New York Red Bulls sign young defender
The New York Red Bulls signed Lucas Monzon on Thursday, acquiring one of the most promising young center backs in all of South America. The 19-year old from Uruguay comes into a position on the Red Bulls that might be the thinnest on their roster.
The deal for Monzon, last on the books with Danubio, is a loan through the 2022 season with an option to buy.
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“I think the last few weeks, we look for some players to make our roster better. I think with Lucas, we find a big talent from Uruguay,” New York Red Bulls head coach Gerhard Struber said this week during media availability.
“It’s a player with the abilities to come into our style of play. I’m very happy with this transfer, it is a young kid with big hunger and I think I have a good picture in my mind, he can help us very quick in our way of football.”
It was a relatively quiet transfer window for the Red Bulls, their only other move coming with the transfer of Florian Valot to FC Cincinnati. The deal landed the Red Bulls an initial $50,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM) with the potential to make another $50,000 in performance bonuses.
“With Flo Valot, I think we realize more and more the last few weeks and especially with the game time that he gets, that for him it is maybe better for him with his age to change the field, to change the club,” Struber said.
It has been a difficult season for the Red Bulls, their first full season under the experienced and well-regarded Struber. They currently sit outside of the playoffs in ninth place in the Eastern Conference with a 5-4-7 record and 19 points.
On Sunday, they will play at the Chicago Fire.
Monzon has a total of 24 matches played for Danubio and Montevideo Wanderers, two of the biggest clubs in Uruguay.