From his Philly roots to his playing for archrival D.C. United to his single-handedly knocking favored New York out of the 2010 postseason, many Red Bull🧸s fans had come to hate Bobby Convey. His reputation – selfish, spoiled and immature – just made it worse.
Now, Convey is✅ one of theirs, the left-footed former All-Star coming to the Red Bulls via trade from Toronto. He admits his reputation was to an extent true, but he says marriage – and impending fatherhood – has matured him. He ꦉclaims he took less money to come to New York not for the nightlife or recreation, but for family and winning.
“As you get older and play for a while, you become way less selfish,’’ Convey said. “When I was younger, I was a little bit more selfish: You want your own career to take off. But at this poﷺint, after playing for so long, being on a good team – I know the players will be rotated here, there are good players – I just want to win.
“That’s why I came here: To be close to my family, on a winning team and close to my family. That’s what you want throughout your career, and that’s wherཧe I am.’’
Convey was offered a contract extension from Toronto FC after last season, and had offers from other MLS teams as well. But the 3ꦫ0-year-old said he took a pay cut to come to New York for two reasons: The Red Bulls were coming off a Supporters’ Shield-winning campaign, and his family is in nearby Philadelphia, an added bonus since his wife is expecting.
“We really liked it there, but I couldn’t turn down the opportunity to come here. I’m thankful to Toronto, [coach Ryan Nelsen] and Tim [Leiweke, MLSE president] for trading me here, get🐽ting me wh☂ere I wanted to be,’’ said Convey, who played alongside Nelsen in Washington while Leiweke was GM. Red Bulls coach Mike Petke was also on those United teams, smoothing the way for this deal.
“They offered me a contract to stay there and I appreciated it, but I chose to take less money to come here and be closer to my family and play on a winning team that’s proved they’re going to be successful. There were a couple other offers, but I’m thankful to those guys they traded me where I wanted to be, to this te🦹am.’’
Convey ca🥂me into MLS in 2000 at just 16, then the youngest player to ever suit up in the league. Not shockingly, he e♓xhibited the expected immaturity. But Petke played alongside Convey in 2003 and ’04, as did Nelsen, who went on to coach him last year. Apparently Petke liked him enough to want to do so this coming season.
“I was just really young,’’ Convey said.♕ “It was tough for me being so young, but now it’s good for me full-circle that Mike’s the coach here and he knows me and he knows how I’ve changed.
“I’m married now. I’m going to have a baby. It’s a completely differe𒁏nt person than when I was making ✨mistakes as a teenager. I’m glad Mike knows me then, knows me now. Nellie’s the same. It probably wouldn’t have come off.’’
Many Red Bulls supporters probably still h🌠ave nightmares about how Convey tortured their team for San Jose in 2010, when – in a season in which he notched 10 assists and won MLS Comeback Player of the Year – he had two goals and assisted on the game-winning tally to knock them out of the playoffs.
A left winger for much of his career, Convey played left back in San Jose. With Red Bulls left back Roy Miller expect🐓ed to miss a large chunk of the season while away at the World Cup with Costa Rica, Convey would be expected to handle that position. He says he’s🎶 more than willing.
“We’ve already made a mov♊e on that front. We brought Bobby Convey in bec🉐ause we view him as that creative middle to front player,’’ said sporting director Andy Roxburgh, who also brought in Toronto FC right back Richard Eckersley this week to give Petke the attacking-minded fullbacks he’s craved.
“In the system here, left back is a sp🎐ot,’’ Convey said. “Either one is fine. It’s been presumed I don’t want to play there. I don’t know where that came from. In San Jose I played there, came here and played in the All-Star game at left back.’’
Eckersley deal closed
The Red Bulls completed their acquisition of Eckersley on Monday, shipping their natural 2017 fourth-round pick to Toronto FC for the right back. Eckersley will be added to the roster after he gets his P-1 visa approved and passes a phys🃏ical.
“We were impressed with Richard’s play at Toronto FC and are delighted to acquire him,’’ Red Bulls sporting director A𒅌ndy Roxburgh said in a stat🅠ement.
“He has a good soccer brain and is an energetic defender who can also provide positive attacking qualities on the flanks. Rich🅷ard will immediately provide another solid and vers▨atile option for us on our backline and will certainly compete for a starting role on our team.”
The Red Bulls solidified arguably the weakest position on their roster, after parting company with Brandon Barklage in the ofseason. The 24-year-old Eckersley is one of the better fullbacks in MLS, and became available because of his ♊bloated salary and Toronto FC’s need to clear cap room for the arrival of Designated Players Michael Bradley and Jermaine Defoe.
Eckersley, who primarily plays as a fullback, will have the majority of his contrac𝓀t paid by Toronto FC, giving the Red Bulls a bargain for at least a year.
He joined Toronto FC on loan from Engl💟ish side Burnley in April 2011. He was a consistent presence on Toronto’s backline over the last three seasons, appearing in 72 matches and being named to Toronto’s starting eleven 70 times. He appeared in 16 games for Tor﷽onto last season, all of which were starts.
The Englishman started his career at Manchester United’s academy program. He then progressed to Manchester United’s reserve side in 2007 and made two first team appearances from 2007-09. The 24-ಌyear-old earned the first medal of his career when he was named to the 18-man roster for United’s League Cup Final victory over Tottenham Hotspur in March 2009.
Eckersley signed with Burnley in July 2009 and was part of loan deals at English clubs Plymouth Argyle (2010), Bradford City (2011) and Bur🧔y (2011).