Most experts expected Red Bull to miss the playoffs in 2022. Instead, the team rallied together to finish fourth in the Eastern Conference and was able to host a home playoff game for the first time since 2018.
In the playoffs, though it was much of the same we have seen from Red Bull throughout their history, heartbreak!
Losing 2-1 to Cincinnati at Red Bull Arena left many with a sour taste in their mouths heading into the offseason. Something needed to change.
Thanks to Red Bull Sporting Director Jochen Schneider, we saw some big money spent in the winter and the German isn’t done just yet when it comes to making additions to the squad.
Expectations will be much higher in 2023, not just from the fans that support the club, but the people within the club to finally bring a trophy back to the metro New York/New Jersey area.
Here’s a preview and prediction of what to expect in 2023 from Red Bull one week before the start of the MLS season.
How did Red Bull perform in 2022?
- Regular season: 4th in the Eastern Conference (15-11-8, 53 Points)
- MLS Cup Playoffs: Eastern Conference Quarterfinals (Eliminated by FC Cincinnati, 2-1)
- US Open Cup: Semi-Finals (Eliminated by Orlando City, 5-1)
Red Bull NY January transfer activity
Signings:
- Dante Vanzeir, Union SG, $5.35M
- Elias Manoel, Gremio, $1M
- Kyle Duncan, KV Oostende, Loan (Option to buy)
- Corey Burke, Philadelphia Union, Free
- Peter Stroud, Duke, Homegrown
- Jayden Reid, UConn, Homegrown
- Curtis Ofori, Red Bull II, Homegrown
Departures:
- Patryk Klimala, Hapoel Beer Sheva (Isreal), ~$2.0M + sell on clause
- Caden Clark, RB Leipzig, End of Loan
- Aaron Long, Los Angles Football Club, Free
- Zach Ryan, Loudoun United, Free
- Jesus Castellano, Cincinnati II, Free
- Omar Sowe, Leiknir (Iceland), Free
- Jake LaCava, St. Louis City, Expansion Draft
How will Red Bull Play Under Gerhard Struber in 2023? (Third FULL Season As Manager)
With the team returning for preseason on January 9th, manager Gerhard Struber looks to have almost all the pieces he needs to have a successful season in 2023. Now it’s on Struber to get all 11 players on the field to play the style of football he and the fans want to see week in and week out.
It is projected that Red Bull will be transitioning to a 4-2-2-2 this season, the Red Bull way, with the arrival of star striker Dante Vanzeir at the club. This could also change into a 3-5-2 if Red Bull wants a bit more stability.
Expect Struber to experiment early in the season to find the right partner next to Vanzeir with the likes of Elias Manoel, Corey Burke, and Tom Barlow at his disposal in the striker department.
The biggest loss to the XI was Aaron Long, who was a staple in the center of defense for Red Bull. Colombian Andres Reyes is expected to slot into the vacant spot left by the former Red Bull captain.
Reyes will join a backline of Red Bull captain Sean Nealis, John Tolkin, and Kyle Duncan, who is back in New York on loan.
Looking at how Red Bull will play on the field this season, we could see some slight differences.
Before Red Bull flew out to California for the Coachella invitational, I spoke to Daniel Edelman about what they wanted to accomplish in their time out there in the sun. Here’s what he had to say:
“Right now in training we got the idea that we want to have more control on the ball this season and that’s something we’ve been practicing, not always looking for the direct long ball, something that is key in the Red Bull system and our philosophy, but we want to be on the ball more and build out, when we can, not force anything, but that something we will try to incorporate into our game a bit more.”
For all Red Bull’s success on the road last season, nine victories and 30 points, they struggled at home to break down teams that sat back in a low block. Hopefully this tweak Edelman is talking about can improve their home form at RBA where they won just six times out of 16 games in 2022.
If Red Bull plays exactly how they did last season, playing with more build-up play at home and having Dante Vanzeir lead the attack, we could see Red Bull fight for one of the top two spots in the East this season.
