This is my review of the New York Red Bulls 2019 season, well it's more of a ramble if I'm honest, because it's been a strange season really. So here are my thoughts, and I'll keep it short.
More than any other team in the MLS, I think New York Red Bull fans have had the toughest time over the 2019 season. I know FC Cincinnati might argue that, but nothing was really expected of them.
The Red Bulls however, started the season as the Supporters shield holders, and although they ultimately fell short in the 2018 playoffs, they looked like a team that was ready to go all the way in 2019, and at the time of writing, they still could. The problem is though, they haven't made it convincingly into the playoffs and in fact halfway through the season, it looked like they might not make it at all.Chris Armas has had a lot to deal with this season, and to be fair to him he's actually done a decent job of keeping the team together after the loss of Tyler Adam's and the whole Kaku situation before the season had even begun. Having said that, hes made some strange decisions over the season and fans have made their frustrations be heard. I could talk about this subject for days, but for the sake of this article, I'll leave it at that.
The Red Bulls however, started the season as the Supporters shield holders, and although they ultimately fell short in the 2018 playoffs, they looked like a team that was ready to go all the way in 2019, and at the time of writing, they still could. The problem is though, they haven't made it convincingly into the playoffs and in fact halfway through the season, it looked like they might not make it at all.Chris Armas has had a lot to deal with this season, and to be fair to him he's actually done a decent job of keeping the team together after the loss of Tyler Adam's and the whole Kaku situation before the season had even begun. Having said that, hes made some strange decisions over the season and fans have made their frustrations be heard. I could talk about this subject for days, but for the sake of this article, I'll leave it at that.
Inconsistency has been a problem throughout the season. From a 4-0 defeat at Houston to a 3-3 draw away to a strong Atlanta side, then a 2-1 win against NYCFC, all in the space of 3 weeks. If you want to push on and win things in this league, you need consistency. Which leads me onto Bradley Wright Phillips, who was the star player for years, has seen a significant chunk of the season out injured, and since his return has had to settle for coming on off the bench, but he scored 20 goals last season and has only managed 2 goals in 2019. That's a huge drop in form and a huge part, for me, as to why this season has been so hard for the Red Bulls.
It hasn't been all bad though this season.We made the playoffs. We still have a chance this year, and I think there a few teams in the league that would love to be in our position. Bradley Wright Phillips could thrive in the playoffs and make up for lack of goals in the regular season, Armas could lead us all the way and we could end up as MLS Cup Champions.
I could add more to this article but to be completely honest, it's hard to talk positively about the team this year, so to finish off. First I want to thank MLS Scout Eire for asking me to write this article and I hope that we can do it again sometime. Secondly, to any New York Red Bull fans reading this, no matter what happens this season, New York is, and always will be, RED!
Please follow me on twitter @york_red
This was a great article! Consistency is the key, agreed. Call me optimistic but I have a lot of hope for next season.
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