The New York Red Bulls are back for a 20th season. The season opener is set for Sunday, March 8 when New York visits former Eastern Conference rivals Sporting Kansas City at 7 p.m. EDT (TV: FOX Sports 1).
In this preview, the Red Bulls’ offseason, current squad and new season will be examined.
HOW WE GOT HERE
In order to understand the 2015 New York Red Bulls, it is important to know how they were formed. The following is a timeline of the player transactions, technical staff changes and preseason events which took place during the offseason.
- Nov. 29, 2014 – The Red Bulls are eliminated from MLS Cup Playoffs in the Eastern Conference Finals by New England Revolution, 4-3 on aggregate.
- Dec. 1 – Thierry Henry officially announces he will not return to New York Red Bulls in 2015.
- Dec. 2 – Red Bulls decline option on seven players: Saer Sene, Kosuke Kimura, Bobby Convey, Marius Obekop, Damien Perrinelle, Ibrahim Sekagya and Richard Eckersley.
- Dec. 3 – Bradley Wright-Phillips signs Designated Player contract.
- Dec. 10 – Red Bulls trade Jamison Olave to Real Salt Lake in exchange for allocation money.
- Dec. 11 – Sean Davis signs as Homegrown Player. Red Bulls acquire Sal Zizzo from NYC FC and loan goalkeeper Ryan Meara to NYC FC for 2015 season.
- Dec. 15 – Sporting Director Andy Roxburgh announces he will not return to the club in 2015.
- Dec. 23 – Red Bulls name Ali Curtis as club’s new Sporting Director.
- Jan. 7, 2015 – Red Bulls part ways with head coach Mike Petke. RBNY names Jesse Marsch as head coach.
- Jan. 9 – Lloyd Sam signs contract extension and Red Bulls purchase playing rights to Ambroise Oyongo.
- Jan. 13 – Red Bulls select Leo Stolz in 1st round (18th overall) and Stefano Bonomo in 2nd round (39th overall) at MLS SuperDraft.
- Jan. 17 – Red Bulls sign Leo Stolz to MLS contract.
- Jan. 20 – RBNY acquire Kyle Reynish from Chicago Fire. Red Bulls select Shawn McLaws (59th overall) and Manolo Sanchez (79th overall) in MLS SuperDraft.
- Jan. 21 – Red Bulls announce USL team.
- Jan. 26 – Team travels to Orlando for preseason training.
- Jan. 27 – Red Bulls trade Eric Alexander and Ambroise Oyongo to Montreal Impact for Felipe Martins and top allocation spot. RBNY sign Andrew Jean-Baptiste, Damien Perrinelle, and Ronald Zubar.
- Jan. 28 – Red Bulls sign U.S. international Sacha Kljestan.
- Feb. 1 – Red Bulls face University of South Florida in closed door scrimmage. RBNY win 4-0.
- Feb. 2 – Tim Cahill leaves New York Red Bulls by mutual agreement.
- Feb. 3 – Jesse Marsch names Denis Hamlett first assistant.
- Feb. 5 – Red Bulls face Toronto FC and Jacksonville Armada FC in closed door scrimmages. RBNY defeats Toronto 2-0, but falls to Jacksonville 4-1.
- Feb. 9 – Red Bulls unveil USL team name and logo.
- Feb. 13 – Red Bulls waive Eric Stevenson.
- Feb. 16 – Ibrahim Sekagya retires and joins Red Bulls technical staff.
- Feb. 17 – Red Bulls waive Ian Christianson. RBNY sign Mike Grella to MLS contract.
- Feb. 18 – Red Bulls draw first match of IMG Suncoast Pro Classic versus HB Koge. The game ends 1-1.
- Feb. 21 – Red Bulls face Oklahoma City Energy FC in second match of IMG Suncoast Pro Classic. RBNY wins 1-0.
- Feb. 25 – Red Bulls defeat Toronto FC 2-0 to advance to IMG Suncoast Pro Classic championship match.
- Feb. 26 – Red Bulls add Chris Armas to coaching staff as second assistant.
- Feb. 28 – RBNY fall to Philadelphia Union 3-1 in IMG Suncoast Pro Classic championship match.
- March 3 – Red Bulls sign draft pick Manolo Sanchez.
- March 5 – Red Bulls sign draft pick Shawn McLaws, Canadian international Karl Ouimette and Anatole Abang.
