Michael Bradley has backed Jürgen Klopp’s declaration that Red Bull New York can become the leading destination for youth talents in the United States.
Bradley was recently asked by South Ward Central about the club’s desire to become a top-flight academy in the United States.
“First and foremost, we want to be a club that provides opportunity for the most talented young players in this area,” Bradley said on July 7.
“We’re really lucky that when you think about New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, the tri-state area, the diversity of talent, the population density, you name it, everything is there for us to have the best academy and the best group of young players of any club in the country.
“What we hope is that any young player in this area who’s a good player, who is really talented, who’s motivated, knows that if they can continue to move themselves along, take the next step in their careers, that there is going to be an opportunity for them to move along here.”
Red Bull New York Looking To Capture the Tri-State Region’s Best Young Players
As Bradley mentioned, the tri-state area is a hotbed for producing high-potential youngsters, and Red Bull New York is aggressively recruiting and successfully developing talent within the region.
“The hope is that you are casting your net as wide as possible with as close an eye as possible to making sure that you can get to every neighborhood, every youth club and make sure that you’ve got the best players,” Bradley stated.
Decades ago, the 38-year-old head coach was identified as a promising talent while growing up in Pennington, New Jersey, before he moved to Palatine, Illinois, while his father Bob coached the Chicago Fire.
Bradley spent his teenage years at U.S. Soccer’s full-time residency program in Bradenton, Florida, which eventually closed in 2017 due to modernized academies springing up across the country. He was drafted by the New York/New Jersey MetroStars in 2004, where he took his first professional steps with his father coaching the team.
Hall, Mehmeti and Dos Santos Are Shining Examples of Pathway Success
Nowadays, rising talents in the tri-state area and beyond don’t need to go on a roundabout journey like a young Bradley did. Some of Red Bull New York’s current first team roster have been with the club since age nine and have been developed every step of the way to their Major League Soccer debut.
Under Bradley’s watch in his first season as Red Bull New York’s first team head coach, local youngsters Julian Hall, Adri Mehmeti and Matthew Dos Santos have emerged as starting XI regulars.
Beyond the tri-state area, Red Bull New York is seeking to bring in emerging youngsters from across the country and throughout the world to its impressive 80-acre training complex in Morris Township, New Jersey.
RWJBarnabas Health Red Bulls Performance Center features eight grass fields, dedicated academy spaces including change rooms and full locker rooms, educational spaces for academy players and youth programs equipped with classrooms and study spaces.
“As academy rules and homegrown rules continue to change, then our ability to be a real destination for young players from all around the country, young players from Central and South America, young players from Africa, from Europe, Asia, you name it,” Bradley explained.
“Developing young players is at the core of Red Bull’s identity. At Red Bull New York, we want to be a club that develops young players, plays young players, and wins with young players, and does all of that in a way that also moves them along for the next step in their career. I think the opportunity that we have to do all of that is pretty unique.”
Young Talent Thriving at Red Bull II Under Dominik Wohlert’s Watch
Dominik Wohlert has guided Red Bull New York II to a fifth-place standing (32 points) through his first 18 games as head coach of the defending MLS NEXT Pro champions.
The 32-year-old German took charge of Red Bull II after Bradley’s promotion to first team head coach and has implemented a fresh set of players who have made MSU Soccer Park a fortress with a 6-2-1 home record.
“I think Dom has done a really good job,” Bradley said. “Obviously, we’re always going to be a club that tries to take advantage of the pathway from our academy to the second team, right on up to the first team.
“Obviously, the core of the Red Bull II team has changed this year. The team that won last year, a lot of those guys have now become regular first-team players. So the second team has a new foundation. It’s an even younger group this year.
“We were young last year, but now this year it’s even younger, which is a positive thing for sure. It continues to be a good mix of players who have come through our academy and have earned that first professional step, combined with some young foreign players that the club have identified and see as real potential players for the first team.
“So it’s a fun group to watch. The results have been good, even if that is never the most important thing with Red Bull II. We still want to have a team that steps on the field to win, steps on the field to compete, steps on the field to play the football that we want, but does it all in a way that develops our young players and prepares them for the next step with the first team. So I think Dom and his staff have found a really good balance of all that and will continue to use Red Bull II as a really important part of what we’re doing as a club.”
Wohlert: ‘We Have a Proven Pathway’
Christian Gallager, Connor Faello, Dennis Nelich and Deven Cadigan have all signed their first professional contracts in recent weeks as they strive to one day reach Bradley’s squad.
“We have a proven pathway, and we want to continue,” Wohlert stated. “Our goal is, yes, we want to win games, but the big, big topic is we want to develop young, young, talented players, and we want to allow them to enter the next stage in their development.”
Red Bull New York will continue to face competition at the academy and youth level from nearby rivals New York City FC, the Philadelphia Union, D.C. United and the New England Revolution, all of whom have invested heavily in youth development and modern facilities.
But it’s clear that Red Bull New York’s brand new state-of-the-art complex, combined with the Bradley and the club placing their full trust in the academy to pro pathway, will give the Red Bulls every chance to entice bright young talents from New Jersey, the greater tri-state area and beyond to join their youth ranks.
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