Red Bull News Network

New York Red Bulls II have added one more piece to their USL Championship roster by signing defender Emir Tomboul to a contract pending federation and league approval, the club announced today.    Tomboul, 20, most recently played for Guimaraes B in Portugal. He made six appearances in Liga Revelacao U-23 last season.   “Emir [Tomboul] as a center back has a lot of the tools that we value,” NYRB II Head Coach John Wolyniec said. “We really like his personality, and we feel like he can be a big contributor for us in the future.”   He played his youth years for FC Rapperswil- Jona Youth in Switzerland, before making his way up to their U-17 team during the 2017-2018 season. Tomboul moved up to Grasshopper Club Zurich U-18’s during the 2018-2019 season.   “I am very excited to join this club and cannot wait to get started with the team,” Tomboul said. “I am excited to learn from John [Wolyniec] because of his past experiences as a player and I’m sure I will learn a lot.” New York Red Bull

photo by Matt Kremkau New York Red Bulls lose the second straight game of the Gerhard Struber era in 2021 with a 3-2 loss to LA Galaxy at Dignity Health Sports Park on Sunday afternoon. A hat trick from Javier Hernandez sank the Red Bulls as their defensive woes continue into week two. The Mexican star striker, Hernandez, opened the scoring in the 9th minute, knocking a ball into the net that seemed destined to go out of bounds. New York answered quickly, taking advantage of a miss-step from the Galaxy defense for Andrew Gutman to score the equalizer. Hernandez put LA ahead again right before the half, sending the Red Bulls into a formation change for the start of the second half. While New York did find more possession, their chances at goal were still limited. The score become even more cumbersome in the 60th minute when Hernandez scored his third and final goal of the game. Minutes later, Cristian Casseres Jr. did bring the game within one goal but it was far out of reach. New York

New York Red Bulls II continue to bolster their 2021 USL Championship roster by adding midfielder Michael Knapp. The academy product has spent most of his playing time with Montclair State University and now makes the transition following working with the MLS club in preseason. "He has a lot of the qualities we value in defensive midfielders," said head coach John Wolyniec. "We are excited to have him as part of the group." Knapp was named 2019 NJAC Midfielder of the Year and has been a part of the Red Bull academy for some time. Under their umbrella, he made 22 appearances and scored one goal. With MSU, he made 35 appearances and tallied three goals over that stretch.  "It feels really good to sign my first profressional contract," said Knapp. I am really happy and I cannot wait to get started." New York Red Bulls II will commence the 2021 season next Friday at MSU Soccer Park against local rivals Hartford Athletic.

photo by Matt Kremkau The rumors have become reality as Frankie Amaya has become a New York Red Bulls player. The news comes after Amaya signs a new deal with New York following a trade from FC Cincinnati for $500 thousand in allocation money this season and $450 thousand in 2022.  "We are very pleased to complete this deal," said Director of Sport Kevin Thelwell. "Frankie is a player we've watched closely, and we are confident that his skills and attributes are a good fit for our philosophy and style of play. We look forward to getting him into our environment and achieving success together in the years ahead." The 20 year-old midfielder was the first overall pick in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft and played in 40 total games for FC Cincinnati, scoring one goal over that time. Amaya was also a major part of the US Men's National Team U20's Concacaf Championship win in 2018. The potential is there and his age and ability match the direction New York has taken o

photo by Matt Kremkau Sixty seconds in a ninety-minute match. That’s all it took for Sporting Kansas City to ruin the Opening Day festivities at Red Bull Arena on Saturday night. The supporters in attendance saw crisp passing and a stout defense that kept the visitors at bay, despite not having striker Alan Pulido in the starting lineup. But significantly, the supporters were buoyed by a return to that press that has last seen since Jesse Marsch was in charge. But that was the first 45 minutes. In the second half, things turned for the better and then, shockingly, worse for the home side that evening. Midfielder Caden Clark, who scored the opening goal, spoke about the match as a whole: I’ve kept that in the back of my mind, actually, not scoring at home. I really wanted to do that in front of the supporters, and it was great to do that in front of the few that were here tonight who brought the noise. When I scored that [goal] the place was shaking, and you feed off of that and gain so

photo from New York Red Bulls New York Red Bulls surrender two goals in a minute to lose the game in their home opener against Sporting KC on Saturday night. The meltdown occurred when the home team defense gave the opposition a penalty and then allowed them to play through their defense between the 59th and 60th minute. The first half was promising if not mundane. New York controlled the pass and pressured Sporting KC. They were unable to get clear opportunities on net but new signings Fabio and Diarra showed well. The defense was also formidable, keeping the opponents to few opportunites. The pace changed significantly in the second half with the game's opening goal being scored by Caden Clark in the 48th minute. The effort came after an attempted cross was deflected and fell towards the middle of the box. Clark hit the ball one-time and beat the Sporting keeper, giving the game life.  It wouldn't take long before the response came after Andrew Gutman was called for a handbal

photo by Matt Kremkau New York Red Bulls will start the process of disproving the naysayers on Saturday night against Sporting KC in the team's home opener at Red Bull Arena. New head coach Gerhard Struber will lead a very young and unknown squad against an injury riddled KC team that can still be a major threat to New York's intentions of starting fast. The Red Bulls are expected to return to their high-pressing style that made them incredibly successful since 2015. While it didn't directly lead to a US Open Cup or MLS Cup winning season, the game plan is one that both Struber and the organization feel is the proper path to that end goal.  Still, fans are still wondering who will lead the line. Since the departure of Bradley Wright-Phillips, New York has had difficulties securing goals. "The whole team has the responsibility to score goals," said Struber during the pre-match press conference. "We have many players that have the ability to score goals. It is

