Half a dozen players did not have their options picked up by the NYRB, their hear and soul of the last several seasons are gone. Luis Robles had his option declined, Bradley Wright-Philips is out of contract. Joing them or rather not joining them or the team again next year are 2nd generation player and Haitian National Team regular Derrick Etienne Jr, Jean-Christophe Koffi & GK Evan Louro. Already retired is of course St. John's Alum and fan fav, Connor Lade, newcomer who did very well Josh Sims is back to England following completion of his loan from Southampton.
Denis Hamlett Sporting DIrector had this to say of Robles, "The entire organization would like to thank Luis for his contributions to the club over the last 8 seasons. Luis' play and work ethic speak for themselves when you look at the individual and team success during his time. These decisions are never easy and we wish Luis and his family the best in the next stage of his career." At 35 he is peaking as a GK, last year a down year team wide had his record at 13-14-6 with 88 saves and just under 3/4's of his wins by shutout with 8. Overall he is 114-71-53 and 72 blankings of the opposition, great for a 1.29 GAA. He is 6th with 114 wins #8 in shutouts, holder of the MLS Ironman record with 183 complete games and MLS Goalkeeper of the Year in 2015. A trio of Supporters Shields, among them the first pieces of hardware for the team. Captain the last 2 years and was for the most recent Shield win and best record then in the history of the MLS in 2018. He is now a free agent, but rest assured not for long.
BWP, is out of contract, a top man up top in MLS history and a key part of the team's successes since his arrival in 2013. Hamlett said of this 2nd generation pro from England, "Brad had an incredible run with the club and will be remembered here as a great player, teammate and person, and we thank him for all that he has accomplished and helped the club accomplish. This his 7th year with the club was injury marred limiting his time and production to a fraction of just the previous one with 7 games and one goal and one assist. He has a team best 108 goals , a pair of Golden Boots, 2 Best XI nods, 2X MLS All-Star selection and the first ever in the MLS with 3 seasons of 20 or more goals. He was the offensive engine for all 3 of the Supporter Shields, 240 games, 205 starts, 18,471 minutes with 126 goals and 35 assists overall in RBNY colors.
The team is getting younger yes, it worked in 2018, not so well in 2019, BWP being out was a major reason for this. The team also seems to be cutting costs, I am sure both were at the top of the payroll. There is always a chance any player let go may return, let them test the market, resign them for less money, these and any other scenarios will play themselves out in the near future. Robles is still an excellent goalkeeper, they always come at a premium, as do strikers the injury to BWP a groin is a lingering one and difficult one to deal with. I fully expect Robles to return to MLS play, whether it be for an expansion team or not, as for BWP, I would think it depends upon his health, I cannot imagine him wanting last year to be the last year of his career, one more makes a lot more sense for him, but his fitness is a major concerm.