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Saying good-bye to Amado

The trade of Amado Guevara to Chivas USA comes as no surprise as it had been rumored for weeks. Bob Bradley gets the player he wanted to run the show out on the West Coast, while the Red Bulls are now in search of a new field leader and a new direction.

Had Amado stayed, he would have to be the guy to build the team around. Amado was at his best when it was his team. When Clint Mathis was here, and when Youri Djorkaeff came in 2005, we saw a different Guevara.

Guevara has been a strong presence for the Red Bulls and MLS. (AP)

Having said all of that, Amado will be 31 next summer and it’s no secret that at the end of each season, he has looked fatigued out on the field. Plus, there are rumors he may return to play for the Honduran National Team, which would force him to miss MLS regular season games.

If you are going to trade him, now is the time.

Guevara goes to Chivas for a Designated Player slot and a 2007 MLS SuperDraft third round pick.

We can’t analyze the deal until Bruce Arena announces who the designated player is. Forget about the third round pick. He would not be expected to be an impact player, assuming he even makes the squad.

Remember with this "Beckham rule," MLS teams can sign one high profile player whose salary falls outside of the team’s budget (salary cap) and whose cost above the salary budget will be the financial responsibility of the team, not the league.

So the league pays the first $400,000.00 of the players’ contract, and the team has to pay all of the rest.

Now by getting this Designated Player from Chivas, the Red Bulls now have the maximum allowed two high profile players to sign. Who will they be? We have heard names like Ronaldo, Luis Figo, Zidane, and former USA Captain Claudio Reyna among others.

Will former USA Captain Reyna re-join Arena in East Rutherford? (AP)

Whoever Bruce Arena signs, I expect them to be marquee names, and if they are anything close to those mentioned above, people will quickly forget about Guevara.

The direction of the Red Bulls took a turn for the better the moment they hired Bruce to run the show. This is his team. With all due respect to those players who were waived, traded, or lost in the expansion draft since the end of the season, this is Bruce’s first bold move.

I will miss Amado Guevara who served this franchise well.

But I look forward to hearing more about those two Designated Players that Bruce Arena will be bringing in.