Heading into 2021, one of the things that we can improve on is our goal output.
Brian White was the Red Bulls top scorer with 6 goals, but a truly elite team has guys in the mid to high teens and above. I believe we are that team, but our main goal this year is to do a better job of proving it.
Here are some of the key points on doing so from the front.
White and Barlow Looking to Do It Again for the Red Bulls
They were playing while he was still around, but these two have had to replace, in the words of Steve Cangialosi, the greatest goalscorer the club has ever known: Bradley Wright-Phillips. In my humble opinion, these two were admirable in that regard, with White becoming the team’s Offensive Player of The Year.
Whether he and Tom Barlow were partners or one was singular up top, they played with commitment, inner and outer strength, and heroism about them like big strikers do. This is punctuated by White scoring two of the last-minute goals in that 5-game cardiac stretch late last season.
Now, there is some good news and bad news about their situation.
The bad news is that they will be without their playmaker as Kaku is apparently headed to Saudi Premier League club Al-Taawoun, with contractual details still not sorted out.
The good news is White will be looking to improve on his team-leading 6 goals. At the same time, Barlow will be looking to improve on his tally and netting 3 goals in 2020. I’m not sure where Gerhard Struber will go in terms of who he’s playing, but I know that other teams will have a handful to deal with come game time. One reason I’m not sure might be because of their new signing…
Photo: New York Red BullsRed Bulls Sign Fabio
The Red Bulls signed Fabio on February 5 from Oeste in the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie C, Brazil’s third division. He provides some competition for Barlow and White as another big center forward like Barlow and White, but with Brazilian flair and proven goal-scoring ability. He is a complete finisher, which means he can score with both feet and his head. He is a poacher, which is means he can score clinically and from anywhere, always making him a threat in the box.
He is also 23, which means he has youth, a lot to learn, and a lot ahead of him. He also has a lot of time to learn about his new teammates, the culture, and the system he will be playing in.
One thing is for sure: Whatever Gerhard Struber puts out there, the opposition will need the heart of their defense to have all-around strength when they face the Red Bulls.
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