The MLS is a league which stands out as a result of its competitive balance and levels of parity. A concept that remains unique compared to the elite European leagues, rules and regulations concerning spending have led to a range of franchises being successful over the years. However, one team grabs the attention of fans each and every year, with their prolonged success setting them apart.
Backed by the Red Bull group, New York Red Bulls continue to smash records, maintaining a 14-year streak of achieving the MLS playoffs, one which eclipses any other current team across all US sports. Having reached a playoff berth in 24 of their 28 seasons within the division, one would have thought the franchise would’ve tasted its fair share of success. The reality of the situation is that the Red Bulls have yet to achieve ultimate glory in the MLS Cup, with their only final appearance in 2008 ending in defeat.
With interim manager Troy Lesesne guiding RBNY to their latest playoff qualification, his dismissal left fans wondering who would take the reigns and bring balance in such a tumultuous period for the club. Up steps former Bundesliga manager Sandro Schwarz, setting off on his first journey in American soccer and already making strides to evolve his side’s style of play and raise their ceiling. This tactical analysis will begin to identify some of Schwarz’s changes which have made their start to the season incredibly exciting. The swift evolution of their tactics has aimed to harness existing strengths, with our analysis also highlighting their ability to develop a new playstyle, making them excel in all phases of play.
Shifting the Red Bull identity
Over the years, clubs within the MLS have maintained a clear understanding of what to expect when facing up against the Red Bulls. In line with their footballing philosophies over in Europe, RBNY have been characterised by their incredibly intensive pressing efforts, almost relentless at times in an attempt to drain the life out of their opponents. A collective pressing effort was instigated to pin the opposition within their own defensive third, aiming to cause turnovers and find themselves in advantageous situations in which they could attack with increased threat and numerical advantage. This was epitomised by their statistics for PPDA, which ranked as the highest in the MLS for each season since 2015, achieving 8.01 last season. The image below depicts their committed pressing in their MLS playoff defeat to Cincinnati FC last campaign, with both forwards aggressively pressing the opposition keeper in order to compromise optimal passing angles and ideally force Cincinnati into giving the ball away.
Even though Sandro Schwarz was hired as a result of his positive play and likeness to his predecessors Lesesne and Struber, the German has modified his pressing system this season with the view of making it more sustainable. Despite the fact that the high-intensity off-the-ball play is engrained within the Red Bulls team, they have displayed more intelligent pressing, selecting their moments to pounce and willing to invite pressure from the opponents to work in their favour when counterattacking. Indicative of this would be the fact that their PPDA has dropped to 12.84 in 2024, an alarming shift which has appeared to have worked in their favour in regard to overall results and league position.
Since his appointment, Schwarz has implemented numerous formations which can be used to highlight their talents out of possession. The most common would be their variations of the 4-4-2 or 4-2-2-2, depending on the height of the two wide midfielders. When in the 4-2-2-2, the two forwards can press from the front and apply pressure to the opposing central defenders, especially targeting loose passes back towards the opposition’s goal. This was evident in their recent visit to LAFC, where we also saw Forsberg and Carmona (deployed as the wide men), look to press the opposition full-backs in the initial phase of play, allowing Frankie Amaya to step out of the double pivot and shadow the run of the LAFC holding midfielder dropping deep to offer a passing outlet for Lloris. Due to the fact that they still maintain a high offensive presence within the final third, Schwarz’s team can still effectively counter-press and often find success, creating chances from winning possession high up the field- ranking 3rd in the MLS for goal-ending high turnovers with 3.
