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The New York Red Bulls waived four players before its preseason trip to Florida. Danny Cepero, Carlos Johnson, Walter Garcia, and Matthew Mbuta were all let go by team management.
 With the number of players brought in to training and rumored to be headed to the squad, it is no surprise that players were let go and we will surely see more cuts in the future. Still, some of the players the team picked to let go were a bit surprising.
Danny Cepero had been with New York for three seasons, and led the team to the 2008 MLS Cup Final with fantastic play while John Conway was suspended. He got significantly more playing time in the 2009 season, where his play (along with that of the whole team) dipped significantly. Highly athletic, Cepero has great reflexes but his sense of positioning was seriously flawed. On a side note, he scored a goal off a goal kick, which wasn't very important but can still be considered freaking awesome.
Johnson was probably the biggest surprise on the list of players waived. Brought in by Juan Carlos Osorio to start the 2009 season, it took Johnson a while to adjust to MLS and he was a magnet for cards (most of them being red, sadly). Still, by the end of the season he was playing well, and appeared to be a solid MLS right back.
Garcia only played one game in 2009, and won't be missed. Mbuta showed promise and a fair amount of hustle, but his appearances were always limited and it cant be called surprising to see such a marginal player get the boot.
Cepero and Johnson are the only two players on this list that can be considered surprising. Although Cepero wasn't amazing, he was a cheap and serviceable backup. If the team cuts him just to replace him with another scrub backup of similar talent, I don't see the point of letting a likable and young professional go. Various keepers have been in camp, including Bill Gaudette and Greg Sutton, both of whom have spotted (read, poor) MLS records.
Carlos Johnson on the other hand, seemed like he would probably end up with the starting spot at right back this season. The team acquired Chris Albright during a draft-day trade, but like most grandmothers and some pro soccer players, Albright is getting old and brittle. Recovering from an injury, he has yet to actually train with the team this season. Jeremy Hall is another option to play at right back, where he was pretty good last season. Still, he is a left midfielder, and most fans were hoping that a new coach would mean players actually playing in their own positions for once. The team has also looked at Frederic Jonson and Toni Kolehmainen, two young Scandinavian right backs who trialed with the team in Spain. No word as of yet on whether or not they are still with the team or will accompany the Red Bulls on the trip to Florida.
Dave Braneck is a blogger and an all around soccer fan who represents North Jersey to the fullest and contributes to Dailyharrison.com
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