Fifty-eight days after a disappointing exit from the MLS Eastern Conference Finals in Foxborough, Mass., an evolving New York Red Bulls side reconvened Monday in Orlando to kickoff 2015 preseason training.
Here are six storylines NewYorkRedBulls.com will be chasing over the next week in Orlando:
Jesse Marsch (really) kicks off Red Bull tenure
Longtime MLS midfielder and former Montreal Impact head coach Jesse Marsch comes up on his third week on the job as new Red Bull head coach after replacing popular club icon Mike Petke on January 7.
Though he hasn’t had a ton of time to punch the clock, Marsch has been busy the past few weeks.
The former U.S. Men’s National Team assistant navigated the waters to bring MAC Hermann Trophy winner Leo Stolz to Red Bull with the team’s late first round SuperDraft selection and faced some fury as he laid out some of his vision in the wake of Petke’s dismissal during the much talked about Supporters Town Hall a day later.
Most recently Marsch joined colleagues from RB Salzburg and RB Leipzig for a technical summit in Qatar.
Immediate reactions from players regarding their conversations with Marsch have been positive, but the work began Monday as he addressed the team together for the first time prior to a short 45-minute training session in Orlando.
The first set of two-a-day sessions begins Tuesday.
Center Back Void
With Jamison Olave moving on from the club and Ibrahim Sekagya returning to camp in Orlando unsigned, Sporting Director Ali Curtis made special mention at the Supporters Town Hall that the center back void was one he was looking to fill.
With only Homegrown product Matt Miazga and Spanish veteran Armando currently signed to head up the backline, it’s probably the most immediate need.
Miazga's short training stint with RB Leipzig in Qatar should give Marsch and Co. a more intimate look at Brooklyn-bred center backAndrew Jean-Baptiste as well as former Wolverhampton Wanderers defender Ronald Zubar. Jean-Baptiste is currently in Orlando while the team awaits Zubar's arrival. Both are expected to sign.
Cahill's Status
Australian midfielder Tim Cahill's future has been up in the air all offseason and with the potent attacker going 67 minutes in the Socceroos' 2-0 AFC Asian Cup semifinal defeat of the United Arab Emirates Tuesday, there weren't expectations for him to report to Orlando right away.
That said, Marsch did mention that Cahill's potential return to the Red Bulls was "tricky" in the recent Town Hall and reports this week have the Aussie international linked with a move to Abu Dhabi-based Al Wahda as well as two clubs in China.
As his club future continues to develop, Cahill and Australia face South Korea in the AFC Asian Cup Final Saturday in Sydney.
Who grabs the captaincy?
The Thierry Henry era is over at Red Bull. While any club would be hard-pressed to replace the talent the Frenchman brought to the pitch over the past five seasons, Henry’s departure also leaves a void to fill with the club captaincy.
Marsch made clear Monday night he wasn't ready to determine that role just yet.
"I have some ideas of the types of guys within the team that can take the captain's band," Marsch told NewYorkRedBulls.com "That said, I've got to get to know them a bit and they've got to get to know me, so I'm not in a rush to make that decision."
Two possibilities the manager has probably already considered: goalkeeper Luis Robles and midfielder Dax McCarty.
Acquired via trade from D.C. United in 2011, McCarty is one of the the longest serving players on the current Red Bull roster and Robles isn’t too far behind after joining the following season.
Robles displayed incredible poise and leadership by joining Marsch, Ali Curtis and Marc de Grandpre on stage during the somewhat chaotic Town Hall on January 16 while McCarty has displayed the same qualities on the field and has garnered respect from teammates, opponents and supporters alike over his 10-year MLS career.
Can BWP replicate his scoring form?
In his first full season with Red Bull, Bradley Wright Phillips wrote his name in the MLS History Books, jointly holding the MLS single-season goal scoring record of 27 with Roy Lassiter (1996) and Chris Wondolowski (2012).
How did they fare after their record-setting campaigns? Wondo popped in with 11 goals and three assists for San Jose in 2013 while Lassiter contributed 10 goals and two assists to Tampa Bay in 1997.
The goals have brought a new Designated Player contract for BWP in 2015, and along with it, a wealth of expectations as Henry exits the stage.
Leo Stolz and Sean Davis in the fold
During the recent Supporters Town Hall, both Marsch and Curtis made reference to the hopes for younger players to have important roles in the team this season and going forward. Most immediately, MAC Hermann winner Leo Stolz (UCLA) and Homegrown signing Sean Davis (Duke) will represent the youth infusion the technical staff will hope for contributions from this season.
With the Davis signing back in December, Red Bull penned was rated by some as a top 10 selection directly out of the SuperDraft. Meanwhile the club pulled a small coup in the Stolz selection after the German midfielder made it known to most clubs in the league he’d prefer to start his professional career back in Europe.
Because of the overtures, Stolz fell to Red Bull with the 18th pick but Marsch and Curtis deserve some credit for the legwork to ensure their most-important selection wasn’t a waste.
Stolz and Davis have been rated by some as the top two central midfielders to come out of college this past season and should both be able to contribute in some capacity this season.
