MLSsoccer.com continue our look back at the 2014 season that was for all 19 clubs in Major League Soccer, starting with the Montreal Impact and ending with the MLS Cup-winning LA Galaxy. We'll also take a peek at the two new clubs coming in and pour one out for departed friends Chivas USA. You can find the 2014 Year in Review HERE and the club-by-club history of MLS HERE.
2014 record: 13-10-11 (50 points); 55 GF / 50 GA (+5 GD)
After bringing back the veteran core of the 2013 roster that had at long last ended the club’s trophy-less drought, the New York Red Bulls were supposed to make some more noise this year.
They said it...
Head coach Mike Petke:
"We have a very good plan for the future, and it is going to take understanding from our fan base, understanding from the media perhaps. We want to build something, I want to build something, and I think that we have a good idea of how to do that."
Goalkeeper Luis Robles:
"There was all sorts of questioning throughout the season if we had the right personnel. If you look at the way it ended, there’s no question that we had that. Obviously, players get older and contracts expire … As long as we continue that philosophy of keeping the core group of guys and building off of that and looking for new talent – whether it’s in America or abroad – I think that’s the right direction."
Forward Thierry Henry:
"I think we’re not far now. I still say we. I think the team is not far now. There was more togetherness in the last two months, and I think the game against New England showed that, [the one] at their place. The team is on the right path, but the last step is always a difficult one, so hopefully this team can do it ASAP."
It took them some time to get it together – a long time – but they eventually did just that.
The 2014 Red Bulls came within a goal of reaching MLS Cup but ultimately lost in the Eastern Conference Championship and subsequently said goodbye to their longtime captain, too. Thierry Henry, the franchise's most talented player, confirmed the fears of many New York fans two days after the club was knocked out of the postseason, announcing that he was leaving as his four-and-a-half-year Designated Player contract expired.
What made the news even more heartbreaking was that Henry played a big part in helping the Red Bulls overcome lingering inconsistencies at just the right time, though with a lot of help from a trusty and worthy sidekick in MLS Golden Boot winner Bradley Wright-Phillips.
The two attackers combined for 37 goals – Wright-Phillips’ 27 tied the MLS single-season record – and allowed Mike Petke’s side to overcome their frustratingly persistent defensive frailties more often than not.
The Red Bulls made it back to the playoffs despite a topsy-turvy regular season filled with questions about Henry’s future and Tim Cahill’s diminished role, and took off from there. The club not only won its first postseason game at home by knocking off defending MLS Cup champions Sporting Kansas City, but it then eliminated archrival D.C. United for the first time.
New York ran out of magic against the Revolution and fell short of their goal of hoisting the MLS Cup, but the season was still one that the club will look back on fondly as it prepares to usher in a new era.
Best Moment of the Year
Securing their first-ever postseason victory at Red Bull Arena was sweet, but eliminating D.C. United from the playoffs at RFK Stadium? Ecstasy.
For the first time in five tries, New York finally got the upper hand on their southern rivals in a postseason series. The Red Bulls defeated United 3-2 in their two-legged Eastern Conference Semifinals series in November, and the decisive and memorable game came in the nation’s capital.
After winning the first leg 2-0, New York tasted defeat in D.C., but the second-half away goal that Péguy Luyindula scored all but assured that the Red Bulls’ season would continue and that their 1,200-plus traveling fans in attendance could celebrate and mock United’s fanbase.
Worst Moment of the Year
Two weeks after that incredible high in D.C., dreaming of a potential MLS Cup appearance, the Red Bulls hosted the Revolution in the opening leg of the Eastern Conference Championship. New York were the better side for prolonged periods at a sold-out Red Bull Arena, but wasteful finishing and a late defensive lapse allowed New England to walk away 2-1 victors. Adding insult to injury was the fact that the Red Bulls lost Wright-Phillips for the second leg after he picked up his second yellow card of the postseason for an utterly needless challenge, giving them a steep uphill climb that they could not overcome in New England.
Best Goal
With all due respect to Henry’s sublime September bullet against Sporting Kansas City (see video above), Dax McCarty’s picture-perfect chip against the New England Revolution on Aug. 2 was the Red Bulls’ best tally in 2014. McCarty jumpstarted a 2-1 rally for a 10-man New York side that needed a jolt of energy, taking a deft first touch after receiving a pass from Eric Alexander and proceeding to loft a shot over Revolution goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth.
Team MVP
Henry helped his case with his game-changing performances in the playoffs, but even he stated during that stretch that it was Wright-Phillips who was the club’s Most Valuable Player.
Wright-Phillips enjoyed a remarkable year in New York, one that saw him tie the Major League Soccer single-season record of 27 goals shared by Roy Lassiter and Chris Wondolowski. The veteran forward not only became a fan favorite because of his goalscoring exploits – which he maintained even in Henry’s absence – but also his selfless attitude and hardworking approach. Wright-Phillips’ emergence was one of the more pleasant surprises in MLS this year and the reason the club rewarded him with a Designated Player deal at season’s end.
Best Move
An airtight salary-cap situation prevented the Red Bulls from making any major personnel moves this season. Petke, however, executed a significant stroke of inspiration at the start of September that helped launched the club into its best run of form in 2014.
The head coach went away from his tried-and-true 4-4-2 formation, opting to switch to a 4-2-3-1 setup that moved McCarty and Alexander into joint holding midfield roles, thrust Henry out to the left, and boldly pushed the struggling Cahill out of the lineup.
The result? A 6-2-1 stretch that catapulted the Red Bulls into the playoffs with a real sense of belief.
Quotable
"When I’m on the field, you see my competitor side, and sometimes it’s not a pretty one, but I’m cool, too. I know maybe you don’t see it like that, but I’m cool, too. I like to joke around, the guys will tell you that. But I will miss that, I will miss being around the dressing room." – Henry on his New York deparutre
Three Offseason Needs
1.
Another Henry
: OK, there's only one Thierry Henry. Finding someone to replace his ability on the field and the intangibles he brought off it will be next to impossible. But the Red Bulls could help fill the offensive void – 10 goals, 14 assists and a constant threat – by committee. They will need to add another capable forward who can help alleviate the scoring burden from Wright-Phillips and a playmaker that can set up quality chances. It’s a big ask to find both those type of players in one offseason, but there should be enough wiggle room under the cap to make it happen now that Henry’s DP salary is off the books.
2. A starting center back: The recent trade sending Jamison Olave back to Real Salt Lake has removed New York’s best defender from the equation. The Red Bulls still have veteran Armando and youngster Matt Miazga at center back, but both seem more likely to be complementary pieces and/or spot starters rather than the shutdown defender that Olave was in 2014.
3. Insurance at goalkeeper: This might seem a bit trivial, but the December deal shipping Ryan Meara to New York City FC on a season-long loan has made finding another netminder a priority. Incumbent Luis Robles continued to play some of the best soccer of his career this year, but an injury to the 30-year-old American is all that is separating the Red Bulls from having to turn to the promising but still unproven Homegrown Player Santiago Castaño. A cheap option should be available at some point this winter, and the SuperDraft -- where they found Meara a few years back -- is loaded.
