New York Red Bulls midfielder Sacha Kljestan (pictured) has two career goals in the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League. (Photo: Mexsport)
Now that the draw for the 2018 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League has revealed the Round of 16 pairings, CONCACAF.com will take a more in-depth look at each of the teams – one per day for the next 16 days -- as we peer ahead to the competition’s 10th edition.
We start with the USA’s New York Red Bulls, which will be making their third straight SCCL appearance.
NEW YORK RED BULLS/USA
By The Numbers
2017 Regular Season Record: W14 D8 L12 GF53 GA47
Final Position (Regular Season): Sixth Place, MLS Eastern Conference
Final Position (Playoffs): Eastern Conference Semifinals (agg: 2-2 v Toronto FC, eliminated on away-goals rule)
Top Scorer (Regular Season): Bradley Wright-Phillips, 17 goals
Season Summary
The Red Bulls booked safe passage to the MLS Cup playoffs for an eighth consecutive time and 14th over the past 15 seasons, more than any other MLS club during that stretch. For a second straight year, however, they were eliminated by Canadian opposition in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. In a hard-fought, contentious series, the teams were level at two with Toronto FC advancing on away goals (2-1).
Season Highlight
The Red Bulls remained a terror for visiting sides in 2017. They were 9W-6D-2L at Red Bull Arena and haven’t lost more than three regular-season home since the venue opened in 2010.
Key Player: Sacha Kljestan
Kljestan assumed the club’s captaincy after Dax McCarty was traded to the Chicago Fire in the offseason and the veteran center midfielder led MLS in assists for the second straight year, with 17 in 2017.
Player to Watch in 2018: Tyler Adams
Adams graduated to the first team – and graduated from high school – in 2017, emerging as one of the top young players in MLS. The 18-year-old, a box-to-box midfielder with a tremendous motor, represented the United States at the 2017 FIFA Under-20 World Cup and earned his first senior cap in a 1-1 draw at Portugal on November 14, 2017.
Fabulous Fact
Bradley Wright-Phillips scored a team-high 17 goals in 2017, joining former LA Galaxy forward Robbie Keane as the only players in MLS history to score at least 15 goals in four consecutive seasons.
SCCL Round of 16 Outlook
The pressure will be on the Red Bulls when they meet 2017 Scotiabank CONCACAF League champion Olimpia in the Round of 16. New York, which will meet Honduran opposition for the first time in the competition, has advanced to the quarterfinals only once in its previous three SCCL appearances.
