Higher-ups within the New York Red Bulls say the parent company – owned by energy drink billionaire Dietrich Mateschitz – is as committed as ever to the club. And though the team may spend less on its next Designated Player than it spent on Thierry Henry, they insist Red Bull isn’t getting cheap, just efficient.
Red Bull Head of Global Football Gerard Houllier, who also oversees teams in Austria, Brazil and Germany, said it’s better to develop stars than to have to overpay for somebody else’s. And sporting director Andy Roxburgh waved his hand toward construction the team is doing for its academy and U-23 side, pointing at it as a proof of Red Bull’s commitment to New York – and development.
“My teammate for three years was Alex Ferguson. He said the heart and soul at Manchester United were the guys we brought through together: [David] Beckham, [Paul] Scholes, more or less [Ryan] Giggs. That group was the heart and soul of Man United for over a decade,’’ Roxburgh told The Post. “Any club that can bring through a handful of its own players as homegrown, the supporters identify with them, relate to them, they’re patient with them because they’re their own kids.
“Also, in this county, the salary cap makes that even more important because…you’re not paying millions for them. They’re young, they’re talented but they don’t kill your salary cap. That’s one of the reasons our owner has invested the money. We’re building two locker rooms right there, bleachers. It’s approved so it’ll be there by the start of next season. … Within a year this place will have the academy in here. That’s very important because they were like nomads, trolling around New Jersey looking for places to play.’’
But the academy is setting down roots at the senior club’s Morris County complex, with the front office citing the expenditure as further proof that any sale is pure fiction. More likely its confirmation bias or wishful thinking by those fans still offended at the rebranding. Either way Red Bull appears committed.
While Roxburgh’s longtime friend Ferguson reaped the benefits of Manchester United’s vaunted academy, Barcelona – from whom the Red Bulls acquired Henry and the since-departed Rafa Marquez four summers ago – has arguably the most-decorated youth setup in the world.
The Red Bulls have spent significant money to make theirs one of the best academies in MLS. That doesn’t mean they won’t be searching for another Designated Player – both Houllier and Roxburgh insisted they are – it just means eventually they hope the core of the roster can someday be homegrown.
“It’s true we’re looking at someone. There are several options, but we want to make sure we pick the right one or else will wait till the end of the season,’’ said Houllier, adding: “We probably won’t spend as much as we did before. We definitely need a DP but we need to pick the right person.”
Neither Houllier nor Roxburgh felt obligated to match New York City FC’s acquisitions of David Villa or Frank Lampard. It’s a philosophical shift toward building from the ground up.
“They’re doing their job, we’re doing ours. They have their philosophy, we have ours,’’ Houllier said. “I’m pleased that practically three of the back line were 18, 20, 21. You should stress that. And some other players we have are going to play the tournament in Salzburg, a lot are on the Under-17 team of America, which is good. I believe and this is our philosophy – it’s [better] to develop your player to bring them to the gold medal than to buy the gold medal. But we need both.’’
Last summer, the U-17/18 team won the US Soccer Development Academy crown. Last weekend, the U-14 team took third in the Next Generation tourney in Liefering, Austria, which that included Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Liverpool, Borussia Dortmund (whom they tied), Espanyol (whom they beat) and their own sister clubs.
And this summer the Red Bulls Under-23 won the National Premier Soccer League title, with midfielder Victor Manosalvas earning the Golden Ball.
“Most of the boys in the Under-23 are homegrowns,” Roxburgh said. “They came through the academy system.”
Roxburgh singled out Duke senior midfielder Sean Davis, who has played for the US at U-14, U-17 and U-18 level.s
“Sean Davis is of major interest to me. I’m already talking to him,’’ Roxburgh said. “He’s one of ours. What I said to him is when you finish at the end of the year, then we want to talk to you. He’s a very good player, Sean Davis, and it sums up our philosophy here.
“The philosophy is No. 1 all of our development teams have a major purpose. That is to find us players for the first team. The winning of the title is great, because you have to learn to play together and so on, and develop them. But the major thing for us is getting players for our first team.
“And we’ve got some talented kids all the way down at every level. That’s why our owner Mr. Mateschitz invested the money in that development program; its to get players for the first team.’’