There were many times over the past four-plus years when the Red Bulls would be struggling to find some offense, when nothing seemed to click and the team appeared headed for certain defeat or a disappointing tie.
But there was always a belief among the players that all they had to do was get the ball to Thierry Henry or Tim Cahill. They would provide the magic – a goal, a pass, a tackle – that would spark the team. They were world class players, difference makers, designated players who were worth every penny.
But that won’t happen this year. Henry, arguably the most accomplished player to ever grace Major League Soccer, has retired, while Cahill has taken his talents halfway around the world, to the Chinese Super League.
So who will the Red Bulls turn to in time of need this season?
“The philosophy is to win games together as a team and not rely solely on one or two guys,” said midfielder Dax McCarty, who has replaced Henry as team captain. “Anytime you have a player of Thierry’s magnitude in the team you always make it easy to give him the ball and see what kind of magic he can work out, but with his retirement things change.
“We have a whole new coaching staff, a whole new coaching philosophy, a lot of new players, a lot of very good players. We have a new way of playing. I think you’ll see throughout the season this isn’t going to be a team that can be defined by one or two players. This is going to be a team that at any given moment, seven, eight, nine guys can make a difference on the field. That’s the goal. That’s what everyone has bought into.”
The Red Bulls elected not to bring in designated players to replace Henry and Cahill, choosing instead to elevate Bradley Wright-Phillips, who scored a franchise-record 27 goals last season, to DP status, sign U.S. midfielder Sacha Kljestan and establish a philosophy of self-reliance and teamwork.
“(Henry and Cahill) are world-class guys with world-class talent and a lot of times their talent spoke for themselves,” goalkeeper Luis Robles said. “But I do believe in the guys we have here, and the team we put together will be the type of team that will fight for 90 minutes, that will fight for one another and that alone will take us a long way. But I also believe we have guys that will make a difference.
“Lloyd Sam is one of the best wingers in the league, and if he can be consistent and stay healthy he’s going to cause defenses fits. Sacha, he’s no slouch himself. We had to do quite a bit of work to get him here and we have high expectations. Then, of course, there’s Bradley, Everything’s going to begin and end with Bradley in a sense that he’s our go-to guy, he’s going to score goals for us. I know his role is going to change over time, but he’s also the type of player that can adapt. His quality speaks for itself. All these guys are going to be leaders on the field, and we’ll need them to be.”
Still, it will be hard to replace not only the enormous presence of Henry and Cahill, but their production as well. Henry collected 51 goals and 42 assists with the Red Bulls, including a personal-best 14 assists last season when Wright-Phillips had his breakout year. Cahill always played above his numbers, but he carried the Red Bulls with 11 goals in 2013 and many felt he should have won league MVP honors.
“More is being asked of everybody. I ask a lot of myself every day, to be a better leader,” McCarty said. “(New coach) Jesse (Marsch) has done a lot to challenge the guys to get out of their comfort zone. Guys have to do a little bit more than what they’re used to doing in the past. Our training sessions have been longer, our training sessions have been extremely detail-oriented and high-paced. … If you get a little bit more out of every single guy each week then more often than not we’re going to be in games and we’re going to win games.”
The Red Bulls did not play that well in the season-opening 1-1 tie at FC Kansas City, but the defense stuck together and Sam came up with a moment of brilliance with a long-range goal to help the team earn a point under extremely adverse conditions.
“It’s still a work in progress,” Robles said. “There’s a lot of optimism about the talent pool we have here. There’s still a lot of things we’re working on. Some will be intermediate and some will be long-term. But there’s a good group of guys here.”
Frank Giase has covered Major League Soccer since the league's inception in 1996. Follow him on twitter at @Frank Giase. He can also be reached at fgiase@gmail.com.
