The New York Red Bulls haven’t truly found their stride this season, at least compared to their excellent campaigns of recent years, and head coach Jesse Marsch is ready to bring in summer reinforcements.
The RBNY head coach made that clear in an in-depth appearance on the MSG Networks’ Red Bulls Insider Podcast, telling host Kristian Dyer that the club is shopping for “an impact guy” to bolster the attack and possibly a “difference-maker” at center back.
While expressing faith in current attacking standouts like Sacha Kljestan, Gonzalo Veron and Mike Grella, Marsch noted that New York are “looking to add another attacking player, a guy that we think can come in and be an impact guy.”
“I don’t know yet,” he added when Dyer playfully asked for a name. “We’ve got a few that we’re looking at. But we’re working hard and know that we need to add one more big piece. And then we’re looking for a center back, which you and I have talked about enough in the past couple months. So hopefully we can find a way in this transfer window to make a couple big additions to help our team."
The Red Bulls currently sit in mid-table in the Eastern Conference with a 6-7-2 record and a -6 goal differential. Their previously-prolific attack has gone quiet, with just 15 goals in their first 15 games, a number which ranks fourth-worst in MLS at present.
“We’ve got a good group of guys, but I think we need to bring in some difference-makers,” said Marsch. “It’ll be a guy that is younger and fits the way we play.
“...We have a little bit more flexibility from an international perspective. We have some money to spend, we have roster spots. So we’ll have to make some additions, and we’ll just try to calculate what those are and how to do it in a way that best sets up our team to make a real strong push at the end of the year.”
