One week into the summer transfer window and the New York Red Bulls have only dealt with a subtraction to their first-team depth after midfielder Cristian Casseres Jr. joined Ligue 1 side, Toulouse.
They could use another center back to bolster their ranks at the position to provide some support behind the staunch pairing of Andres Reyes and Sean Nealis. It’s only logical considering how injuries can derail things, as evident with star midfielder Lewis Morgan’s “concerning” knock that will keep him out for the foreseeable future.
There also could be a case made for another left back to slot in on the depth chart behind John Tolkin, who has been with the US Men’s National Team at the Gold Cup. As could the idea of another attacking presence with Morgan out and big offseason signing Dante Vanzeir struggling to find his form — though Frankie Amaya’s three-goal run has helped bring the goals of late.
But head coach Troy Lesesne appears to be sticking to his guns even with the 10th-place Red Bulls fighting to nab ninth place, which is the final Wild Card playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
“What we don’t do at this club is make a move to make a move,” Lesesne said. “We believe in every player that we have on our first-team roster.”
Instead, Lesesne is teasing a continued reliance on the Red Bulls’ academy players to step up if needed. Twenty-year-old midfielder Wiki Carmona, who was recalled from Red Bulls II to make just his second appearance with the first team since May 31, helped strengthen that sentiment after scoring the game-winning goal against the New England Revolution on Saturday.
“We’re in a unique position where we believe in our academy players and our youth players. Wiki Carmona is a good example,” Lesesne said. “Not many clubs have that kind of confidence in the entirety of the club and we do. Sometimes we’re not in a rush to bring a player in. Even though they’re young, some of these academy guys are ready.”
