Welcome to the latest installment of South Ward Central’s weekly mailbag. This feature allows you to send in your burning questions about Red Bull New York and Gotham FC.
If you’re interested in participating in next week’s mailbag, you’re encouraged to send in your questions early to: mailbag@southwardcentral.com.
If you missed Mailbag #1, you can read it here.
Let’s open with Inigo, who I understand is a devoted fan of Red Bull New York.
Q: Hi Sean! While certainly a season is 34-plus games and given the regime change, where do you see EMCM fitting in both short term, and long term? If at all?
SWC: Thanks for your question, Inigo. It’s a bit of a strange situation since Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting scored 17 MLS goals last season and now finds himself on the bench.
Even though his role has been reduced, he’s still serving as a valuable mentor to Julian Hall and other young Red Bulls. His dramatic 97th-minute goal against Toronto FC showed that he still has sharp reactions around the box when he was called upon as a 77th-minute substitute.
There will be times when head coach Michael Bradley will rotate the squad and give Choupo-Moting opportunities to start. Even though he’s 37, I think he still has plenty to offer this season, but for the long term, I don’t expect his contract option to be picked up. That’s not based on inside information, just my opinion.
Like you said, there’s been a regime change, and Bradley’s system requires youthful legs.
Next up is Emily C., who asks for a prediction on how many goals Jaedyn Shaw will score for Gotham this season.
Q: Jaedyn Shaw is my favorite player… Now that she’s back from her injury, how many goals do you think she’ll score this season?
SWC: Interesting question, Emily. Thanks for reaching out. If we’re just talking about the NWSL regular season, Shaw’s current career high is six goals. Now that she’s settled at Gotham, I expect her to set a new career best, especially in the expanded 30-game regular season.
In all competitions, Shaw scored seven goals for San Diego Wave FC in her second NWSL season back in 2023. I think 10 regular-season goals is a reachable target for Gotham’s No. 10.
She looked sharp in her 46-minute goal-scoring return from a hamstring injury against Kansas City. As long as she doesn’t suffer a significant injury, I see her hitting double digits across all competitions for the Bats.
Let’s continue with Gotham topics. Amanda M. wants to know how Gotham will press on without defender Kayla Duran.
Q: Hi Sean, how worried should I be about Gotham’s depth now that Kayla Duran is out of the season?
SWC: Hey there, Amanda. Thanks for your question. Last time out against Kansas City, Gotham was a little short even before Duran’s injury, with Bruninha (hamstring) and Mandy Freeman (lower leg) both unavailable and Tierna Davidson on a minutes restriction.
Perhaps the international break will have given both Bruninha and Freeman time to recover, and as of this Q&A going live, Davidson has played at least one match for 26 minutes for the USWNT.
Gotham’s roster feels a bit unbalanced with so many attacking players, and there’s a lack of cover at wing-back. We’ve seen Midge Purce being asked to fill in at right-back out of necessity.
Jess Carter and Freeman are capable of sliding over to right-back once Davidson returns to the starting XI.
We’ll finish off with Terry M., who asks about Tanner Rosborough’s development with Red Bull New York.
Q: Nice job on the Rosborough interview! What can we expect from him for the rest of the season?
SWC: Thanks for the kind words, Terry. For a teenager like Rosborough, the plan is to be patient and make the most of opportunities here and there.
He’s played a total of 61 minutes across five MLS matches. Bradley has been quick to utilize young players like Matthew Dos Santos and Adri Mehmeti, though it’s clear that he picks his starting XI and bench based on who can best help the Red Bulls now.
If Rosborough keeps working hard, his time will come.
That’s all for this week’s mailbag. Thanks to everyone who sent in their questions. Be sure to keep them coming for next week’s edition.
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