The Red Bulls Undergo Massive Changes
In the span of a couple of weeks after the MLS Season ended, almost the entire team changed, especially the defense.
Alexander Haak and Dylan Nealis
In a matter of days, Alexander Haak and Dylan Nealis were removed from the squad. In Haak’s case, his option was picked up before the announcement of Michael Bradley being tabbed as the new manager, and a couple of days later, his contract was terminated under mutual terms.
Nealis, one of the team’s longest-serving members, was let go on a $300k transfer to one of the team’s biggest rivals, DC United.
Daniel Edelman
Aside from the defense, the midfield will look different. Daniel Edelman, a homegrown player, was also dealt. Edelman has been in the Red Bull Academy since the team last won hardware before last year. In fact, he was in the system before MLS Next Pro even started. At the time, the team played in the USL Championship, the second tier of the soccer pyramid in the United States.The sale was for $600k to Saint Louis CITY FC.
Lewis Morgan
Lewis Morgan also moved on from the club after he was transfered to San Diego FC for an initial $450k, with an additional $650k if certain performance incentives are met. The team also received a third-round pick from SDFC. New York also send $525k in General Allocation Money for 2027.
To replace these players, there might be many promotions from RBNY II, as the new manager was just promoted from there. Michael Bradley coached the second team, and there have been many moves in replenishing the losses.
Robert Voloder
For instance, the team announced that Robert Voloder has been acquired from Sporting Kansas City. Voloder is 24 years old, comes from Germany, and has played in their U20 national team. He could also represent the Bosnian-Herzegovina National Team, as he has played for them in their U-17, U-18, and U-20 teams.
He projects as Sean Nealis’s replacement, as they play the same position.
Justin Che
Another signing was Justin Che, who returns from his spell in Europe. He would logically replace Kyle Duncan as Duncan left the club after his contract expired.
Che started his career with Dallas FC (tried out with Bayern Munich II), then moved to TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, ADO Den Haag, and finally Brondby IF.
These moves indicated that the team is moving towards a younger squad.
Last year, the median age of the team was about 33.9 years old, and as of now, that is going to be around 28-29.
This may be a small difference, but at times the team played as if they had lost their breath and could not respond to what another team was doing.
In their losses to NYCFC, Cincinnati, and Columbus, the team felt flat and did not look like the team that played the previous year.
That regression was more evident in their away matches, where they managed only seven points out of a possible fifty-one.
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