The New York Red Bulls have announced the signing of Bundesliga veteran Frank Rost, who has made 426 combined appearances with Werder Bremen, Shalke 04 and Hamburger SV. Rost is also the German record holder for the most appearances in the UEFA Cup—now referred to as the UEFA Europa League—which serves as the second-most prestigious European club competition.

Having agreed to a designated player contract, Rost will become the first ever goalkeeper to be a designated player. This move ends speculation of a big New York deal, after Canadian international Dwayne DeRosario was sent to DC United largely for salary cap reasons.

Rost will replace the struggling tandem of Bouna Coundoul and Gregg Sutton, who have both made serious errors between the sticks for the Red Bulls this season. Coundoul, known for his athletic saves and questionable decision making, was the starting keeper for most of last season. But he was soon replaced by the more sure-handed Sutton. Still, even Sutton has struggled this season, particularly on the recent West Coast road trip.

Rost is sure to be a boost to the club, which seems to be struggling to find a good run of form despite their share of the Eastern Conference lead. In recent weeks, the Red Bulls have been disappointing, with a 1-2-2 record in their last 5 games despite being the highest scoring team in the MLS this season. 

The team announced that Rost should be available for their next game against Chivas USA as long as his ITC and P1 visas are processed in time.

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