The Red Bull brain trust, lead by GM Erik Soler and coach Hans Backe, has continued to shape New York's roster as the 2010 season comes ever closer.  The team has signed two midfielders, Carl Robinson and Joel Lindpere, and attempted to sign a right back.  The team is taking shape, and although there are certainly still some missing pieces it is clear that Soler and Backe have a solid idea of the direction they would like to take the roster.

Estonian Action

New York has had two Estonian national team players in its camp for a significant period of time, and offered contracts to both midfielder Joel Lindpere and right back Enar Jaager.  Lindpere accepted, officially signing with the club on March 5th.  Lindpere (28) is a left sided midfielder with 74 caps for the Estonian national team.  He is ordinarily a winger, but he has spent a fair amount of time playing in club friendlies as a central midfielder.  From appearances in Florida he seems to be a solid passer, good on the ball, and capable of crossing from the outside.  Metro's ability to sign a quality central midfielder (rumor of the week: Ze Roberto) will probably dictate whether or not he plays on the left.

Enar Jaager (25) is a right back with 68 caps for Estonia.   Sure, Estonia is not a world power house, but it is nice to see players so important to their national programs associated with the team.  Sadly, Jaager will not be dressed as a soft drink next season.  Jaager shot down New York's contract offer and bolted to Norway, where he played for two years before a stint in the Italian second division last season.  Yes, it is embarrassing (and emotionally hurtful) to be turned down, but at least the team has recognized its needs and is actively working to address them.

Welsh Wonders

Red Bull has also signed defensive midfielder Carl Robinson from Toronto FC.  Robo is slowing down at 33, but he has had a solid career which saw him play for the Welsh National team (another football giant on the world stage) 52 times.   New York gave up picks in the 2011 draft for Robinson, but they will allegedly only be paying about one third of his 300k salary.  Robinson  is not great, but he will be serviceable backup for Seth Stammler in defensive midfield, and can play center back in a pinch.  This move is also connected to the teams inability to sign a right back.  Luke Sassano, who is the teams only other true d-mid, will likely play as a right back (along with Jeremy Hall) until New York can sign a "real" right back.  This will allow Sassano to start in defense and still provide cover for Stammler.

There are still plenty of rumors about the team signing new players, and the as we learned for Juan Carlos Osorio, just because the season starts doesn't mean the team building stops.  There will continue to be changes for Red Bull New York, but the teams core has been developed well.

Dave Braneck is a blogger and an all around soccer fan who represents North Jersey to the fullest and contributes to Dailyharrison.com