Roundtable with Julian De Guzman (Red Bull New York Head of Sport)
- E Lopez
- 22 hours ago
- 9 min read
Updated: 3 hours ago
Morris Township, NJ
Last Thursday (5/28) Red Bull New York Head of Sport Julian De Guzman sat down with reporters from a few local outlets, including Jorge Martinez of The Exchange F.C., at the club’s new facility in Morris Township to discuss the clubs progress during the first half of the 2026 MLS season and other aspects of the club and its objectives during the World Cup break and beyond.
Julian De Guzman:
Julian De Guzman is a former Canadian International player who enjoyed a successful 16 year playing career, which included stops in Germany with Hannover 96 and in Spain with
Deportivo La Coruna. In February 2024 he joined New York Red Bulls as Sporting Director, and in October 2025 he was announced as the club's Head of Sport, succeeding Jochen Schneider.
Roundtable Discussion
Observations during early season and plans during the break:
De Guzman was asked on his impressions of the team’s progress six months into the season, and what the club’s plans are during the mid-season break and summer window.
Julian responded that the staff and coach Michael Bradley will discuss areas that need development and progression. He mentioned that early in the season the question was who was going to be the clubs new center-back. He pointed out that Julian Bazan showed that “he has something”, pointing to his performance in the latter stages of Red Bulls 2-1 victory over Sporting Kansas City, and cited that as a big positive for the team. The match was Bazan’s first-team debut, having previously played three matches with New York Red Bulls II.
De Guzman said it is difficult to pinpoint one position on the team that needs to be addressed, and that they will evaluate how the players return from their mini-break on June 11 as part of the process. De Guzman cited the club’s ability to score goals and that they are a fun team to watch, especially in the final third. He mentioned he is very pleased with the play of the wingers Cade Cowell and Jorge Ruvalcaba, and with Julian Hall’s play at the 9. He further commented on the team’s stability and cohesion in midfield with Adri Mehmeti, Ronald Donkor and Emil Forsberg. He said there was a lot of shuffling around on the backline due to the early season injury to Justin Che, but that with Justin Che’s return and his recent performance against Kansas City things seem to be stabilizing in the back.
He further stated that there will be a lot of work to determine what the club will do in the summer transfer window, and they will narrow it down to two areas on the field. De Guzman said he is unable to guarantee any moves, or that they have an aim in place, as he doesn’t know if any players will leave as offers and trades can occur, and that any move that is made will have to make sense performance wise. He is happy with the team all-around, but wants to ensure the team has enough depth to finish the season and get into the playoffs and to become a competitive team in the playoffs. Primarily improving the team’s depth is the objective.
Julian Hall:
De Guzman said that Hall has definitely exceeded expectations and is a focal point of the team’s attack. He said he still has a lot of improvement to show and wants to see if he comes back from the break at the same level he left off on. He cited the challenges of being a young player, but mentioned he is very pleased with where he is at.
Moves during Transfer Window:
De Guzman said that with the changes in the team’s philosophy (playing style) they had to accelerate the process of bringing in new players which would fit the style during the last transfer window. To that end, they put together a roster that is able to play a 4-3-3 formation. He mentioned Red Bull never had wingers before, and mentioned the importance of bringing in Cowell and Ruvalcaba during the last transfer period. The club will continue to evaluate the future transfer windows and will need to make smart decisions going forward.
Choupo-Moting:
De Guzman stated that Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting was a very important player last season for the club, but with Hall producing it has been difficult for him to get a lot of playing time in the early going. They expect him to play more going forward, considering his DP tag. He acknowledges they need to manage expectations for Eric due to his age, while at the same time acknowledging he can still produce for the club.
Versatility of Players:
De Guzman was asked if he takes into account the tactical flexibility of players when looking to bring players in. De Guzman agreed that there has to be flexibility within the squad. Considering the high-line the team now utilizes they need CBs with speed, and mentioned the flexibility of all the players including Donkor and Berggren as holding midfielders, and Ruvalcaba being able to play as an 8. He thinks that Bradley looks at all these possibilities when building a roster and credits the players for the willingness to play different positions. He acknowledged that this consideration is a big part in the recruitment process.
Building with Young Core:
De Guzman was questioned as to what the clubs long term plan is, taking into consideration that the young players like Hall and Mehmeti may in time start attracting the interest of European sides and may only have a short window with the club.
De Guzman responded that the academy players like Hall, Mehmeti, and Dos Santos carry the culture and are the identity of Red Bull. The culture established allows the new faces to get comfortable and be themselves. He further states that the long-term goal of the club is to identify players that can be difference makers and players who can adapt to a culture which is focused on young players. He also mentioned that established veterans like Dylan Nealis, Tim Parker and Choupo-Moting help contribute to the culture, with the understanding that young players are the nucleus of the club. The improved play of the young players during the first half of the season has changed the expectations within the club, and players like Ruvalcaba and Cowell have quickly integrated themselves into the team, helping to the continued improvement of the team.
The vision of the club is to win with young players (homegrowns from the local area), and the goal is to make smart decisions by surrounding the young nucleus with quality players, players who can serve as leaders and set the example for the younger ones. He also stated that he doesn’t know if this would have worked a few years ago, based on the personalities of some of the players with the club at the time. His recruitment strategy is now focused on finding players that understand what is expected of them and who understand that they will be part of a unit where the core is made up of talented young players.
