24 Days 'til MLS: Extreme offseason makeover, RBNY style

As the MLS season approaches, MLSsoccer.com marks each passing day with a different statistic, observation or talking point, setting the stage for March 2.

24 – The next player to come or go in New York's offseason makeover

There are offseason overhauls, and then there are the New York Red Bulls.

Change has been the one constant in Metro-land, and this winter has been no exception for a fanbase that is used to a club that changes head coaches, executives and, most obviously, players at a rate that would shame the late George Steinbrenner.

And the writing was on the wall in Harrison before the 2012 season even ended. The Red Bull mother ship removed Erik Solér from his role as sporting director in October and ended up replacing him with Andy Roxburgh. Head coach Hans Backe was sent packing, too, less than 24 hours after RBNY’s elimination in the Eastern Conference semis at the hands of D.C. United.

What then followed has been one of the more dramatic makeovers in club history – and that’s saying something. More than a dozen players from the 2012 roster have been released or traded, and a little more than half that number have come through the front door to replace them.

Adios, Rafa Márquez. Olá, Juninho Pernambucano!

Tak, Jan Gunnar Solli. Yokoso, Kosuke Kimura!

The next roster move New York make will see the 24th player either coming in or going out of Red Bull Arena this winter. And it’s a guarantee that move will come ... any second now.

But the count that has yet to begin is the one in the “W” column. We’ll see if all the fuss was worth it when the Red Bulls visit Portland on March 3.

What do you think of New York's latest offseason overhaul? Let us know in the comments below.