MLS Preview: New York Red Bulls

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Hooligan Soccer

·19 February 2025

MLS Preview: New York Red Bulls

Club History

The MetroStars Era (1996-2006)

New York Red Bulls started as the NY/NJ MetroStars, one of the original MLS founders. Prior to the 1996 kickoff season, the club signed top U.S. players Tab Ramos and Tony Meola, plus Italian superstar midfielder Roberto Donadoni. Most folks expected them to be the dominant team in the league, but this never came to fruition.

In fact, the MetroStars were pretty awful, and set the MLS record for worst season in 1999, recording only 7 wins, 25 losses and 21 points. In a desperate attempt to revive the club’s fortunes, the ownership coaxed 39-year old German midfielder Lothar Mattäus to the team. His tenure was widely considered one of the great flops in the early MLS and he only played 16 games.

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The Red Bull Era (2006-current)

In 2006, the Austrian energy drink company Red Bull GmbH bought the club and completely rebranded. Fan reactions were initially mixed, but they came around after the new owners put significant investment into the team, including a commitment to constructing a new soccer-specific stadium. It didn’t hurt that in 2008 the club made a historic run to the MLS Cup final, losing to the LA Galaxy 3-1.

High profile signings, managerial turnover and a 15-year run of consecutive postseason appearances with disappointing results have been the norm for the Red Bulls since 2009. They won Supporters Shields in 2013, 2015 and 2018, and reached the US Open Cup final in 2017 (which they lost to Sporting Kansas City 2-1) but still have a faint whiff of underachievement around them.

Ownership

John Kluge and Stuart Subotnick were the original owners until the Red Bull takeover in 2006. Red Bull owns a number of other soccer teams globally, including Leipzig (Germany), Omiya Ardija (Japan), Bragantino (Brazil) and Salzburg (Austria). Player exchanges between the clubs are fairly common, particularly at the youth level.

Significant Players

Thierry Henry (France) – Forward The club’s second Designated Player, joining in July 2010. Scored 52 goals in 135 games until retiring in 2014.
Bradley Wright-Phillips (England) – Forward Top all-time goal scorer (126). Played for the club from 2013-2019.
Luis Robles (United States) – Goalkeeper Holds the MLS record for consecutive starts (183). Holds the club record for appearances (206) and shutouts (63).
Sacha Kljestan (United States) – Midfielder Holds the club record for all-time assists (51) from 2015-2017.

Other Facts

Since 2010 the club has played at the soccer-specific Sports Illustrated Stadium (formerly Red Bull Arena) in Harrison, NJ. Prior to this they used Giants Stadium in Rutherford, NJ.
The club’s supporter groups include the ESC (Empire Supporter Club), Viking Army and Torcida 96. Before every game these groups meet in the stadium parking lot and march towards their designated sections.
The club has a number of rivalries, including: The Atlantic Cup with D.C. United. The I-95 Derby with New England Revolution. The Hudson River Derby with New York City FC.
They have the longest continuous postseason qualification in the MLS, 15 years and running.

2024 Season Recap

11W – 14D – 9L for 47 points. Finished 7th in the Eastern Conference; 16th overall.
Against nearly every pundit’s prediction they advanced all the way to the Cup final by shocking the 2nd seed Columbus Crew in Round 1, toppling their local rivals NYCFC and then defeating Orlando City SC 1-0 in the Conference championship. LA Galaxy hoisted the Cup and winning 2-1.

Who to Watch 2025

It remains to be seen how former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp’s appointment as Red Bull’s Head of Global Football will impact the RBNY 2025 season, if at all.

Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (Cameroon) – Forward [DP] RBNY picked up the 35-year old on a free transfer from Bayern Munich. His age and stamina are an open question.
Alexander Hack (Germany) – Defender With Andrés Reyes moving to San Diego FC, Hack looks likely to take his place in the center.
Emil Forsberg (Sweden) – Forward [DP] Despite a mid-season injury, Forsberg still had 14 contributions (11 goals; 3 assists) in 24 games.