The club surprised fans on February 17 by waiving second-year homegrown players Matt Kassel and Šaćir Hot. While 2012 playing time for the two was likely to be limited, the young players were just signed from Red Bulls Academy in 2011 and did not count against the team's salary cap. Also, team captain Thierry Henry returned from his short-term loan to Arsenal the same day that Kassel and Hot were waived.
