Red Bulls have heightened confidence as new MLS season approaches

There is a feeling of cautious optimism around the New York Red Bulls entering the new Major League Soccer campaign.

The optimism comes from a stellar 2022 regular season that earned a home playoff match, a sense of stability around an improving roster, plus a deeper understanding and comfort level of the Red Bulls’ playing system and coach Gerhard Struber’s methods entering the Austrian’s third full year at the helm.

The cautiousness? Well, 13 straight seasons in the playoffs without an MLS Cup appearance will do that to a club.

Still, the Red Bulls believe they have a team that can compete with any in the Eastern Conference, and the coach is ready for his players to prove it, beginning with the season opener Saturday at Orlando City SC.

“They are very hungry for more,” Struber said.

Aside from the departure of U.S. national team centerback Aaron Long, the 2023 Red Bulls look much the way they did a year ago. Their biggest addition is Designated Player Dante Vanzeir, a 24-year-old Belgian who Struber said has a “big nose for goals.”

The team still is developing, with a handful of promising homegrown players set for regular roles.

“We have a very young group of players, but a group with more experience [than] the last season,” Struber said. “A group with a very, very good striker now, and also the other strikers around Dante. The group of midfielders right now, we have a high competition and I think competition in this level is sexy.

“In this way, we are very development-orientated, but also very results-orientated. We are ready for more.”

Sean Nealis, the Massapequa-raised centerback named team captain earlier this week, believes the stability under Struber is starting to pay off.

“I think it’s been efficient this preseason, it’s been positive,” Nealis said. “I think we’ll all probably take another step forward and you can see so many players have improved greatly while he’s been here.”

That sort of growth can be seen in John Tolkin. The 20-year-old New Jersey native is emerging as one of the league’s most promising fullbacks, earning time with the senior national team in its last camp. Tolkin said the camaraderie among the Red Bulls is higher than ever.

“I know you hear it a lot, but it’s a brotherhood, it’s like a family here,” he said. “Everybody feels closer, we’ve got a lot guys returning and everybody’s just comfortable with each other even more.”

And what does that mean for the club’s chance at its first MLS Cup?

“Of course we want the playoffs again,” Struber said. “After that, everything is possible.”

By Ryan Gerbosi

ryan.gerbosi@newsday.comRyanGerbosi

Ryan Gerbosi is an internet news manager for sports at Newsday.com. He also covers NYCFC and mixed martial arts and believes the designated hitter should be banned from baseball.