Another yet another early exit for New York Red Bull in the last season’s MLS Playoffs, what do they need to change in the upcoming season to finally reach the top? Since 1996, the New York Red Bulls have never won the MLS Playoffs. The closest they got to winning the MLS was 2nd place in 2008. As for the U.S. Open Cup, Red Bulls were in the finals in 2003 and 2017, however, never lifted the trophy.
Head Coach: Chris Armas
In his coaching career, he was an assistant at Chicago Fire in 2008, head coach of Adelphi University from 2011 till 2014 and worked as the assistant at New York Red Bulls from 2015 till 2018. Now the former assistant at the New York Red Bulls and the head coach since 2018, Chris Armas hopes to lead his team through the playoffs. In his coaching career, Chris Armas has only won 1 silverware, that one being the MLS Supporters’ Shield in his 1st season with the Red Bulls.
Transfers
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| Date | Name | Moving from | Moving to | Mode of Transfer |
| February 12, 2019 | Mathias Jørgensen | OB | New York Red Bulls | Transfer |
| December 11, 2018 | Amro Tarek | Orlando City | New York Red Bulls | Trade |
| December 12, 2018 | Marcus Epps | Philadelphia Union | New York Red Bulls | Waiver Draft |
| January 26, 2019 | Omir Fernandez | Wake Forest Demon Deacons | New York Red Bulls | Homegrown player |
| December 11, 2018 | Hassan Ndam | New York Red Bulls | FC Cincinnati | Expansion Draft |
| January 1, 2019 | Tyler Adams | New York Red Bulls | RB Leipzig | Transfer |
| January 22, 2019 | Aurélien Collin | New York Red Bulls | Philadelphia Union | Free |
| February 8, 2019 | Kevin Politz | New York Red Bulls | Greenville Triumph | Free |
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Expectations for the 2019 season
So, what went wrong with Red Bulls last season? After losing to Atlanta United 3:1 in the playoffs, there are a lot of questions to answer. Some suggest it’s the defensive end that needs some fixing. At the end of the day, they did concede 3 goals. But I would have to disagree. The team has a strong core at the back. Luis Robles, who will turn 35 soon seems in shape and does not show any signs of slowing down. With his leadership skills and commands, Robles has become irreplaceable and I don’t believe he will change in the upcoming season. Moving up the field, Red Bulls seem fine as well. Michael Murillo, Tim Parker, Aaron Long and Kemar Lawrence are all under 26 years old and prove to work as a solid line which kept Red Bulls at only 33 goals conceded in the season, which was the least goals any team in the MLS conceded. So where is the problem for Red Bulls for the upcoming season? It’s the midfield. Since the departure of Tyler Adams, Red Bulls will tack at the midfield and finding a replacement for a player like him is not an easy task. If Red Bulls fail to find a replacement, there will be a huge void left behind Adams.
