The New York Red Bulls currently are in the top four of the Eastern Conference standings, and when you head over to the league’s website, you can just sit there and wonder to yourself, how in the world did they get there? With all the issues that plagued them these past seasons, what made everything come together in such a short period? Well, that’s why this article is being written. To take a good look at what has transpired this season and why they are doing well.
The obvious is simple. Two big players have come in and have given stability and goalscoring. Of course, Captain Emil Forsberg has been that calming influence in the midfield. He has given the club direction on the pitch and he’s looked dangerous attacking with the ball. While he hasn’t scored from set pieces or away from the penalty spot, he has delivered several solid balls to help others get into position to score those goals. Forsberg is doing a wonderful job since coming from Leipzig in the German Bundesliga.
The big addition is of course the return of Lewis Morgan. We can see how badly he was missed all of last season with his injuries, and now has scored nine goals and is hanging with the pack in the golden boot race. Scoring a thunderbolt in Houston, the hat trick against Miami, the diving header against Vancouver, and many others. He is doing well partnering with Dante Vanzeir and getting some solid passes to take advantage of his chances and convert them.
Noah Eile, has also done well on the backline pairing up with Sean Nealis. Now I know he’s had three bad moments with balls deflecting off of him and going into the net dropping two points in two games, and the dunderhead handball where he just swiped at the bouncing ball, but to be fair, he’s been solid and can spring the attackers down the pitch for a chance or two. He is learning how physical this league can be and how every game is not the same. It’s looking very good for the Swedish Youth International.
But of course, the man who has tied everything up into a lovely bow is the head coach in Sandro Schwarz. Of course, the Red Bull way is pressing, but what type of pressing has been exceptional. You can see every player dialed in and committed to the tactics Schwarz wants to play. Holding every player accountable and always wants to be on the front foot. You saw at times how much he told his players inside the technical area to attack more when they fell back into a defensive posture. Not, sitting back and feeling good about what’s in front of him. He knows he wants more from his players.
Now, the losses at Columbus, Miami, and the NY Derby were not great, but what can you say about a team that has earned points in eleven of their first fourteen matches? Still, you can see tons of improvement from the club, and that’s exciting to see. But this upcoming summer will be very telling if they can keep this up as the Copa America and the Summer Olympics are coming they will be missing players from the starting eleven. But until then, enjoy what’s going on with the Red Bulls, and we will all see you back at Red Bull Arena in the midweek against Charlotte FC.