Sometimes, all that is required for a trade to be successful is for it to look like the right move at the right time. Amro Talek’s arrival at the New York Red Bulls was one such trade.
Around 2:30 pm on Tuesday, December 11, the Red Bulls appeared to have a problem: they had only one center-back on their roster.
Sporting Director Denis Hamlett let five CBs go at the end of the season. Negotiations were ongoing and reportedly promising with out-of-contract starter Tim Parker, but until his signature was secured on a new deal, RBNY had Aaron Long and Hassan Ndam as the only specialist center-backs under contract for 2019 - and by around 2:30 pm on December 11, Ndam had been snapped up by FC Cincinnati in the 2018 Expansion Draft.