Pick any New York Red Bulls fan out of a crowd and ask them how this offseason went. I can guarantee their response would be something along the lines of “Same as every year, drama filled and roster turnover abound”. However, if you let them finish talking, you will see a smile crack and they will finish with “It was the best offseason yet”.
For the third season running under Hans Backe, the New York Red Bulls made waves in the regular season but were flushed out of the MLS Cup Playoffs in truly Metro fashion at the hands of long-time rivals DC United. Red Bull management did not wait long (the morning after) to not renew Backe’s contract. Red Bulls Global Sporting Director Gerrard Houllier and New York Red Bulls Sporting Director Andy Roxburgh searched far and wide across the globe, trying to use their connections to land another big name to lead the next phase of the Red Bulls. Ultimately, they landed on the biggest name of them all for New York fans, Mike Petke.
Revenge is Coming!
Mike Petke is a metro legend and “one of the good guys of MLS" as you’ll often hear him referred to on numerous podcasts not produced by Red Bull fans. Petke has been on the bench under Backe the past two seasons working with some of the players and being influential in the signings of other (Barklage, Ruthven, Keel to name a few). While Keel is now in Dallas and Ruthven a trialist once again, Petke knows that an American core can certainly not hurt your chances of succeeding in MLS. Americans, while not known to be the best technically gifted, are known to be hard workers on both sides of the ball. Petke has said he wants to play high pressure from the defense up and work extra hard on winning the second ball.
Defense
Brandon Barklage, Markus Holgersson, Kosuke Kimura, Digao, Connor Lade, Roy Miller, Jamison Olave, Heath Pearce, Andrew Riberio (unsigned), Tyler Ruthven
One of the biggest question marks coming out of the 2012 season and heading into the 2013 season is the back line. Markus Holgersson had a few blog posts explaining that the reason the defense was so poor in 2012 was due to the lack of consistency of playing together. Backe rarely used the same back four until the tail end of the season, just to once again change it come the playoffs. Petke was a defender and his main assistant, Robin Frazier, was also known for his defense. It’s why two of the first moves were to bring in defensive reinforcements in Kimura and Olave.
If 2011 was the Red Bulls year of getting killed on set pieces, 2012 was the year of giving up the early goal. In most of the Red Bulls matches, they seemed to not turn on until the 20th minute or so. This directly led to, more often than not, playing matches from behind. So far this pre-season has not made way for avoiding the early goal. If the Red Bulls want to finally add some silverware to its trophy cabinet, they will need to cease conceding the infamous early goal.
Staying Healthy
Last season, the Red Bulls were one of the most injured teams in MLS (FC Dallas gets the award for most injured though). A consistent string of injuries, especially to New York’s backline, led to the flux and series of changes to the backline. During the offseason, the medical and training staff went through an overhaul as much as the roster did. Of course all teams look to stay healthy through the long MLS season but New York cannot expect to hit another five game winning streak where almost half of the first team in sidelined with injuries.
The Old Playmaker
For years, the Red Bulls front office talked about how they needed to acquire a playmaker; a number 10 to sit behind the strikers and pull the strings. Over the last few seasons both Mehdi Ballouchy and Tim Cahill were touted as such pieces, they did/have not panned out that way. Ballouchy looked to pass to a fullback behind him more than thread a through ball and Cahill has only spent half a season with the team, doing more work on the defensive side of the ball and missing every header he has attempted. Enter Juninho Permbucano, the 38 year old Brazilian dead ball specialist and former Lyon standout. Besides relieving Roy Miller of the free kick duties, Juninho’s role is two fold on the team: create for the attacking players ahead of him and keep Thierry Henry closer to goal. Over the past two seasons, Henry has dropped back further in the midfield to push the attack forward. Sometimes he would be able to move the ball into the attacking third and possibly create a chance but other times he could be dispossessed in the defensive third leading to a scoring chance for the opposing team. The closer to goal Henry is, the more magic inside the box he’ll be able to show. Henry is also getting up there in age and is prone to injuries, so the less box to box playmaking he has to do, the better off the Red Bulls are.
The Fortress
Red Bull Arena, dubbed the Cathedral of American Soccer, was a fortress for the Red Bulls last season. New York only lost at home three times, twice during the regular season to Chicago and Sporting KC and then in the playoffs to DC. The Red Bulls host the trio of DC United, Philadelphia Union, and New England Revolution twice each and have to do a bit more traveling this year then last. Red Bull Arena continuing to be a fortress will be crucial. Fans are also hoping with the regime change, attendance numbers will be on the rise this season. If the Red Bulls could get those kinds of results last season, imagine what they could (or couldn’t) do with a full stadium behind them. Not having games at 1pm on a Wednesday in the middle of July should also help.
Predictions
It’s tough to do predictions on a team that is in a rebuilding phase that won’t outright admit to it. Mike Petke as a head coach did not conduct the majority of the player moves made through the offseason, from the 2012 cuts to the draft picks. Petke has to implement a playing style to the players he has instead of instituting a playing style he wants and acquiring the pieces for it. If the Red Bulls can stay healthy, not concede the early goal, and the players work the way Petke wants them to work without the ball, New York will be a dangerous team, home or away.
Last season I predicted a golden boot season for Henry and this season I’m going with him being the league MVP along with Juninho earning Newcomer of the Year. As for the team, I believe New York will earn its first silverware in the form of the US Open Cup. As for the Supporter’s Shield and MLS Cup, I don’t see the Red Bulls being serious contenders for either. With Petke in charge from the sidelines and the new front office changing the ways of old, New York may no longer be in a perpetual “win now” mentality. Hopefully the fans give the team the proper time to find its true identity.
(image courtesy of newyorkredbulls.com)
