Are New York Red Bulls the most intriguing MLS club in 2015?
The 2015 season was meant to be one of rebuilding for the New York Red Bulls. Gone were Thierry Henry and Tim Cahill, two players that were expected to bring silverware to the franchise.  That silverware never really materialized, at least not the trophy, the MLS Cup, that matters most. […]

The 2015 season was meant to be one of rebuilding for the New York Red Bulls. Gone were Thierry Henry and Tim Cahill, two players that were expected to bring silverware to the franchise. 

That silverware never really materialized, at least not the trophy, the MLS Cup, that matters most. The Red Bulls did win the 2013 Supporters’ Shield, but fans of MLS may be forgiven if they had forgotten that feat. 

Along with losing two of their highest profile players, the Red Bulls had a shake up at the management level as Andy Roxburgh retired and Ali Curtis took over as Sporting Director. His first action was to fire coach Mike Petke. 

Curtis installed former Montreal Impact coach Jesse Marsch as new first team coach, and with New York City FC entering MLS play, expectations seemed lowered.

In terms of player personnel, the Red Bulls’ biggest off-season move was to sign star striker Bradley Wright-Phillips to a designated player contract – nearly doubling last season’s base salary of $330,000. 

In addition to adding the Englishman to the league’s DP list, the club landed former Chivas USA and US international Sacha Kljestan from Anderlecht. While with the Belgian giants, Kljestan became the only American to regularly appear in the UEFA Champions League. 

With the retention of Wright-Phillips and the signing of Kljestan, the Red Bulls were merely meant to compete for a playoff place in the east. New York City FC, the Red Bull’s new noisy neighbors invested heavily in older, more experienced players. With the investments in David Villa, Andrea Pirlo and Frank Lampard, who would have thought the Red Bulls would continue to be the premier team of New York?

“Personally, I always thought they had the pieces to compete,” Empire of Soccer’s Dave Martinez told World Soccer Talk this week. “Having said that, yes, they are exceeding expectations,” 

Despite being eight points behind current Eastern Conference and Supporters’ Shield leaders DC United, the Red Bulls cannot be written off for either title by season’s end. Due to the summer friendly fixture list, the Red Bulls have three games in hand. Those nine points can easily help the Harrison outfit to overcome their I-95 rivals. It also helps that the Red Bulls are the current form leaders in the Easter Conference. 

New York made two key additions at the end of July, with one already coming good in the team’s win over Philadelphia Union on August 1. Shaun Wright-Phillips joined his brother Bradley in the city that never sleeps, and made an immediate impact, winning a penalty and later adding an assist for Bradley to expertly slot home. 

The club also added Argentine striker Gonzalo Veron from San Lorenzo on a DP deal days later. The club paid a $2.2 million transfer fee to the Argentine club.

Regardless of the money spent, neither man is guaranteed a place in the team’s current starting XI.

“Shaun Wright-Phillips joined last week and Marsch never guaranteed him starting minutes,” stated Martinez. “Veron will have to earn his spot, DP or not.”

Investment in both Shaun Wright-Phillips and Veron is down to the promising position the Red Bulls are in at the halfway point of the season. With the transfer window closing, the Red Bulls should be lauded for their summer dealings.

The third and final Hudson River Derby is on tap for this weekend at Red Bull Arena. This will be the most star studded and fiery yet as both clubs should have their “big” names available. 

With the playoffs approaching and teams positioning for a spot, the Red Bulls will finish the 2015 season with eight of 13 matches at Red Bull Arena, including an August 30th encounter with DC United. The Red Bulls are on the up and DC United need to look over their shoulders as MLS hits the final stretch.  

Follow Drew Farmer on Twitter @Calciofarmer. Drew Farmer is a Manchester, England-based journalist/blogger that writes for World Soccer Talk. Drew has contributed to Radio Yorkshire MLS Monday, Forza Italian Football, Bleacher Report, MLSGB and Soccerly. Originally from southwest Missouri, Drew covers Italy’s Serie A, British football and the USA’s Major League Soccer.