Retirement, players released, players resigned by others, but now a trio of Bulls are back to the Arena for 2020 and beyond. 'Keeper Ryan Meara, Fwd. Brian White & Def. Amro Tarek are back in the fold. Sporting Director Denis Hamlett had this to say, "We are pleased to reach agreements with Ryan, Brian & Amro. As we look to improve our team with new additions, it is also important to make sure we solidify our existing roster and build out our core. We know the value of all 3 players and we expect all 3 to be contributors for us in 2020 and beyond."
Ryan, the 29 year old Fordham grad of a member of FDNY is the most senior of players with the team, a 2nd round selection in the 2012 MLS SuperDraft, was an instant success, as a rookie he took the top spot between the sticks only to be Wally Pipped. A native of NY, he started 18 games with a 9-5-4 record with a 1.5 GAA and set the rookie mark for shutout minutes with 321, that all came to a crashing end with a hip injury and its surgery on Aug. 23, which put a halt to a superb start. Luis Robles came in and took the hard earned starting spot, leaving Meara #2 on the depth charts for the next 7 years. Over that time he was 2-1-1 in regualr season MLS contests, his best game was in leading the team to the 2017 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup final as he had 2 blank sheet out of 5 games and a personal record of 7 saves including a pk save in the Sweet 16 facing the Philadelphia Union.
White, the high scoring revelation of 2019 is also a local product, plays for his home state of NJ in being from Flemington, he was #2 on the team with goals and #6 MLS wide for American players. In 2018 he was a first round pick in MLS SuperDraft and thus far has a pair of good years for the team. Out of Duke in 2018, coached by 2nd generation US based player John Kerr Jr., Brian had 8 goals and 5 assists in 23 USL Championship and MLS games totalled, setting a new mark in either league as he recorded a goal, assist and save in one game facing the Richmond Kickers on July 13, 2018. He had his first MLS goal facing the Dynamo then coached by former Suffolk Community HC WIlmer Cabrerra on Aug. 29. As BWP went down with injury, Brian did more than his part in filling the void with his 9 goals and pair of assists over 1,345 minutes. His account for last year was opened when in facing Sporting Kansas City he came in for the injured Phillips and hit the tying goal, a quick taste of his 8 goals in 15 games as a starter. Including his time at Duke, White has been white hot with 61 goals over 143 games. Broken down as 23 goals over 73 Duke games, 17 over 14 games with NYRB U-23, 11 over 26 games with NYRBII and 10 goals over 2 dozen games with the first tieam.
Tarek came in from OCSC last off season, he had 20 games in uniform and was the Newcomer of the Year for his good season. As a starter, he helped the team to 5 shutouts, and a 10-6-3 record as a starter, the player for the Egyptian National Team added one goal and one assist. 2017-'18 saw him with Wadi Delga with 10 starts over 21 games. The first game in the Egyptian Premier League came at 22 years old for El Gouna FC on Jan. 9, 2014, now he sits with 83 games there with three sides and 7,033 minutes.
Quotes from Denis Mamlett:
Ryan Meara: "We are pleased to reach an agreement on a new contract with Ryan. Ryan is our longest-tenured player and he has been a true professional throughout his carrer. He is one of our leaders in our locker room, and we are expecting big things from him this season."
Brian White: "We knew Brian's quality when we drafted him, and we were very pleased with what we saw in him his first full season as a starter in 2019. Brian stepped up when called upon and showed that he can produce at the MLS level. We look forward to what he can bring to our team in 2020."
Amro Tarek: "Amro fit in well with out team from the start, and was solid when called upon last season. He's a versatile defender, and his qualities fit well within our playing philosophy. Amro proved to be an important player for us and we're pleased to extend his time with us into 2020 and beyond."
Chris Armas on the 3:
Meara: "Ryan is the type of player you love to coach. Ryan is a leader, winner, and has earned the respect of the locker room. We look forward to working with him and seeing him take the next step in his career."
White: "Brian proved last year that he has what it takes to be a goal scorer at this level. Brian is an intelligent striker, works extremely hard, and has proven he can score goals. He will continue to grow and we are fortunate to continue this journey with him."
Tarek: "Amro was an important player for us last year. Amro is a quality player, incredible person and has fully committed himself to us. As a staff we're pleased to have him in our defensive group and know that he is reliable in every way."
Player Quotes:
Ryan Meara: "I couldn't be happier to extend my stay with the Red Bulls. This is the club that drafted me in 2012 and I've loved every second of my time here. I reallly feel like the Red Bulls are a 2nd family to me."
Brian White: " I'm very happy to have signed a new contract with the club. It means a lot to me that Denis and the coaching staff are willing to put their trust in me and there's no other team I would rather play for. I love representing my home state and I'm excited to get back to work to win MLS Cup for the club.
Amro Tarek: " I love this city, the fans & everyone in this organiation."
For those with a short memory especially those who were crying out for a GK upon the departure and again when Roble signed in Florida, short memories you must have had of how well Ryan had played pre injury, yes it was some time ago but the goalkeeper position most times has those who play it get better as time goes by, plus he is missing the abuse the body takes in the games. White, not a stop gap measure but not the single person I feel is capable of filling the gap left by BWP. Tarek, for me still has the jury out as he spent much of last time injured, so soon we shall see how all this works out.