In 2022, the New York Red Bulls finished with a 15-11-8 record, placing them in 4th place in the Eastern Conference. By no means were the Red Bulls the most impressive team in many areas, but they were able to find ways to grind out results and claw their way into a home playoff game. Unfortunately, said home playoff game did not go too well, as Lewis Morgans' lead-taking goal was trumped by Lucho Acosta and Brandon Vazquez goals late in the match to punch FC Cincinnati through. The Red Bulls, more than anything, lacked a striker. This has been the case for a long time, until this off-season, where they made one of the biggest splashes across the entire league in 2023.
Dante Vanzeir arrived in Harrison, New Jersey on a transfer fee of $5M to become the Red Bulls new DP forward. The 24-year-old arrives from Union Saint-Gilloise after two extremely productive years in the Belgian Pro League. Across the past two seasons, he has notched 24 goals and 12 assists. Another forward on the way in is Cory Burke from the Philadelphia Union, who was signed as a free agent. Elias Manoel is permanently joining the club following his loan from Gremio last season, in which he scored two goals in seven matches, both against Charlotte FC in the final game of the season. Kyle Duncan is involved in one of the more interesting situations in MLS, as he just cannot seem to escape RBNY for good. He left for France out of the Bulls' academy at a young age, and returned to the club in 2018. Since then, he has transferred to Belgium's Oostende, making seven total appearances, before being loaned back to New York in the summer of last season. In January, they acquired Duncan on loan once again through the 2023 season, and the deal includes a purchase option. On the way out is failed experiment Patryk Klimala, a Polish young DP striker who scored five goals in 28 matches in 2022.. He joined Israel's Hapoel Beer Sheva. The most notable loss was long-time defender Aaron Long, who transferred to LAFC after seven years with the club. Jake LaCava was drafted by St. Louis City SC in the expansion draft, then was shipped off to Miami.
The New York Red Bulls attack is in good hands. Brazilian Designated Player, Luquinhas, will look to build on his solid first season at Red Bull Arena. As previously mentioned, the pairing up top is expected to be new signing Dante Vanzeir, and new permanent signing Elias Manoel. On the wing will be RBNY's most important players from 2022, Lewis Morgan. The Scotsman was incredible last season, scoring 14 goals along with his four assists. Serge Ngoma, 17, is a player with breakout potential as well. In the midfield, Cristian Casseres Jr. has locked up a spot, but the other central midfield spot is still up for grabs. The 19-year-old Daniel Edelman has a chance, though Englishman Dru Yearwood is probably the most likely choice. Frankie Amaya is another solid depth piece in the midfield. At this time, Yearwood is injured and labeled as week-to-week. Following Long's departure, Sean Nealis and Andres Reyes are the starting defensive pair. John Tolkin, who is sought after by European clubs, will play left-back. Kyle Duncan will start at right-back, with Sean's brother, Dylan Nealis, in reserve. Carlos Coronel will be the goalkeeper. Sprinkled throughout this squad are a couple of other young players that can make a difference, such as Omir Fernandez, Wiki Carmona, and Cameron Harper. While not too busy, the Red Bulls did exactly what they had to do this off-season, and are now primed for success in 2023.
Projected XI:
GK: Coronel
DEF: Tolkin, S. Nealis, Reyes, Duncan
MID: Casseres, Yearwood, Morgan, Luquinhas
FWD: Manoel, Vanzeir
Off-Season Grade: A-
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