Youth development continues in bore draw, 1:1
August 24, 2024
After the maddening (but entirely predictable) end to the transfer window, and with some time to kill before this match, Red Bull sent their coaches and executives in front of the press. The decision was ill-advised, as far as supporters of this club are concerned. "It is primarily about developing young players", said Sandro Schwarz. "It is, therefore, the goal to scout and develop players that can then make their way to Europe", chimed in Red Bull (global) technical director "Super" Mario Gomez.
We're exhausted trying to swim against the current anymore. If this, and not winning trophies, is the prism through which success is viewed at the club in New York, then we shall follow suit.
The appointed veteran mentors this week were Carlos Coronel, Sean Nealis, Kyle Duncan, Lewis Morgan, and Dante Vanzeir. Missing from the list is Leipzig "big brother" Emil Forsberg, who continues to be sidelined through injury (if the next couple years of that contract are starting to make you a little queasy, you're not the only one). One of the above players was electric tonight, another considerably less so. Those guys aren't the focus of the club though, so let's move on.
As for the youth, it was a night of mixed results, as it often is. In order of age, and therefore ripeness for a transfer to Europe:
Julian Hall, 16: Hall didn't play tonight, but Gomez said about him, "we're just at the beginning of a nice adventure." So that's cool!
Ronald Donkor, 19: Whoa, we might have found something here. Far from the finished product, but you can see the flashes that have the brass excited in Austria. A solid game with much promise for the future.
Dennis Gjengaar, 20: An apparition. A figment of the imagination. We know a guy in a #2 jersey walked out on the field for introductions, but did anyone see him in the game after that? No? A mystery.
Daniel Edelman, 21: We like Edelman a lot, but there are some concerns. There has been a slight but noticeable drop in his play this season. Did not contribute significantly tonight.
John Tolkin, 22: Reports say he is currently being considered for a transfer to the Bundesliga (but not Leipzig, interestingly). Not up to his usual standard tonight with a handful of miscues and lapses, perhaps with visions of the land of chocolate weighing on his mind.
Noah Eile, 22: What. A. Ball. The lanky Swede absolutely savaged Charlotte's lines on Metro's lone goal and was deservedly awarded a secondary assist. Has been above average to good almost from day one (inexplicable red card aside). Top candidate for further evaluation in Salzburg.
Elias Manoel, 22: If he could create a league where he only played against Charlotte every week, not even Erling Haaland could stand in his way. Does his magic work for Charlotte the way it does against them? If so, David Tepper should offer Red Bull $50M tomorrow. Unfortunately turns 23 in November, probably too old for Europe unless Red Bull buys a team in, say, Cyprus.
Cameron Harper, 22: Looked spry in relief of the invisible man, so why didn't he start? Oh, he already went to Europe once and it didn't work out. A dead end as far as Red Bull is concerned.
Aidan O'Connor, 22: DNP. Turns 23 in October, MLS draft pick, the odds are very long here.
The opponent's performance was rather disappointing, despite an honest attempt at constructing a roster to compete for MLS Cup. As such not only was the match lacking in excitement, but we are limited in the extent of the positive feedback we can provide on each player's development. We will hope for a better comparison against the Worms when we file our report next week.
Lineup: Coronel, Tolkin, Nealis, Eile, Duncan, Edelman, Donkor, Gjengaar, Morgan, Manoel, Vanzeir. Subs: Harper, Burke, Nealis.
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