The New York Red Bulls added to their forward corps on Friday, when they announced that they’ve acquired Norwegian striker Fredrik Gulbrandsen on a year-long loan from sister club FC Red Bull Salzburg.
Gulbrandsen moved to Salzburg from Norwegian club Molde last June. The 24-year-old had two goals in nine league appearances for the Austrian side this season.
"We are excited to welcome Fredrik to New York for the season," Red Bulls sporting director Denis Hamlett said in a statement released by the club. "He is a player we are familiar with and we think his attributes will be a good fit in our system. His familiarity with the Red Bull style of soccer means that we expect him to assimilate quickly into our group."
Gulbrandsen began his professional career with his hometown team, Lillestrøm, in 2008. In 2013 he transferred to Molde and helped the team to the league/cup double in 2014 with 14 goals in 28 matches.
Internationally, Gulbrandsen has three caps with the Norwegian national team, last playing for the country in a short appearance off the bench in a 2-0 friendly win against Finland last March.
Bradley Wright Phillips has carried the bulk of the center forward duties for the New York Red Bulls with Gonzalo Veron recently playing in more of a central position after starting out on the wing when he joined the club. Brandon Allen, a 23-year-old Homegrown player, made just one senior appearance in 2016, but he helped the Red Bulls II reserve team win the USL Cup and earned USL Rookie of the Year honors along the way.
New York will return to action on Saturday, when they'll open their 2017 home schedule against the Colorado Rapids at Red Bull Arena (4 pm ET; UniMas in the US, MLS LIVE in Canada).
MLS FANTASY PRICE:
Fredrik Gulbrandsen – Forward – $8.0
SIMILAR TO: Maxi Urruti, Cubo Torres, Christian Ramirez
