By Peter Schwartz

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The season wasn’t supposed to end this way.

Back on Nov. 29, the Red Bulls were in need of two goals to keep the Eastern Conference Final and their season alive. They needed a miracle and they almost got it.

Anatole Abang scored in the 93rd minute, but then in the final seconds of the match a header by Bradley Wright-Phillips went off the right goal post.

The season was soon over and Columbus went on to the MLS Cup.

The fans at Red Bull Arena were stunned beyond belief. It was a painful ending to a season.

But with every ending is a new beginning.

“It was frustrating no doubt to come so close and fail yet again, but I think it’s only going to make us stronger,” Red Bulls captain and midfielder Dax McCarty said.

Over the last three years, the Red Bulls have won two Supporters Shields, emblematic of Major League Soccer’s best team in the regular season. There have also been two trips to the Eastern Conference Final, but each time the Red Bulls came up short of their goal of winning a championship.

The pain of coming so close but short has fueled the Red Bulls as they get set to open the 2016 season on Sunday against Toronto FC at Red Bull Arena. McCarty’s excitement level is through the roof. Almost.

“I would say probably about a 9 out of 10,” McCarty said. “I don’t think I can be much more excited. In the next couple of days it might get up there to a 10.”

Feeling a sense of unfinished business, McCarty agreed to a four-year contract extension this past offseason. He said he wants to win a championship and he wants to do it with the Red Bulls.

“I feel a really good connection with the city, fans, and the entire organization,” said McCarty, who was named to the MLS Best Eleven and the All-Star game last season for the first time in his 10-year career. “It’s the place where I think I probably played the best soccer of my career. I’ve turned from a young, little bit arrogant, stubborn kid into a man and a player that I’ve always wanted to become.”

After spending the first five seasons of his MLS career with FC Dallas, McCarty moved on to DC United in 2011, but was traded to the Red Bulls during the season. He’s seen a lot during his five-plus seasons in Harrison, New Jersey, including as tumultuous an offseason as a team could have.

Last year, new Red Bulls Sporting Director Ali Curtis fired popular head coach Mike Petke and replaced him with Jesse Marsch. The fans were not thrilled with the decision and let the organization know it.

“They had every right to be upset, angry, and frustrated,” McCarty said.

But, eventually, the fans liked what they saw on the field and bought into the new program. As the new season begins, there are high expectations for the Red Bulls. Many of their core players will be back, including Wright-Phillips, goalkeeper Luis Robles, midfielder Sacha Kljestan, forward Mike Grella and international designated player Gonzalo Veron, who will miss the season opener due to a hamstring injury.

The Red Bulls also added some pieces like international defender Gideon Baah and homegrown midfielder Tyler Adams, who hails from Wappingers Falls, New York.

“This is one of the most talented rosters that I’ve ever been a part of,” McCarty said. “I feel like we got stronger. I think we added some very talented players to an already deep roster.”

That roster will get its first test on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. when U.S. National Team star Michael Bradley leads Toronto FC into Red Bull Arena. After a successful preseason, it will be the first step for the Red Bulls on their road to turning the page on the disappointment of last season.

“It’s extremely motivating to know that while we had such a great regular season, we were also one goal away from getting to our ultimate goal and that is the MLS Cup and competing for a championship,” McCarty said.

After three years of postseason failures, McCarty said enough is enough. It’s time to finish the job and bring the first championship in franchise history to New Jersey.

“Nothing less than an MLS Cup will suffice,” McCarty said. “After every season that’s gone by that we haven’t won an MLS Cup, I’ve taken it very hard and this team has taken it very hard. The Supporters Shield is great, but it’s not the ultimate determiner of who the champion of MLS is.”

This will be the 21st season for the MetroStars/Red Bulls franchise and there has probably never been a more highly anticipated season. The fans have been through a lot since 1996, but the team has certainly turned a corner in recent years. The Red Bulls have been one of the best clubs in MLS over the last three years and McCarty has been a big part.

After the retirement of Thierry Henry following the 2014 season, McCarty had big shoes to fill … make that a big armband to fill … as he stepped into the role of team captain. Now that the captain is locked up for four more years, the hope among the organization and fans is that McCarty will finally get a chance to hoist an MLS Cup.

For tickets to Sunday’s Red Bulls season opener against Toronto FC, click here.

Don’t forget to follow Pete on Twitter @pschwartzcbsfan. You can also follow @DaxMcCarty11 and @NewYorkRedBulls