Red Bull N.Y.'s Lalas discusses club's huge changes

	Red Bull New York president and GM Alexi Lalas believes his dreams of a super-club are closer now with serious corporate muscle. Courtesy of Red Bull New York
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Club teams named after corporations are nothing new in world soccer -- take Holland's PSV Eindhoven (owned by Philips Electronics) or Germany's Bayer Leverkusen (for help with those headaches). But it's not something we've made a habit of with our sports franchises here in the U.S.

That all changed on Thursday, when Austrian energy-drink manufacturer Red Bull purchased MLS' MetroStars for a record sum reportedly approaching $100 million. Say goodbye to the MetroStars and hello to "Red Bull New York."

For a franchise that is supposed to be one of the league's premier organizations, this can only be a good thing because nothing else has worked -- in their 10-year existence, the erstwhile Metros didn't have a single trophy to show for their efforts.

Red Bull will certainly put its stamp on the team -- the uniforms will carry its logo and colors, and the franchise will get a healthy dose of the unique guerilla-marketing techniques the company has used to make it a global brand.

But a key part of this deal isn't just the ownership of the team; it's the promise of a long-awaited soccer-only stadium for the club in Harrison, N.J. Red Bull will assume a 50 percent stake in the stadium as well as the naming rights, and it looks like it will finally happen by 2008. The club will also have a close relationship with Red Bull Salzburg, the Austrian club the company purchased in April of last year.

Even so, with a corporate presence this heavy, it's a difficult deal to wrap your head around. To make some sense of it, we caught up with former U.S. soccer legend and team president and GM Alexi Lalas, who tells us what to expect from Red Bull New York, the changes that are inevitably ahead and perhaps a role in the organization for former German great Franz Beckenbauer.

SI.com: What does this mean for the franchise?

Lalas: This is a seminal day in the history of this organization, and the league, for that matter. The impact this is going to have cannot be overstated. We are associating ourselves with a world-renowned brand that is synonymous with creative, innovative and unique marketing. All of the resources of Red Bull will be brought to bear to market the Red Bulls. I'm excited. I've asked everyone to keep an open mind because we are going to blow peoples' minds.

SI.com: So what are the plans?

Lalas: I can't give you specifics. But I will say this: Come April 8, people and fans will see an experience of professional soccer at Giants Stadium in a way that has never been done before, and the likes of which we have never seen.

SI.com: That kind of talk sort of recalls the legacy of the New York Cosmos, who were the flashy, crowd-pleasing cornerstone of the NASL during the 1970s and '80s. The MetroStars had made a point of shying away from that. Will Red Bull New York try to get back to that legacy?

Lalas: Certainly the spectacle of the Cosmos was something that any team would love to be able to bottle. We are not naïve -- we understand that was a specific point in time. Having said that, we are committed to making sure that when people leave our stadium, they are wowed on the field and off it. This is an opportunity for us to introduce ourselves to our fans and to make an impact. We are going to do anything and everything to do so. When I came here last year, I was yelling and screaming about a desire to create America's first super-club. This deal enables us to ultimately reach that status. That's important. That's part of why I'm so excited.