MLS: Red Bulls lose top scorer

• by Soccer America , Jul 25, 2006

Striker Jean-Philippe Peguero, held out of last week's MLS action due to an impending move to Danish club Broendby, was in Copenhagen Tuesday to undergo a medical exam and finalize personal terms. The league has agreed to an undisclosed transfer fee.

Peguero, 24, has two option years left on his MLS contract. His salary for the 2006 season is listed at $70,000 and he reportedly will earn about $200,000 per season with Broendby, which is tied for first place with a 2-0 record in the Danish season that began last week. Broendby finished second last season and did not qualify the Champions League. It won the first leg of its UEFA Cup match against Icelandic club Valur Reykjavik, 3-1, and plays the away leg Wednesday.

The Haitian international was traded by Colorado to Red Bull New York April 21 and had scored six league goals, three of them in one game, since the trade and also scored twice in a 4-2 exhibition win over Bayern Munich. He scored seven goals for the Rapids in each of the last two seasons.

Peguero's six goals for the Red Bulls are the team high, followed by three goals each from Edson Buddle, Mike Magee and Seth Stammler.

The emergence of Argentine forward Nicolas Hernandez, who has scored four goals in 15 games since being acquired last spring, and five goals by Jovan Kirovski prompted Rapids coach Fernando Clavijo to trim his roster. Colorado traded Trinidad & Tobago striker Cornell Glen to Los Angeles two weeks before sending Peguero to Red Bull New York, whose previous head coach, Mo Johnston, who had negotiated for several weeks before landing him.

Yet to be decided by the MLS Competition Committee is whether the Red Bulls will receive a minor allocation as compensation for losing Peguero. It traded a portion of an allocation to Los Angeles in exchange for defender Todd Dunivant June 27 and currently has no allocation money available.