2013 was dire for all top flight NYC-area sports teams save one: the New York Red Bulls. Earning their first major title after eighteen tries, Mike Petke and the Red Bulls were faced with a new question: after years of failure, what would they do after achieving success?
In a refreshing change to the usual answer ("blow up the team!"), the choice for 2014 was to maintain continuity. Rather than wheeling and dealing for new faces, RBNY opted to extend contracts for six core players, adding just three new players—Bobby Convey, Richard Eckersley, and Armando—during the offseason. (Compare that to last year, where twelve players came and sixteen left before the opening weekend.)
Speaking at the team's Media Day and jersey launch event Tuesday in Hell's Kitchen, goalkeeper Luis Robles indicated it was a core concept for the team. "We knew going into the season that's something they had mentioned, this idea of continuity and not having tremendous turnover. It was nice to go in and not to have to learn a lot of people's names."
Midfielder Jonny Steele reflected: "Teams like Real Salt Lake, Kansas City have proven if you stick to your core group of guys and let them gel together, and give them a bit of time, it can bring success. Obviously it brought us some success last year."
A few players were casualties of the salary cap, including Swedish centerback Markus Holgersson and fan favorite right back Brandon Barklage. But according to Dax McCarty, that's just the nature of the business.
"On a personal level, whenever you lose players on the team you're close with, it hurts," said McCarthy. "It's not fun. But honestly, I've been around this game for a long time now, and I realize that's just the nature of the business. If it was possible for a team that won MLS Cup or a team that won the Supporters' Shield to keep every single player on the roster the same, I'm sure they would try to do it. But with the constraints we have in this league, it's just not possible. So to me, it was definitely upsetting to lose a couple of the guys we did lose. And it's not just because of off the field relationships, it's because on the field those guys were really significant contributors to our team and how well we did on the field."
Despite the contribution of the outgoing players, McCarty was confident the team had not been downgraded. "You just hope that the front office has done their due diligence in order to replace them. If you're not replacing them with players who are just as good or better, then you're doing yourself a disservice. For me, seeing these guys come in, these are guys that can step in and play right away. These aren't guys that might need a year or two to adjust. These are guys that know the league. Armando has played at the highest level for a long time now. Eckersley and Convey, these are guys that know what it takes to win."
Also in the departures was the curious case of Amando Moreno. The promising young striker was brought up from the Red Bulls Academy and saw the field for just two minutes last season. He was expected to return this season - until he announced on Instagram that he had signed with Club Tijuana of Liga MX. Reports flew in that the Red Bulls had offered him a new deal but that it had been rejected, leading the 18 year old to Mexico.
This is not the first time a homegrown player has struggled to find minutes at New York, with Juan Agudelo being the most memorable example. I asked Mike Petke if there was any way to satisfy both a developing player's needs while keeping the team performing.
"When your job is dependent on results, it's tough to give these young players perhaps what can benefit them, which is first team action. It really is tough. Perhaps in a world of five, six year guaranteed contracts for coaches, it would change dramatically. What these young kids need to realize is that we identify them through our academy as having such potential for the future. And if they want something or everything now, it's not going to work out for them. Not to say that we won't have a kid come in that is ready to step into that first team right away. God knows that I'm looking forward to that. But until then, it's a waiting game. What they're going to get out of it is what they put in it. It could take two, three years before they break into the first team. But when they do, they will be ready, they will have earned it, and they will reap the benefits."
Petke himself gets to enter the year with a year of experience under his belt. Last year's shock appointment as head coach threw him into the job on short notice, but he was widely lauded for managing a tough locker room and building a team that would fight for results. With time to reflect during the offseason, Petke noted the pressure was higher this year - but perhaps only because he didn't have time to notice it last year.
"For sure, it's always more stress. Last year was a whirlwind. I didn't have a moment to breathe, I didn't have a moment to step back and say anything other than we have to get ready for the next game. I had that offseason to think about things like that, so yes, the pressure has amped up. I didn't let the pressure sink in last year at all, only the pressure I put on myself. This year I have the pressure on myself, and now I've realized the pressure from the top is a lot more."
Petke after winning the 2013 Supporters' Shield (Jeff Zelevansky/New York Red Bulls)
Having proven that players-turned-rookie coaches can succeed—he was a finalist for 2013 MLS Coach Of The Year—I asked Petke if he had any advice for this year's crop of rookie coaches, including his former teammate Carl Robinson and new RSL coach Jeff Cassar. With a smile, Petke cracked wise: "I will not give them any advice. None. I'll give them the same advice [DC United coach] Ben Olsen gave me on the day I got the job. He told me to turn it down and leave."
