The headline-grabbing arrivals of Thierry Henry and Rafa Marquez to the New York Red Bulls drew plenty of attention last year, but the club’s turnaround in 2010 had more to do with lesser known contributors stepping up than superstars carrying the team.
That will need to change in 2011 if the Red Bulls’ aspirations of MLS domination are going to be met. Thierry Henry smiled and limped through most of his first MLS season while Rafa Marquez showed flashes of his impressive skill before fading late and disappearing in the playoffs.
The two former Barcelona stars will need to show the form expected to come along with their seven-figure salaries and there’s reason to believe both should have the influence expected of them when the season kicks off.
Henry is healthy as he works through his first MLS pre-season and will be called on to be the focal point of the Red Bulls attack while Marquez is moving to central defense, where he should form a quality partnership with U.S. national team defender Tim Ream.
As important as Henry and Marquez are to the team’s success, it will be how the team replaces the one star it lost that determines how far the team goes in 2011. The Red Bulls let Juan Pablo Angel leave in the off-season and the club’s career scoring leaves a void that won’t be filled easily.
The Red Bulls will be counting on Henry to score goals, but they’ll also need young sensation Juan Agudelo to grow up quickly. As much as New York insists it won’t rush its academy product and U.S. national team starlet, the Red Bulls may have no choice but to give Agudelo major minutes this season. Newly-acquired Luke Rodgers and rookie Corey Hertzog give the club some speed options up front, but it Agudelo has the look of the player most likely to partner with Henry up top, a tandem that could be one of the most exciting in MLS.
The continued development of some of last year’s revelations that will determine whether New York seriously challenges the likes of Real Salt Lake and Los Angeles as the best team in MLS. Ream enjoyed a standout rookie season and has propelled himself into the U.S. national team picture. Being paired with Marquez in central defense should take some pressure off him and also allow him to improve on his stellar passing skills out of the back.
It is that passing ability, combining with Marquez’s considerable skill, that should help New York play the possession game head coach Hans Backe prefers. The real question is whether the Red Bulls will have effective fullbacks capable of making the attacking truly versatile. Roy Miller started strong at left back in 2010, but faded, while trialist Teemu Tainio could be seen as a replacement for aging right back Chris Albright.
The Red Bulls enter the season as the clear-cut favorites in a weak Eastern Conference, but they will need Agudelo to mature, the defense to improve and players like Lindpere and Dane Richards to repeat their strong 2010 seasons if New York is going to challenge for the MLS Supporters Shield. If those things happen AND Henry and Marquez play up to their reputations, the Red Bulls could finally have some serious hardware to put in their trophy case.
NEW YORK RED BULLS
KEY LOSSES: Juan Pablo Angel, Mike Petke
NEW ARRIVALS: Jan Gunnar Solli, Teemu Tainio, Corey Hertzog,
BIGGEST QUESTION: Who will replace Juan Pablo Angel’s goals? Thierry Henry will be expected to provide double-digit goals as well as plenty of assists, but Juan Agudelo, Luke Rodgers and Corey Hertzog will need to produce to pick up the slack left by Angel.
Another question plaguing New York is who will be in goal. Bouna Coundoul had a strong 2010 but there are questions coming into the season about whether he’ll keep the job.
X-FACTOR: Jan Gunnar Solli. The versatile Norwegian will be expected to contribute in midfield. He has a great motor and can contribute to the attack. Paired with Joel Lindpere in midfield, Sollli could have an impact similar to the one Lindpere had for New York in 2010.
OUTLOOK: The Red Bulls are too talented not to finish in the top two in the Eastern Conference, and anything short of a regular season Eastern Conference title would be seen as a disappointment. If Henry stays healthy, and Marquez can become a force in the back, New York will have every opportunity to contend for both the Supporters Shield and MLS Cup. Now, if Henry struggles with staying healthy, and Agudelo doesn’t develop into the star some see him becoming, New York could struggle to score goals and the Red Bulls could wind up regretting ever letting Juan Pablo Angel leave.
Ives Galarcep is a senior writer for FoxSoccer.com covering Major League Soccer and the U.S. national team.