THE SQUAD
TECHNICAL STAFF: Ali Curtis (Sporting Director), Jesse Marsch (Head Coach), Denis Hamlett (Assistant Coach), Chris Armas (Assistant Coach), Rafael Gonzalez (Goalkeeping Coach)
GOALKEEPERS: Santiago Castano (Queens, NY), Kyle Reynish (Valencia, CA), Luis Robles (Fort Huachuca, AZ)
DEFENDERS: Armando (Motril, Spain), Chris Duvall (Duluth, GA), Andrew Jean-Baptiste (Brooklyn, NY), Connor Lade (Livingston, NJ), Shawn McLaws (Edmond, OK), Matt Miazga (Clifton, NJ), Roy Miller (San Jose, Costa Rica), Karl Ouimette (Repentigny, Quebec), Damien Perrinelle (Suresnes, France), Ronald Zubar (Les Abymes, Guadeloupe)
MIDFIELDERS: Ruben Bover (Mallorca, Spain), Michael Bustamante (Medellin, Colombia), Sean Davis (Long Branch, NJ), Sacha Kljestan (Huntington Beach, CA), Felipe Martins (Engenheiro Beltrao, Parana), Dax McCarty (Winter Park, FL), Lloyd Sam (Leeds, England), Manolo Sanchez (Philadelphia, PA), Leo Stolz (Munich, Bavaria), Sal Zizzo (San Diego, CA)
FORWARDS: Anatole Abang (Yaounde, Cameroon), Mike Grella (Glen Cove, NY), Peguy Luyindula (Kinshasa, DR Congo), Bradley Wright-Phillips (London, England)
LOOKING AHEAD TO 2015
Goalkeeping/Defense
Luis Robles looks to continue his success of last season into 2015. He was second in the league in saves (111) and his impressive double-save against Seattle Sounders won him 2014 MLS Save of the Year. Despite the impressive stats, Robles will hope he won’t be forced to make as many saves this season with a new look defense in front of him.
It appears that Chris Duvall and Roy Miller, both outside backs, will help cover the flanks, but the big question is who the new center back pairing will be. In an interview with MSG, Jesse Marsch may have dropped a hint.
“We went out and got Ronald Zubar because we really feel that he can set the tone at that position physically and tactically,” said Marsch. “He’s a footballer so he comes here with a lot of great physical traits, but he’s a smart player so I really think that he’ll be the focal point of what we do in the back. And then who his partner is? I think that Damien Perrinelle has done very well in preseason, I really want to help Matt Miazga establish himself…Andrew [Jean-] Baptiste has been very good in preseason as well.”
We’ll have an answer as to the coach’s choice come Sunday.
Midfield
The Red Bulls have managed to piece together a young and talented class of midfielders. Lloyd Sam and Dax McCarty, both impactful starters last season, are likely starters along with U.S. international Sacha Kljestan.
Beyond these three, there are many options. Sal Zizzo had an impressive preseason with one goal and an assist in the IMG Suncoast Pro Classic, Felipe Martins has proven to be a deadly attacking midfielder and talented rookies such as Mac Hermann trophy winner Leo Stolz, Sean Davis and Manolo Sanchez will all be considered.
“I think that this midfield is not only good at passing and playing soccer, but there’s thinkers and they’re athletic,” Marsch said. “One of our goals this year is to be more dynamic and more up-tempo and we’ve put a team together that we think can set the standard for how fast games are going to be in each game we play in.”
With an abundance of midfield options, lineup selections for the Marsch will be difficult in the very best way.
Forwards
2014 MLS Golden Boot winner Bradley Wright-Phillips highlights the list of RBNY forwards in 2015, but is joined by new faces hoping to relieve some of the scoring burden off his shoulders. Mike Grella, previously a preseason trialist, impressed the technical staff and players prior to earning his contract.
“We’re very pleased with what Mike has shown us,” said Red Bulls Sporting Director Ali Curtis. “He embodies attributes we’re looking for in terms of character and effort. We feel that he will add value to our roster and be a positive presence for our club on the field and in the locker room.”
18-year-old Anatole Abang also performed well in preseason and earned a transfer to New York Red Bulls from Rainbow FC.
Going forward, Bradley Wright-Phillips should receive extra attention from defenders after his record year and the performance of the new forwards could prove as vital in 2015.
The Season
The 2015 season will debut a multitude of new changes. First, the Eastern Conference has been shaken up with the addition of expansion teams New York City Football Club and Orlando City Soccer Club. Previous conference foes Houston Dynamo and Sporting Kansas City have switched to the Western Conference. This affects the Red Bulls because it will limit the amount of games against the former conference opponents. As a result, RBNY will face NYCFC three times and OCSC twice in their place.
Second, a change in MLS rules now allows the top six teams in each conference to qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs. Previously the top five teams were allowed into the playoffs and the new rules will expand the knockout round from two to four matches.
Finally, May 10 at Red Bull Arena marks the first ever MLS derby match when the New York Red Bulls face New York City FC.
You can find the full 2015 Red Bulls schedule hereand tickets for all 17 home matches here.
The Red Bulls begin their season Sunday, March 8 against Sporting KC at 7 p.m. EDT (TV: FOX Sports 1). The Red Bulls’ home opener is set for Sunday, March 22 versus Atlantic Cup rivals D.C. United.
LET'S GET STARTED!
After a long offseason, the players and coaches are as anxious as fans to get the season started.
“We’re all anticipating the season and really excited, but I think that preseason was great,” head coach Jesse Marsch said. “It was an important time for us…the team has grasped what we’ve brought and what we’ve done in the past six weeks really well…I think this team has really galvanized and [is] ready to start going.”