All Red Bull was missing last season were goals and now they got a guy that can score 15-20 goals a season while providing 10 assists to his partner. Dante Vanzeir could potentially be an MVP candidate by the time October comes around.
Red Bull New York predicted XI (4-2-2-2 or 4-4-2): Coronel (GK); Duncan, Reyes, Nealis (C), Tolkin; Luquinhas, Edelman, Casseres Jr., Morgan; Barlow, Vanzeir.
Players to Watch for Red Bull in 2023
Dante Vanzeir, Striker
Coming over from Royale Union Saint Gilloise in Belgium, Dante Vanzeir has some big expectations on his shoulders from Red Bull supporters. He is a goal contributions MACHINE!
During his time at Union from 2019-2023, Vanzeir tailed 46 goals and 21 assists. In that same timeframe, Vanzeir helped Union get promoted to the Juplier Pro league for the first time in 49 years. The following season in 2021-2022, Vanzeir helped Union top the league in the regular season while finishing as runners-up in the playoffs.
Vanzeir is hoping to replicate that production on this side of the Atlantic as he looks to become the first Red Bull striker to hit double-digit goals in a season since Bradley Wright Phillips back in 2018.
Lewis Morgan, Winger
In the 2022 season, Lewis Morgan had a career year. The Scotsman scored 18 goals in all competitions for Red Bull, leading to him being named team MVP. Here’s a flashback to his first career hat trick in a Red Bull kit
Now with Dante Vanzeir leading the attack, let us see how that can benefit Morgan’s game as a winger.
As we don’t expect Morgan to score 18 goals again this season, expect his playmaking numbers to significantly increase, as he only had three assists all of last season. He should double or maybe even triple that number if luck is on his side in 2023.
John Tolkin, Left Back
It was widely speculated that JMi could make a transfer to Europe this past winter, but a move never materialized. Now back with Red Bull for a third full season, Tolkin needs to take a big step offensively.
For all the praise that JMi gets for his defensive game and the pace he plays at for a full 90′, he leaves a lot to be desired going into the attack.
What we would like to season this season before JMi makes a big jump to a European team is to improve his crossing, his build-up play, close-quarter passing & dribbling, and lastly take some shots on next. “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take” – Wayne Gretzky
If Tolkin adds a higher-quality offensive game to his already dominant defensive game, he will become the best LB in all of MLS and will be called up to the main squad for the USMNT going forward.
Leagues Cup (MLS vs Liga MX) [July 21st – August 19th]
For the first time this season, All MLS & Liga MX teams will pause their seasons to take part in the newly formed Leagues Cup.
In the group that Red Bull was drawn into, we will see games against the New England Revolution and Liga MX side Athletico San Luis. Each team will play two group stage matches and the top two from the group will advance to the knock-out rounds which will be single-elimination.
The winner of Leagues Cup will automatically qualify directly to the round of 16 of the CONCACAF Champions League. The runner-up and winner of the third-place match will also get automatic berths in the Champions League as well.
These games for Red Bull will be a great opportunity to get some younger players their first game time with the senior squad. Expect potential faces like Davi Alexandre, Bento Estrela, Nate Worth, and other Red Bull academy players to get looks off the bench against New England and San Luis.
Final 2023 Season Prediction
With Red Bull substituting Dante Vanzeir for Patryk Klimala, Red Bull will find all the goals they were missing last season. The offense instead of leaning on just one guy will have a much more balanced team in the offensive third of the pitch with Lewis Morgan, Luquinhas and Cristian Casseres, and Vanzeir running toward the goal.
The loss of Aaron Long won’t hurt this defense as much as people will think as Andres Reyes is as good a defender as Long while being a much better player with the ball at his feet. It also helps when you have a top-five goalkeeper with Carlos Coronel in between the sticks every match.
I’m predicting that Red Bull finishes THIRD in the Eastern Conference while also making the FINAL of the US Open Cup, BOOK IT!
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