Red Bull New York defender Dylan Nealis watched this winter as his brother was traded away to DC United, and now he might have to take his position, too.
Nealis, a natural right-back, has spent significant portions of New York’s preseason as a center-back with No. 1 choice Noah Eile finalizing a deal to join Bristol City of the English Championship, sources notified amNewYork over the weekend.
“One of my strongest attributes is my versatility,” Nealis said. “It’s not too different. The back line, the defending principles, remain the same here. You’re just moving one spot over. Maybe you just have to be more vocal, which I’m totally fine with doing. As a center-back, you’re in more of a leadership position. You kind of control the guys in front of you and around you. So just from that aspect, I think I’ll have to work on that.”
The shift comes out of necessity, considering Red Bull has sustained significant losses this offseason. Not only is Eile headed across the pond and the elder Nealis traded, but the organization parted ways with German veteran Alexander Hack after just one season.
The only reinforcement they brought in at the center-back position was Robert Voloder, who previously was a mainstay within Sporting Kansas City’s back line but had last season cut short because of a broken collarbone.
It leaves Tim Parker, another MLS veteran starting the second season of his second stint in New York, as the club’s only established center-back option. Head coach Michael Bradley has also used left-backs Raheem Edwards and Matthew Dos Santos at the center-back position during a recent preseason match with Hartford Athletic of the USL Championship.
“I feel really good about the group that we have,” Bradley said. “… Putting guys in some of these positions is still a good way to get them better. As we move forward, we’ll figure out the best way to put it all together and make sure we have a squad in every way that covers us, and we feel like we can move through a season with.”
