Gonzalo Veron has struggled with injuries and inconsistent performances since joining the Red Bulls (Vincent Carchietta/USA TODAY Sports) 

By Michael Lewis

FrontRowSoccer.com Editor

It is time. It is time for Red Bulls midfielder Gonzalo Veron to become a former Red Bulls midfielder.

After seeing yet another struggling performance in the 2-0 loss at Sporting Kansas City Wednesday night, it’s time for the Red Bulls to send him packing back to Argentina.

For someone who signed with the team as a Designated Player in 2015, he has become the biggest disappointment on the team.

He has struggled with injuries and inconsistent performances, who vital qualities that any team, especially one with a salary cap, cannot afford to do.

Quite frankly, Veron has been a waste of money and space on the roster.

Yes, I know he has struggled with injuries, most notably with hamstring headaches.

But his production has been in a word, abysmal.

Veron’s latest inept and disappointing performance came Wednesday. He received a start and did not do much in his 57 minutes before he was pulled in favor of Sacha Kljestan.

This is what the 27-year-old has produced since joining the team in August 2015: four goals and one assist over nine starts, 38 appearances and 1,034 minutes. He also has two yellow cards and a red during that span.

Not exactly sterling numbers for a DP who is slated to earn $500,000 this season, according to the MLS Players Union.

I just don’t know how many times you give a player, a supposed established player, a chance with that much time on a team.

With Daniel Royer, Alex Muyl, Mike Grella and Derrick Etienne, Jr. as capable outside midfielders, Veron doesn’t mean much to me, except for an example of DP futility.

The club can use his salary on a newcomer or someone who is more productive.

When the Red Bulls completed Veron’s transfer from San Lorenzo in his native Argentina, this is what then sporting director Ali Curtis said about the winger in a press release:

“Gonzalo is a young, dynamic player who fits extremely well into our style of play. He has played for one of the top teams in South America and has shown he can play any of the front four positions. Not only are we getting a player who can help us immediately, he is someone who fits well into our long-term plans for our club.”

Hmmm, maybe not.

“We are excited to add Gonzalo to our club,” Red Bulls head coach Jesse Marsch said in a statement back then. “We think he fits into the style that we want to play. He is a young, exciting player with the ability to play a few different attacking roles. He has the potential to be a dynamic player in this league.”

Ah, we’re still waiting.

It would be wise for the Red Bulls to cut their losses and transfer Veron back to an Argentine First Division side. My gut feeling is that he would be much more comfortable and productive there.

It is time for Red Bulls midfielder Gonzalo Veron to become a former Red Bulls midfielder.

Front Row Soccer editor Michael Lewis has covered 13 World Cups (eight men, five women), seven Olympics and 25 MLS Cups. He has written about New York City FC, New York Cosmos, the New York Red Bulls and both U.S. national teams for Newsday and has penned a soccer history column for the Guardian.com. Lewis, who has been honored by the Press Club of Long Island and National Soccer Coaches Association of America, is the former editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He has written seven books about the beautiful game and has published ALIVE AND KICKING The incredible but true story of the Rochester Lancers. It is available at Amazon.com.