Some new challenges will face the club in 2014, with the most menacing being schedule congestion. Beyond the 34 game regular season, the Red Bulls will compete in the CONCACAF Champions League in group play starting the summer, adding 4 games and international travel to the second half of their season. If the team can shake off their tournament woes, the MLS Cup Playoffs and the US Open Cup could each add 5 more games. And it's hard to forget it's a World Cup year, which will add more miles to internationals like Tim Cahill and Roy Miller.
"For us, it's about starting right," said Robles. "We had a very rough beginning last year, we were able to rectify those wrongs. I think for us, we'd like to be able to start better and maintain that consistency through the season, so no matter what happens, whether it's different tournaments or different competitions that come up, if we can maintain this idea of consistency across the board, it doesn't matter who's in there. Who's able to step on there, they're able to accomplish what we want to accomplish."
Another competitive hurdle will be an increasingly strong Eastern Conference. The cherished parity of Major League Soccer was on full display this offseason, as Eastern Conference teams who didn't make the playoffs splashed big. Toronto FC, DC United, and the Phildelphia Union have all made large upgrades in different ways, and on paper, the Eastern Conference looks as even as ever. But Red Bulls players again pointed to consistency and continuity as being key, particularly Dax McCarty.
"I know these guys. We've played together, some guys a year or two, some guys only six or seven months. But even in that short time, you get to know guys tendencies, what they like to do, what they don't like to do. Where if you're changing seven, eight new guys, you bring in a whole new team. That's a whole new learning curve all over again. So to me, that's a huge advantage we have this offseason over a bunch of other teams."
An unexpected off-the-field challenge was the sudden announcement on Tuesday that General Manager Jerome de Bontin had resigned for "personal reasons". While Jerome's duties were on business rather than the sporting side, his sudden departure leaves a vacuum for marketing, ticket sales, and fan relations. With NYC FC looming and already putting up advertising around the city, the Red Bulls can't go silent this year on the business front.
The last and most complex challenge relates to team captain Thierry Henry, who enters the last year of his contract and possibly his storied career. Henry has lived up to his billing during his stay in New York, producing 41 goals and 28 assists since arriving in 2010. A chance remains he could extend for another year, but at some point later this year both Petke and Roxburgh will need to consider moves for next season. His production, his leadership, and his drive will be big roles to fill should he not return in 2015.
And when conversation turns to what may be his final season, Henry has the same goal in mind: winning MLS Cup. "It would mean the world to me, and even more so for the fans. They've been waiting for a long time."
The Red Bulls may have finally put something in the trophy case, but they remain hungry for more. Their season opens on Saturday at Vancouver (7:30 PM ET, MSG2); their home opener will be against Colorado on March 15th.
Five Games To Keep An Eye On
New York vs. Portland, May 24th
Let's get this clear: NY-Portland is the best cross-conference rivalry in MLS. In four matches to date, there have been 19 goals, three penalty kicks, and two controversial red cards. For some unexplainable reason, these matches are always filled with drama. Expect fireworks.
New York vs. DC, September 10th
The last regular season meeting between the oldest rivalry in MLS will also be the only meeting of the two at Red Bull Arena. The teams can't stand each other (DC goalkeeper Bill Hamid recently told DCist's Pablo Maurer that if he could make one change to MLS it would be to "fold the New York Red Bulls"), the coaches have a history, and the fans get up huge any time these teams meet. The can't-miss in conference home game of the season.
New York vs. Seattle, September 20th
Seattle's biannual trip to New York will bring not only the endless hype of Clint Dempsey, but also potentially the return of Kenny Cooper, who will join the long list of former Thierry Henry strike partners trying to exact revenge against his old club.
New York vs. Toronto, October 11th
With statement acquisitions of Bradley and Defoe, Toronto want you to think of them as a dominant club, not the failures who haven't made the playoffs once in their existence. (Keep in mind: MLS is a league where over 50% of the teams qualify for the playoffs.) Regardless, a late season match may be pivotal to both teams' playoff campaigns, and unlike the earlier season meeting in June, this one shouldn't have the World Cup impacting player availability.
New York at Kansas City, October 26th
New York will close their season on the road in the Blue Hell of Sporting Kansas City. Last year's Shield race came down to New York's last game with SKC right on their heels; if the two teams are as tight this season, expect an all out brawl for the season closer.
