Red Bull is expanding its interest in football with a unique, yet logical, next step in a process that saw Red Bulls New York become the sister team in the American Major League to Red Bull Salzburg, who are the champions of the Austrian Bundesliga.
Red Bull CEO Dietrich Mateschitz had this to say: “18 million Americans actively play soccer in the USA. Up to 60 million attend games each weekend either as fans or as players. Soccer in the USA is about to burst onto the media scene. It’s the perfect time for Red Bull to get involved in US soccer and a logical next step for us after such a successful start in Salzburg.”
Close collaboration between Red Bull Salzburg and the New York Red Bulls was planned. Synergies in athletic areas as well as in management and marketing have been tapped. Projected plans included programmes for exchanging players, mutual training camps and friendly matches as well as joint marketing, merchandising and PR activities.
The team is gaining stature within it's various ranks. General manager Alexi Lalas, is one of the most prominent individuals in US soccer and was the first American to receive a pro contract in Italy. He was the former defender for the US national team who played in the 1994 World Cup. The most prominent player in the present cadre is Youri Djorkaeff – he was world champion in 1998 with France.
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