Red Bulls bolster attack by signing Kandji

The New York Red Bulls signed Senegalese striker Macoumba Kandji from the Atlanta Silverbacks of USL-1 on a loan deal.

The club will have an option to buy the striker after the season until Dec. 15. If the Red Bulls are to make the deal permanent, the fee will reportedly be between $150,000 and $200,000, a record for a USL player moving to Major League Soccer. Kandji has 11 goals in 21 matches this season for Atlanta .

"He's got size, he's got pace, he can finish," said Red Bull Technical Director Jeff Agoos on a conference call Monday evening. "There's a lot of raw ability there and we've seen that this year in the USL. We want to see if he can do that at the next level and it's a good opportunity for Mac to prove that he can."

The signing comes at the perfect time for New York, which pursued Kandji for a while before finally landing him on Monday evening. Thin at forward all season, the Bulls have been looking for a viable option to go alongside Juan Pablo Angel.

John Wolyniec started and played 90 minutes during Saturday's home victory against Real Salt Lake, but failed to score. He has not scored all season in 18 appearances. The offseason signing of Colombian Oscar Echeverry failed, as he also did not score this season in a league game before undergoing a season-ending injury.