for him, could be the steal of the offseason. The Dutch midfielder signed with the Wizards as a high-profile acquisition but arrived after the coach who recruited him, Bob Gansler, had already been fired. Van den Bergh never settled in with K.C. and was dumped to the first team to show any interest. All he has done since is give the Red Bulls a skillful left winger who helps give the midfield balance and a real threat to score from the flank.

Acquiring Mathis was, and is, the biggest gamble of all of Arena's moves. He is taking a chance on being able to inspire and motivate Mathis despite the former MetroStar's two very disappointing seasons in MLS since returning from Germany. Mathis has shown up in shape and with a look in his eye like someone who is comfortable and happy to be on the. If he can give the Red Bulls eight to 10 goals then the club will really be a title contender.

The trade for Freeman was a far more subtle move but a calculated one. Arena and assistant coach Richie Williams were fully aware of what Freeman could offer and how good he could be if placed in the right environment, so they pounced the second Colorado expressed an interest in unloading him. As soon as Freeman came on board Marvell Wynne's days as a Red Bull were numbered. The switch gave the club the salary cap flexibility it needed to make all its moves, and also helps the team's cap prospects beyond 2007.

Will all these moves translate into Arena hoisting his third MLS Cup, thus making him the first head coach to win titles with two different teams? It is obviously too soon to tell for sure, but the early struggles of traditional Eastern Conference powers D.C. United and New England have left the East without a runaway favorite. The Red Bulls could grab that title this weekend if they dispose of the unbeaten and battle-tested Dynamo.

If that happens, then fans from D.C. to Chicago will have to start considering that Arena may have built something they probably never thought they would see, a New York MLS team to be feared.

Game Previews

Welcome to MLS Bizarro World, where the Columbus Crew have yet to lose and D.C. United have yet to win, where Eddie Johnson and Clint Mathis are coming off star performances and Jaime Moreno and Landon Donovan have yet to score.

No, not everything has changed. Alexi Lalas can still stir the hype machine, Bruce Arena can still build a winner, Houston's defense is still stingy, Taylor Twellman can still find the net and I still can't pick MLS games.

This isn't a good week to try to get that record above .500; tough matchups abound, with the K.C.-Toronto match the only gimme in the bunch. (Yes, I just jinxed the Wizards.) The Dynamo and Red Bulls meet in the game of the week while Chivas USA and Real Salt Lake rekindle their rivalry in the Class of 2005 Derby.

Saturday

Houston Dynamo at New York Red Bulls

The Red Bulls should get a break from the horrible weather in their first two games but the tradeoff is facing the defending champions. The Dynamo have been struggling to generate offense, with one goal on seven shots on goal in two matches, and chances won't come easy against a Red Bulls defense that has been surprisingly stingy so far this season. Claudio Reyna returns to help the Red Bulls win the midfield battle as Jozy Altidore finds the net in a hard-fought match. Red Bulls 1, Dynamo 0.

Kansas City Wizards at Chicago Fire

So was the Wizards' season-opening display a product of their own quality or D.C. United's ineptitude? We will find out at Toyota Park, where K.C. faces a Chicago defense that is better than D.C.'s. Eddie Johnson looked sharp in his debut but will struggle to make the same impact this week. Look for Justin Mapp to create some good chances and Chris Rolfe to score the game winner in a wide-open match. Fire 2, Wizards 1.

Real Salt Lake at Chivas USA

Chivas USA played well enough to score a point last week before Brian Ching spoiled the party. Look for the Goats to have an easier time facing an RSL defense that is primed for a thrashing. Why? Well, aside from Nick Rimando challenging Facundo Erpen for worst starter in MLS honors, Chivas USA will boast the first quality midfield Salt Lake has faced all season and it will only be a matter of time before Ante Razov and Amado Guevara torch a back line that counts only Eddie Pope as a reliable defender. Chivas USA 3, Real Salt Lake 1

Colorado Rapids at FC Dallas

You think the Hoops are glad to be home? Sure, playing in three home openers as a guest was fun but being back at Pizza Hut Park should revive an attack that looked lost against the Red Bulls last weekend. The Rapids have shown some positive signs in the first two games of the season but their notorious road form makes you wonder if they will travel well. The Rapids' wingers should create some chances but the Dallas tandem of Carlos Ruiz and Kenny Cooper will prove too much for Colorado to handle. FC Dallas 2, Rapids 1.

Wednesday

Toronto FC at Kansas City Wizards

A week to recover from the thrashing by New England as well as the arrival of defenders Marvell Wynne and Kevin Goldthwaite should help Toronto FC be more competitive, but beating an improved K.C. squad appears unlikely. Mo Johnston has added so many new pieces, including English forward Danny Dichio, that expecting the team to play well together so soon might be a bit much. The Eddie Johnson-Scott Sealy speed combo proves too much as the Wizards continue their solid start to the season and Toronto keeps feeling the pain of being a new team. Wizards 3, Toronto 1.

Thursday

New York Red Bulls at FC Dallas

You can blame Dallas' 3-0 loss to the Red Bulls last week on the fatigue of three games in eight days and the heavy travel, but it had just as much to do with a defense that is struggling in large part because of a lack of support from the midfield. Argentine midfielder Pablo Richetti should help with this when he eventually arrives. Without Richetti, Dallas will struggle yet again against a Red Bulls team whose midfield is just too balanced. Red Bulls 2, FC Dallas 1.

Last week: 2-2-1

Overall: 3-4-4

Ives Galarcep covers MLS for ESPNsoccernet. He is a writer and columnist for the Herald News (N.J.) and writes a blog, Soccer By Ives. He can be reached at Ivespn79@aol.com.