No Joke: Dwayne De Rosario Traded To New York Red Bulls

There were lots of good reasons for Toronto to embrace Dwayne De Rosario during his two-plus seasons with his hometown team. Yet, here he is walking out the door and the only people apparently shedding tears are kids who don’t know any better. Waking the Red, SB Nation’s Toronto FC blog, tries to assess where blame belongs in the whole sorted affair.

Adding a five-time MLS Best XI player with three MLS Cups to his name is normally cause for celebration, but the club that acquires him has a long history of losing and disappointment in the league’s biggest market, it’s almost worthy of a parade. The New York Red Bulls have a history filled with embarrassment, but with the acquisition of Dwayne De Rosario on Friday afternoon they went from one of the top teams in the league to the clear-cut favorite to bring home the MLS Cup.

“Dwayne has been one of the league’s best players over the past several years and we are thrilled that he is a Red Bull,” said New York General Manager and Sporting Director Erik Soler. “He is one of the most dangerous players MLS has seen in the attacking third and he is a true leader both on and off the field. We had to trade Tony and Danleigh – two very talented, young players who both need more playing time with a first team in MLS to develop their potential. At the end, we think this is a massive step in our quest towards the MLS Cup title.”

“We have acquired two very strong players that I believe will have an immediate and long-term impact at our club. I’d like to thank Dwayne for all his contributions to Toronto FC and wish him well with his new club in New York,” said Toronto FC Head Coach and Technical Director Aron Winter in a statement released by the club. “It is unfortunate to have to trade our captain, but this deal is part of our rebuild process and helps to open cap room for our club.”

How the Red Bulls are fitting De Rosario under the salary cap remains an open question. Last year, he made more than $400,000 in guaranteed compensation and the Red Bulls already appeared to be up against the salary cap before his acquisition. Since Tchani was a Generation Adidas player, he did not count against the cap at all and Borman was a minimum salary player last year.