(photo by Matt Kremkau) New York Red Bulls captain Sean Davis spoke about new head coach Gerhard Struber and what life has been like in training leading up to Saturday's home opener against Sporting KC. The MLS veteran has seen the styles of two other head coaches and appears to be most excited about the future under the current steward. "A lot of players are embracing the demands and challenges that he's putting on us," said Davis during a team press conference. "That's going to make us all better. He's pushing us outside of our comfort zone and that's ultimately what you want, as a player, to grow." Struber has made no mystery as to the style he is looking to play. Expectations are that the high-pressing style that has defined New York will return but with more nuance that comes from years of experience within the European Red Bull system. This dynamism may take time to implement but, according to Davis, training sessions have been pushing the

New York Red Bulls II sign goalkeeper AJ Marcucci for the 2021 season. The new 21-year-old has an enormous amount of college experience and now steps into the USL Championship during a transitional period for the team. "We are really excited to add AJ to the 2021 roster," said head coach John Wolyniec. "He is a determined player with a big personality, who continues to show that he can up his game.: The Connecticut College veteran has the school record with 25 clean sheets and was named to the NCAA All-American First Team. Marcucci was the 67th pick in the 2021 MLS SuperDraft and, like many before him, he will be given the chance to show himself at the USL level. Success in New York Red Bulls II has shown to be a stepping stone to Major League Soccer. Aaron Long, Tyler Adams, Derrick Etienne Jr., Florian Valot and others have made the move from the second division club to the starting line-up in MLS. "I feel very grateful to be joining this organization and I cannot

New York Red Bulls II have bolstered their defensive corps by inking Colombian defender Juan Castillo to a USL Championship contract, pending federation and league approval, the team has reported today. The Tumaco, Colombia native has featured for Colombian Youth National Teams starting with the U-17’s and most recently appearing for the U-20’s. “We are really excited to add a player that has Juan Castillo’s potential,” NYRB II Head Coach John Wolyniec said. “We look forward to working with a player that has a lot of the qualities that we admire in young players.” “I feel very glad for this opportunity with New York Red Bulls II,” Castillo said. “I cannot wait to start the season and be part of this amazing organization.” Castillo, 18, most recently played for Millonarios FC U-20 in Copa Libertadores U-20.

The New York Red Bulls have acquired  FC Cincinnati midfielder Frankie Amaya in a trade according to Pat Brennan , sources within the club verified today. While the compensation was immediately made clear, though the sources said it was "significant". Amaya, 20, was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft. His importance on the squad grew as time went on, making 40 appearances over two seasons including 21 starts over the club's 23 matches last year. He had previously requested a trade away from FC Cincinnati this winter and now heads to a high-pressing RBNY side where he could fit into new head coach Gerhard Struber’s system. He should be an important central midfielder alongside the likes of Dru Yearwood, Cristian Casseres, Sean Davis, and more. Amaya's trade is the latest move in Cincinnati's busy off-season. They have acquired the likes of Brenner, Lucho Acosta, and Ronald Matarrita while moving on from a number of players, none more significant than

(photo by Matt Kremkau) With the 2021 Major League Soccer season rapidly approaching for the New York Red Bulls, the consensus among the fanbase, experts, and pundits around the nation are looking at this team finishing near the bottom or completely out of playoff contention. Head of Sport Kevin Thelwell and new head coach Gerhard Struber has constructed a roster filled with last year's holdovers, loanees, castoffs from other MLS and European clubs, and devoid of big-named, superstar Designated Players. At least on paper, the team looks to be another potential disappointment for the supporters this season. And after two seasons of aimlessly looking like a soccer team with former Head Coach Chris Armas at the helm, the organization's technical staff has wisely decided to get back to basics. Specifically, to get back what brought them all of their success since 2015. While it looks like a rebuild to some, it's a philosophical reset for the New York Red Bulls in 2021. Th

(photo by Matt Kremkau) New York Red Bulls have released a statement following the positive result after the arbitration in dispute over the departure of Alejandro "Kaku" Romero Gamarra. The midfielder joined Al-Taawoun in Saudi Arabia, claiming that his contract had lapsed despite the team claiming to have renewed it for an additional year. "We are pleased with the arbitrator's findings that MLS' unilateral option was effectively exercised by New York Red Bulls' Sporting Director, Denis Hamlett," said the team in a statement. "A valid contract exists between Kaku and Major League Soccer through December 31, 2021. With this decision, we look forward to seeking further resolution, and will provide updates when appropriate during that process." More than likely, Kaku will not return to New York. Given the current state of the relationship between both parties, that may be the best option. However, the team may be able to get monetary compensation