This time last year, New York Red Bulls head of sport Jochen Schneider visited Germany to complete a club-altering deal for Emil Forsberg.
He was attending RB Leipzig vs. TSG Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga, and New York’s sister side were tied at 1-1 as the 60th minute rolled around.
Shortly, the game would turn on its head. Leipzig manager Marco Rose called Forsberg over from the substitute’s bench, confident the veteran would provide a spark – as he often had for the UEFA Champions League regulars.
Those hopes quickly bore fruit.
Within four minutes of entering the pitch, Forsberg gathered a cross-field switch from Loïs Openda and smashed his shot past Hoffenheim goalkeeper Oliver Baumann. Now leading 2-1, Leipzig searched for more.
Their pressure was quickly rewarded when Forsberg redirected a low, driven corner kick toward goal. Baumann parried his powerful effort off the crossbar, only for center back Mohamed Simakan to sweep home the ensuing rebound and ice a 3-1 victory.
The not-so-secret secret, especially given round-the-clock transfer coverage on social media?
“We had signed the deal a few hours before kickoff,” Schneider told MLSsoccer.com earlier this week, likening the day to a “fairytale.”
“Emil achieved everything at Leipzig and was at a stage of his career where he felt it would be great to make a transfer, to have new experiences,” Schneider added. “We had a discussion with him and found out that it might be a perfect match for both parties. We started talking more with him and our sister club at Leipzig, then finalized the transfer.”
Difference-maker
Later that day, New York made it official: Forsberg had signed a long-term deal, arriving as their newest Designated Player after nine years at Leipzig. The Swedish international represented the type of addition New York desperately needed, a prime-age playmaker shining for a trophy-contending club in a top-five European league.
Fast forward 12 months and the move is a resounding success, with Forsberg leading New York into MLS Cup 2024 presented by Audi on Saturday afternoon at the LA Galaxy (4 pm ET | Apple TV - Free; FOX, FOX Deportes; TSN, RDS).
The Red Bulls’ dream run – they’re the lowest-ever seed to reach MLS Cup (Eastern Conference No. 7) and are in the championship game for the first time since 2008 (second time overall) – has required far more than Forsberg, of course.
But it’s no mistake the Red Bulls have looked reborn ever since their captain and No. 10 returned from injury in late September. They’ve completed three straight upsets in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs, starting with defending champions Columbus Crew, then bitter rivals New York City FC and most recently red-hot Orlando City SC.
Roster evolution
Those results reinforce why they signed Forsberg, Schneider said. With support from Red Bull Global leaders Oliver Mintzlaff and Mario Gomez, their vision for the New York outpost is coming together.
“Together, we made the decision over the last 12, 18 months of what we need to change to become more successful, to win these crucial games when it really matters, these knockout games,” Schneider said. “We came to the decision that we need more quality, leadership, experience on the field.
“We have a bunch of amazing young talents, top talents from the age of 15 to 22 or 23, on our first-team roster. But they also need, from time to time, some guidance and experience next to them to grow and develop. We took this decision to add more of what I call leadership, quality, experience to our team. That really helped us in the critical games this season and we will continue to do so. We think that our talents, our top talents, grow better and faster when they have this around them.”
The context, as Schneider referenced, is this is New York’s 15 straight postseason trip. And during the last five years, they crashed out in Round One every time. For all their accomplishments, New York couldn’t win the biggest games when the lights shined brightest.
The club’s youth-focused foundation was strong, and solid veterans were in key roles. But criticisms grew louder and louder, with Red Bulls supporters asking for increased investment to truly contend for trophies. Given his position, Schneider faced it all head-on – even the public remonstrations at Red Bull Arena.
“We were as frustrated as our fans about it,” Schneider said. “To overcome that, now with this roster and this coaching team and this staff… it’s really big for us.”
The whole picture
To be clear: The Red Bulls didn’t just add Forsberg this season. Center back Noah Eile arrived from the Swedish top-flight, DP midfielder Felipe Carballo joined on loan from Brazil’s Grêmio and Scottish international Lewis Morgan returned from a long-term injury, eventually earning MLS Comeback Player of the Year honors.
Could New York spend even more? Schneider says it’s “definitely a fair conversation,” skipping around a later question about reports that RBNY will sign former Bayern Munich striker Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting this winter.
“What’s the name again?” he asks with a blank stare.
While those conversations are natural, Schneider also points to last weekend’s Eastern Conference Final win at Orlando City for perspective.
“This American core group is so important for us and also it connects us with the community here,” Schneider said, dubbing them part of New York’s three roster pillars.
“We said it in the locker room in Orlando after the game – we had five players from the New York/New Jersey area in the starting XI. Then on the bench, there are many others from this area. This is amazing to see. Those players are so important for us, for the locker room, for the team.”
Those starters were brothers Sean and Dylan Nealis along the backline, homegrowns Daniel Edelman and Peter Stroud harrying in midfield, and US international John Tolkin flying up the left flank.
New leader
Then, of course, it’s up to head coach Sandro Schwarz to make it all sing in a coherent, effective manner. Schwarz, like Forsberg, arrived last December from Germany. He had a pre-existing relationship with Schneider, and has slightly tweaked the Red Bulls’ typical high-press model.
“Not too bad for the first year, right? He's not only a great coach, but also a great person, great leader, somebody who can connect people,” Schneider said. “We've never been this connected since the days of Jesse Marsch, meaning with the second team and academy, with the front office and fans. Sandro is playing a huge part in that.”
Sporting director Julian de Guzman went a bit further when explaining Schwarz’s impact.
“We’ve looked to find a way to be flexible and not just play your typical expected Red Bull football,” de Guzman said. “We got creative with it, changed the system around some. But also, we tapped into the boys' quality and it allowed them to dig deep and push themselves to do more.
“Here we are now in the final, and it's a big credit to the whole organization to continue to believe, to give us the support and backing. Then, most importantly, when those boys go on the field, they become warriors. That's something we're seeing in this group. It doesn't matter who we face. We're able to come together and find this one goal to achieve great things.”
Laser-focused
The Red Bulls are still yet to win the big game, though. They’re one of three MLS originals to never lift the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy and are widely viewed as the underdog against LA’s high-flying attack.
The low expectations might benefit RBNY. They might even provide inspiration, fueling the pursuit of a championship parade and confetti raining down.
As tempting as those dreams may be, the Red Bulls aren’t tipping their hand – at least publicly.
“This is a question for Saturday afternoon, not for now,” Schneider said.
“We still have a lot to do. Nothing changes,” de Guzman said.
All business. Eyes on the prize.
