FanHouse New York Red Bulls

New York Red Bulls coach Juan Carlos Osorio resigned Friday afternoon, robbing the club's owners of the opportunity to demonstrate whatever commitment they might have to their dwindling fanbase.

The club has been sinking since mid-May, and for some time has had a better chance of setting the mark for Major League Soccer futility than of qualifying for the playoffs. When the team (an incredible 2-16-4 in league play) was eliminated two weeks ago from the CONCACAF Champions League by Trinidadian "power" W Connection, there no longer was anything to play for. With the club's new stadium opening next season, Red Bull simply had to make a statement to its fans, demonstrate a commitment to success and part ways with Osorio. It did nothing, forcing the Colombian to show the energy drink company what accountability looks like.

The company that claims its product "gives you wings" seems to be just fine with the fact that its Major League Soccer club is sinking to uncharted depths. More than 36 hours have passed since the New York Red Bulls -- already on pace for the worst season in league history -- were eliminated from the CONCACAF Champions League preliminaries with a 2-1 loss to a Trinidadian team before fewer than 7,000 fans at Giants Stadium.

And yet, the silence from Salzburg is deafening. With more than a week to go before it hosts Chivas USA, now would be the perfect time to send a message to what is left of the club's withering fan base and put coach Juan Carlos Osorio and "Sporting Director" Jeff Agoos out of their misery. The lack of action suggests, however, that the company has different priorities than building a respectable soccer team.

Juan Pablo Angel's relative lack of fame in this country says more about American soccer fans and media than it does about him.

The Colombian has done his part. The former River Plate and Aston Villa player is a consummate pro who conducts himself with grace both on (see video after the jump) and off the field, and he's done more than just score goals. He has made the New York Red Bulls relevant since signing in 2007, helping them reach an MLS Cup final for the first time while providing commitment, stability and some watchable soccer in the league's most important market. This is an almost superhuman accomplishment, considering the club's pathetic history.

Joining David Beckham and Cuauhtemoc Blanco, 31-year-old Columbian striker Juan Pablo Ángel is on his way to the MLS. The New York Red Bulls brought him in from English Premiership side Aston Villa, who once gave Ángel the biggest contract in Aston Villa history.

Ángel had a few productive seasons (a 23-goal campaign among them) with Villa, but in recent years saw his playing time decrease in favor of younger players. Fortunately, he won't have to worry about that will the Bulls, as most of the younger players in MLS... well, we'll just say they're not of Premiership quality and leave it at that.

Rumor has it that the 31-year-old will be the second-highest priced player in the league, behind only Beckham. He's the second player the Red Bulls have been able to sign outside of the league's salary cap (the other being Claudio Reyna). Pending work permit issues, he should be on the field for the Bulls in a week or so.

So there's no excuse left for the Red Bulls to not be one of the best two or three teams in the MLS (currently third in our Power Rankings).

The five most important transfers of the offseason.

1. Freddie Adu, Real Salt Lake. "Old" might be stretching it but Adu's been around for three years now and is rapidly approaching the end of his tenure in MLS. If he's is going to fulfill the hype lavished upon him when he entered the league at 14 before bolting to Europe it has to be now. Adu was traded to Real for a major allocation and can finally take on a full-time starting spot in the attacking midfield role he is best suited for. Real will build the team around his skills; now is the time to shine.

2. Luciano Emilio, DC United. The virtually unknown Brazilian striker -- any Brazilian who still carries around two names is most definitely Not A Big Deal -- was rescued from the Honduran league by the crafty DC United management and immediately responded with three goals in the home-and-home opener of the CONCACAF Champions' Cup. With Adu gone and fan favorite Alecko Eskandarian traded to FC Toronto, the burden of partnering with Jamie Moreno -- admittedly not a massive one -- falls to Emilio.

3. Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Chicago Fire. If anyone needed a reason to hate the Fire, here you go. The decrepit Blanco is a Mexican national team legend with 25 goals in 95 appearances, including the most recent USA-Mexico friendly in which he looked like a less talented version of Ronaldo in all the bad ways: the guy waddled. Blanco's not just a prominent member CONCACAF's dirty little sister program, he's it's prime offenders. The guy dives like a submarine.

So why is he important? He has the sort of ball skills not often seen in MLS. His array of flicks, tricks, and dribbles are without peer in the league, and though he is old and duck-like he figures to have a late-career revival a la Youri Djorkaeff, which I think is very important for you to know that I spelled correctly on the first try.