New Training Center:
De Guzman said that the new Training Center that the club recently unveiled helps set the standard of what is expected from the players. He says it lets the players understand the top standard needed to play for Red Bull. De Guzman said he looks forward to when the players return on June 11th to train at the new training grounds.
Signing of Ethan Horvath:
De Guzman addressed the teams signing of goalkeeper Ethan Horvath in the offseason. He said the club is thrilled with Ethan and that he has been outstanding for the Red Bulls. When they identified him as a player to pursue, they were unaware of his interest in playing in MLS after playing his entire professional career in Europe. In speaking to Ethan, he saw the players eagerness and hunger to be with Red Bull, making the move possible. With the youth on the squad, the experience Horvath brings helps with regards to leadership. His presence provides veteran leadership and he is a figure who commands the box, and is the leader of the backline.
De Guzman also commented on backup goalkeeper John McCarthy. He said he is very happy with McCarthy as the backup and recognized him as one of the biggest leaders in the locker room. He noted that A.J. Marcucci can learn a lot from Horvath and McCarthy and is very happy with the pipeline of goalies behind them.
Family Sacrifices:
De Guzman was asked about the family sacrifices he has made as a result of his role with Red Bulls.
De Guzman said things are going very well, his family has been living fulltime in New Jersey for over a year, and he is able to see them in the morning before he goes to work and when he comes back. He is happy with his work-home life balance, and things are going well for his five kids and wife.
When he first accepted a role with Red Bull the family remained in Toronto for 22 months, this he says allowed himself to fully integrate himself to the Red Bull culture. He says he is very happy with how things are going now.
Cameron Harper and other injuries:
De Guzman indicated that he was very pleased that Cameron Harper made his return to the first team during the clubs most recent victory over Kansas City following a lengthy absence. He said that Harper looked like himself, and noted that during the match he had a very good chance to score, which pleased everyone. He also noted that he will be happy to see him when the club returns to train on June 11, and see where he is at, in hopes of getting him fully integrated into the first team dynamic.
The status of Cade Cowell was addressed, as he was replaced in the second half of the 2-1 victory over Kansas City after an awkward fall on his ankle. De Guzman said it appears there is nothing to worry about and they expect Cowell to be fine, and will be reevaluated when the club returns from the mini-break.
Players on Loan:
Wiktor Bogacz: De Guzman indicated that when Bogacz was signed he was looked at as a striker to play in a 4-2-2-2 formation, but with the team playing a 4-3-3 formation they will need to evaluate how that would look when he comes back. He is happy that he was sent on loan to Cracovia, but has been injured and has just recently recovered from injury, and will evaluate him when he comes back.
Marcelo Morales: De Guzman said that Morales has a similar game to Matty Dos Santos, and that Dos Santos learned a lot from Morales which has helped Matty progress in his career. He continued that Morales just needed to build his confidence, and that he has a lot of quality. He has been playing regularly with Universidad de Chile at a high level, and they will continue to evaluate him for the future.
Dennis Gjengaar: De Guzman said that Dennis was signed due his profile as a fast and dynamic player to fit into a 4-2-2-2 system, but thinks his play can also translate as a fullback or winger in the clubs new 4-3-3 formation. He says he has shown good signs at the MLS Next Pro level with New York Red Bulls II, both as a fullback and winger, but just needs to show more consistency. He says Dennis will be given a clean slate with the first-team when he returns on June 11, and has a good chance to prove himself.
Serge Ngoma: Ngoma was sent on loan to Birmingham Legion in the USL Championship. He said he needs to feel the pressure of joining a club that needs him to be a difference maker and learn what it is to be away from Red Bull.
When asked about certain players based on their salary tags, De Guzman said he doesn’t like talking about players in those terms. He said that the budget is tight now, as they needed to focus on building a roster to fit the clubs new playing style, they had to bring in wingers and make sure they had a box-to-box midfielder. He said it took great effort and investment into bringing Ruvalcaba and Cowell. He said the club has great financial flexibility with contracts being based on players meeting certain performance objectives. He says Red Bulls can be more proactive in acquiring players based on the ways they are doing things now.
International Players:
De Guzman was asked on the status of getting green cards for international players as they have many international players and the struggle to meet the foreign player limit. De Guzman sited that during his playing career in Europe, as a foreign player he had to be better than domestic players in order to justify being on the squad. He said that that hasn’t been the case with Red Bull and that is something that needs to change. With the investment that bringing an international on board requires, he stated that if you are coming to Red Bull as an international-player you should be expected to be better than the domestic player on board. He says the internationals that were brought on board during this transfer window have the potential to be starting players, and they expect them to be starting players. More sense needs to be made of the international signings going forward.
Integration of Red Bull teams:
De Guzman says the relationship with Red Bull Global has been phenomenal. He says that Mario Gomez and Jurgen Klopp have shown great support and the relationship with the Red Bull group is getting stronger. He is willing to continue to welcome player and staff from other Red Bull teams to continue their development in New York, whether with the first or second team.
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