Red Bulls head coach Jesse Marsch has said last season was club’s most successful year.

It wasn’t necessarily about the results, such as reaching the U.S. Open Cup finals or making MLS playoffs for the eighth consecutive season. For Marsch, entering his fourth season with Red Bulls, he was more impressed with the team’s growth — especially at the end of the season, when they nearly knocked off MLS Cup champions Toronto FC in the conference semifinals. That, to him, was their biggest success.

Which finally puts the Red Bulls in position to do what they want — win the Red Bulls’ way.

“There’s a really strong foundation here, and so much of it is around identity,” Marsch said. “There’s not confusion in our club, in our team or our academy what Red Bulls is right now. That can’t be underestimated.”

That foundation can be attributed to Marsch becoming the longest tenured coach in club history. The coach, who’s believed in grooming homegrown talent, has been backed by a front office friend, Dennis Hamlett, who for the second-straight season traded away the club’s captain. First it was Dax McCarty to Chicago in 2017, this time it was Sacha Kljestan to Orlando City — which not only brought back youth in Carlos Rivas and Tommy Redding, but also allowed more freedom centrally in the Red Bulls’ midfield.

Some veterans are still there — Bradley Wright-Phillips, the team’s leading goal scorer (17), and goalkeeper Luis Robles, who was awarded the captain’s armband this season. But others, like Mike Grella and Sal Zizzo, were handed walking papers. Instead, the Red Bulls will opt for young, versatile types moving forward — like midfielders Alex Muyl, Sean Davis and Tyler Adams, all of whom were relied on last season and are expected to take another step forward.

“We’re moving away from what’s the hot thing, the exciting thing in the moment and gradually move toward building a foundation that’ll be here for years to come,” Marsch said.

That also includes Alejandro “Kaku” Romero Gamarra, the club’s big offseason signing. The 23-year-old Argentine playmaker was praised for the way he plays similar to the model Marsch has the Red Bulls play — a high-press, high-energy way.

So in year four, Marsch finally seems to have all the pieces he needs. He’s praised his team’s preseason fitness and professionalism as well as the collective group’s versatility, which will play 4-5-1 and the multiple other formations. They’ll still be viewed as underdogs, according to Marsch, but that isn’t a bad thing.

“The league is harder than ever to win,” Marsch said. “But I am more optimistic sitting here right now as the coach of this team that we can be champions that I’ve ever been.”

Red Bulls outlook

Offensive MVP: Bradley Wright-Phillips

The two-time Golden Boot winner’s production dropped last season (17 goals) but still remains one of the league’s biggest threats in the final third of the field. With no clear scoring option beyond him, it’s clear the Red Bull feel Wright-Phillips can continue producing, despite getting up in age (33 later this month).

Defensive MVP: Luis Robles

The Red Bulls’ new — and deserved — captain once posted double-digit (10) shutouts for the second straight season and ranked third in the league in saves. His MLS-record 174 straight regular seasons starts will continue, as the Red Bulls will rely heavily on Robles, not only in net but as a leader, too.

New player to watch: Alejandro “Kaku” Romero Gamarra

The young designated player is expected to take Sacha Kljestan’s vacant playmaker role and become a vital cog for the Red Bulls’ attack moving forward.

Biggest question mark: Tyler Adams

The 19-year-old homegrown midfielder was deployed mostly on the right wing last season. This season, it’s expected that Adams will play more centrally, where many see him sticking for the next decade and beyond for the United States men’s national team.