The Red Bulls proved to be MLS’ best team over the course of the season, winning the Supporters’ Shield, but their fans have clamored for a true attacking midfielder since Amado Guevara departed after 2006. Now coach Mike Petke agrees, calling that offseason priority No. 1 in what will be minor roster tweaking, not a major overhaul.
“First and foremost, we need a good inside player, whether it be an attacking midfielder or someone who can play in the midfield,” Petke said. “We need somebody who can thread those passes. We have guys who are capable, and they’re hard workers; but we don’t have true attacking, link-up type of player.’’
After a failed early-season experiment with a 4-3-3 formation, Petke settled with a workmanlike 4-4-2 that featured Tim Cahill and Dax McCarty paired in the center of the pitch. Cahill was named team MVP, and the Castrol stats (an all-encompassing performance index) backed that up, with the Aussie ranked 13th overall in MLS and third among 181 midfielders.
Cahill had a team-high 11 goals and nine assists, and according to Castrol, he was 12th best in goals per minute and 14th best in duels won while defending. Though he provided a very hard-working tandem with McCarty, another grinder, the team was at its most explosive in games when Cahill was closer to goal and Peguy Luyindula gave them creativity and the killer pass from the middle.
“We will be looking for that,’’ Petke admitted. “We also need a little more up and down on the flanks. We need true outside backs. Not that we don’t have them now. That could be that. The way we played this [year], I’m hoping that next year will be a little different as far as our outside backs really getting into the attack and contributing offensively.’’
Nobody managed to nail down either fullback spot, with Brandon Barklage and Kosuke Kimura vying for time on the right while Cahill’s Australian teammate David Carney came in and joined Roy Miller on the left.
On the flanks, Eric Alexander was added as depth in the middle and Jonny Steele – just called up by Northern Ireland – as a bench option out wide, but both ended up starting. They haven’t had a winger that both stretched and scared defenses since trading away Dane Richards, but they will be looking for just that.
“We’re obviously combing the planet for certain players,’’ Petke said. “We don’t want a big overhaul, which we don’t think is necessary. We definitely need to get some new blood in certain areas and see if anything is available.
“We ended the regular season as regular-season champions, so obviously the players that we have are good. We did something right. I don’t think it’s necessary to overhaul. I think that was one thing in the past that has plagued this organization, whether it was the Red Bulls or MetroStars.’’
It sounds like that search for creativity will stretch far outside MLS, likely to South America.
“There is no area that we’re not going to look into,’’ Petke said. “The initial [search] is within MLS. But within MLS, to get something, you have to give something up, and we have to figure out if there is anything we want to give up on this roster to bring anything else in. It’d have to be significantly better.
“Of course we have our eye all over the world. As far as me, as far as we identifying certain things through our scouts, our technical staff, if it’s needed, yeah, I’d love to go to watch these guys in person. It’s the best way to see if they are the right fit for us.’’