It hasn’t been a blue ribbon season on the red side of New York. Even after a few weeks of decent form, Gerhard Struber’s team is still on the outside of the playoff chase with a month remaining. It’s hard to forgive fans and observers for not really feeling much worthy of accolades in 2021…hell, even this website couldn’t maintain its extremely scientific ratings system of the season’s early months. Even further, the team’s lack of offensive production through long stretches of the season makes for a counterintuitive search for standout individuals.
But even with the struggles of the New York Red Bulls as a whole, it’s been a season with some notable progress and character establishment from several players as the first full year of Struber and Kevin Thelwell’s project takes shape.